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How to Unlock iPhone If You Forgot its Passcode without Restore

If you forgot your passcode and want to regain access to iPhone, then follow the recommended methods in this article to unlock your forgotten passcode on iPhone without restoring it.

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Alice Estelle
Updated on Nov 15, 2022

If you're looking for the methods to remove forgotten passcode on iPhone without restore, try the methods described below.

Have you ever encountered a situation when your iPhone screen shows "iPhone Unavailable" or "Security Lockout." That's because repeatedly entering the wrong passcode has triggered Apple's security system to protect your private information stored on your iPhone from being intruded. But what do you do if you forget your passcode and are locked out of your iPhone?

Although you can unlock your forgotten passcode on iPhone by using the restore process with iTunes or Finder, many users are not inclined to use this method because of losing their data. But the only way to unlock iPhone is to erase the device, which inevitably restores your iPhone to its factory settings and removes your old passcode. Since all your iPhone data files will be deleted during the restore process, users don't have to worry about the disclosure of their privacy.

All in all, this article will recommend you several ways to unlock forgotten passcode on your iPhone without restoring by using iTunes or Finder. For example, Erase iPhone, iPhone Unlocker, and Find My iPhone can help you unlock iPhone without having to perform a restore using iTunes if you don't remember the passcode.

Table of Contents

Can you unlock forgotten passcode on iPhone without using iTunes to restore?

If you forget your passcode you may think of using iTunes or Finder to solve it, which also means that you need to go through the restore process. Although this method can unlock your iPhone, it is not recommended and not the best option because it is very time consuming and you may encounter many unexpected problems while using iTunes or Finder.

What problems you may experience using the restore process:

  • Even if you connect your iPhone to iTunes or Finder, they cannot recognize your iPhone.
  • It takes a long time to complete the process.
  • You may get stuck in recovery mode and not be able to exit.
  • This method is more suitable for users with technical background, while technical novices are difficult to use it.

So, it is not an ideal method to remove your forgotten passcode from iPhone by restoring it with iTunes or Finder. But don't worry, there are still several recommended methods for you to unlock and get into your iPhone if you forgot the iPhone passcode.

Note: No matter which method you use, in the process of unlocking your iPhone, the data and files on your iPhone, including photos, videos, messages, etc. will be deleted and the iPhone will be restored to its factory settings. But if you make a backup before resetting, then you can restore these data and files during the process of setting up your iPhone.

How to fix forgotten passcode on iPhone without restore via Erase iPhone

If you have forgotten your iPhone passcode and want to unlock it without iTunes, Erase iPhone can help you to solve this problem. When you forget your iPhone passcode, using Erase iPhone instead of iTunes can save you a lot of time. You can effortlessly get into your iPhone without the passcode using this quick and straightforward method.

Precondition:

  • The Erase iPhone option will only appear on devices with using iOS 15.2 or later.
  • The locked iPhone should be connected to a stable network.
  • You need to clearly remember the Apple ID login credentials of your forgotten passcode iPhone.

After the seventh wrong passcode attempt, an iPhone Unavailable or Security Lockout interface will appear on your iPhone screen. And you can see the Erase iPhone option on the bottom-right part of the screen.

1. Tap the Erase iPhone option to start resetting process on your locked iPhone.

Erase iPhone option is in the bottom right corner.

2. Tap Erase iPhone option again on the Erase All Content & Settings interface moving to the Sign Out of Apple ID interface.

Tap Erase iPhone option to unlock iPhone without restore.

3. Here you need to enter your Apple ID password to erase your iPhone. Then you can see a white process bar and a apple logo on the screen showing the progress of the reset.

Enter Apple ID password to start erasing process.

Cons:

  • Not all iPhones have the Erase iPhone option.
  • It will only work if the iPhone is connected to a smooth cellular or Wi-Fi network.

Use iPhone Unlocker to remove forgotten passcode from iPhone without restore

The Erase iPhone option can't be universally applied due to various constraints, therefore, you have to find other efficient and viable alternatives that you can use to solve the problem of forgetting iPhone passcode. Then iPhone Unlocker will be the best choice that won't let you down.

iPhone Unlocker is an easy-to-use tool that allows you to remove your forgotten passcode from iPhone with just a few mouse clicks, without the need to use iTunes to restore it. It is a special iPhone unlocking software tool that can not only safely and quickly bypass forgotten passcode on iPhone, but also remove Apple ID, or even Screen Time.

Free Download Free Download

Pros: 

  • The interface is pretty smooth and user-friendly.
  • It does not require any technical operation and can be performed easily.
  • You can easily unlock your iPhone without using iTunes or the restore option.
  • The tool has a success rate of 99%.
  • It is compatible with all iPhone models.
  • Its operation is very safe and will not reveal any privacy.

Follow the steps mentioned below to unlock your iPhone.

Step 1. The first step is to download and install the iPhone Unlocker on your computer. Then launch iPhone Unlocker and click on the blue Wipe Passcode option on the interface.

Step 2. Now, with the help of a USB cable, connect your iPhone to your computer and click on the "Device connected but not recognized" link to enter the recovery mode by following the tutorials.

Step 3. Once your iPhone is detected, it will ask you to confirm the information and you can click on the Start to proceed further.

The iPhone Unlocker will download the appropriate iOS software package for your device.

Step 4. After downloading the firmware package, enter 0000 in the dialog box and click Unlock to start the unlocking process, which will install the latest iOS version on your device.

Step 5. The unlocking process will take some time, please make sure your iPhone and computer are connected at all times during the unlocking process.

Tip: If you exit recovery mode during the unlocking process, please follow the tutorials in the step 2 to re-enter recovery mode.

After successful unlocking, your iPhone that you don't remember the passcode will restart and the old passcode will be removed, and then you can set up your iPhone. Besides, if you have a backup, you can choose to restore the backup from computer or iCloud in the step of App & Data during the process of re-setting your phone.

Use Find My iPhone to unlock forgotten passcode on iPhone without restore

While Find My is designed to locate and find the user's iPhone, it also provides you with features that can remotely erase iPhone and delete forgotten passcode on your iPhone.

To use this method, first Find My should be enabled on your locked iPhone, and your iPhone should have an internet connection. Follow the steps to use Find My to restore your iPhone to factory default and bypass forgotten passcode on your iPhone.

Steps:

1. Navigate to iCloud.com in a browser on your computer and sign in your Apple credentials.

Sign in with your Apple account and password.

2. Click the Find iPhone icon at the bottom right of the main menu.

Select Find iPhone icon.

3. Then click All Devices to view a list of devices signed in with your same Apple credentials and select the locked iPhone.

Click All Devices at the top of the page and select your iPhone.

4. Select the rightmost Erase iPhone option in the small box that pops up.

Click Erase iPhone option.

5. Click on Erase in the next pop-up box.

Select Erase option to remove your passcode from iPhone without restore.

But some users habitually turn off the Find My feature, in which case you can't use this method to unlock your phone if you don't remember your passcode. So, to unlock your iPhone ideally and without any limitations, you can choose the iPhone Unlocker method as it is easy and convenient to use.

The Bottom Line

Now, you can follow the steps of the above introduced methods to easily solve the problem of forgetting passcode on iPhone. And iPhone Unlocker is preferred over other methods as it doesn't require any prerequisites or special tools and is the simplest way to bypass your iPhone passcode.

About Alice Estelle
Alice Estelle has been a newspaper editor and a book editor with extensive writing experience. She also has deep research in the field of mobile software and is keen on exploring and solving various problems of iOS and Android systems.
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