You lose access to your iPhone because you forgot the lock passcode. Is it possible to unlock the passcode without restoring your iPhone? Let's take a look.
The ultimate guide: how to unlock iPhone forgotten passcode without restoring to factory settings
When setting up your iPhone, you probably created a passcode to lock your device screen behind where is your personal information and data. What you didn't realize is that in doing so, conversely, your iPhone can lock you out once you forgot the passcode.
If you forget the passcode for unlocking your iPhone, you may be wondering how to unlock iPhone passcode without restoring to factory settings. In this guide, we will take a look at 6 ways that you can unlock an iPhone without restore. You will also get some useful tips to help you make the process smooth.
There are loads of reasons why you wouldn't want your iPhone to be restored when it's locked without knowing passcode. Sadly, most ways of unlocking a locked iPhone involve factory resetting your iPhone, which erases everything on the device. But you can then access the device to set it up again and restore all data if you have backup ready.
Here are the ways how to unlock an iPhone when you can't remember the passcode.
For those who are unlocking the iPhone without backup to restore data, you have to set it up from scratch and then re-download data you have saved in iCloud. Now, let's walk you through 6 easy iPhone unlocking methods.
If you're looking for an easy way to quickly unlock the device, consider iPhone Unlocker.
"Forgot Passcode?" option, available in modern iPhone and iPad running iOS 17 and later, offers iPhone unlocking capabilities without restoring from iTunes or iCloud. You tap it on the device screen and then walk through the necessary steps, iPhone resets passcode automatically and restores to factory settings, after which you can then set up your device.
Note, you will need your Apple ID and password to reset your iPhone, as well as set it up again.
1. After you forget the passcode, try to enter random codes several times. See iPhone Unavailable or Security Lockout screen? Ignore it and continue to enter your passcodes.
2. When you see "Forgot Passcode?" option, tap it. Your iPhone needs to be connected to a Wi-Fi or cellular network, or else the option won't appear.
unlock iPhone forgotten passcode without restoring to factory settings
3. Tap Start iPhone Reset to confirm in Security Lockout screen. This means you will want to reset and erase the iPhone.
4. Enter your Apple ID password to sign out of your Apple ID used on this device.
5. Tap Erase iPhone. It begins erasing all the content and settings on the iPhone. If you use an eSIM, you can choose to either keep or delete it. Either way, it erases your data.
6. When your iPhone restarts, restore your iPhone from backup or set it up as new device. If you have backup of your iPhone stored in iCloud or your computer, you can restore it during setup. You will also want to create a new passcode to protect your device.
That's it! Depending on which version of iOS you're running, you may see "Forgot Passcode?" option in a Security Lockout screen, or iPhone Unavailable screen. Either way, you can reset the forgotten passcode without restoring iPhone using iCloud or iTunes.
If you see Erase iPhone option from screen instead, chances are you have an iPhone that uses iOS 15.2 - iOS 16. No worries, though; you can unlock your iPhone passcode without connecting to a computer. You will follow a similar flow outlined in the previous method.
Here is how to unlock iPhone without restoring from iCloud or iTunes using Apple ID password.
Before you reset your iPhone, ensure that your device is connecting to a cellular or Wi-Fi network and you know your Apple ID and password. Keep in mind that the process will erase everything on the iPhone. If you don't have any backup, you will lose your data and settings and you need to set it up as a new device.
Step 1: To get started, enter your passcode 5 times in a row until the screen says iPhone Unavailable. In some cases, you may get Security Lockout message instead.
Step 2: Tap Erase iPhone button in the bottom right corner. It is located near the Emergency.
unlock iPhone if you forgot passcode without restoring from backup
Step 3: Tap Erase iPhone again to confirm. In this stage, it will ask you if you want to erase all your data. Tap the button to proceed, or tap Cancel to go back. If you have an eSIM on your iPhone with iOS 16, contact your carrier first to find out how to set up your eSIM again after resetting the iPhone.
Step 4: Go ahead and enter your Apple ID password. If you can't remember your iCloud password, you may need to change it first through a computer or another device.
Step 5: Wait for your iPhone to erase and reset itself.
Step 6: When iPhone restarts automatically, you've reset and restore the device successfully without a computer. Swipe it to unlock the screen.
Step 7: Restore your iPhone from backup or set it up from scratch.
This is the only way that you can unlock iPhone without restore when you forgot passcodes. Apple adds a new feature in its iOS 17 and newer version. giving you ability to unlock the iPhone using your old iPhone passcodes if you have ever changed your passcode within 72 hours. After you use the old passcode to temporarily sign in, be sure to change your passcode again immediately.
To use your old passcodes,
Forgot iPhone passcode without restore
If for whatever reason, the almost-always-work ideas above doesn't work for you, it's time to consider the dedicated passcode unlocking app.
iPhone Unlocker is our favorite. The easy-to-use program allows you to remove screen locks on an iPhone or iPad quickly, no matter you forgot the 4-digit/6-digit passcode, or the Touch ID/ Face ID doesn't work for unlocking the device. You just connect the device to your computer, follow the onscreen instructions to enter recovery mode, click Unlock on the screen, and you're off. When you finish unlocking the iPhone, you can restore your data from an iTunes or iCloud backup.
Follow these steps to unlock iPhone and restore your data.
1. Run iPhone Unlocker and choose Wipe Passcode feature. After iPhone Unlocker runs on your computer (either Mac or PC is OK), select the blue "Wipe Passcode" from the interface to proceed.
Next, plug your locked iPhone into the computer. If the machine can't recognize your device, click the "Device connected but not recognized?" link on the screen to put the device into recovery mode. Relax, it's easy to get there.
Step 2: Choose correct device information for your iPhone. In this step, select the necessary information depending on the model of your device.
Step 3: Download iOS software. Click "Start" button and wait for the computer to download the appropriate iOS software for unlocking the forgotten iPhone passcode. This may take a certain amount of time, so keep patient.
Step 4: Unlock your iPhone. When the download is finished just click the "Unlock" button. This is a process that will delete all data and settings on your iPhone and restore to factory settings. If you know what you're doing, select "Unlock" again.
iPhone Unlocker will unlock the passcode automatically. Please do not disconnect your device from the computer until you see a welcome screen on the screen.
Step 5: Restore the iPhone from backup. After the iPhone is unlocked, follow the prompts to set up your device. You will need to use your Apple ID and password to sign in to the device and restore backup from your computer or iCloud.
Also see: How to change GPS location on iPhone
iCloud lets you remotely erase your iPhone and unlock forgotten passcode. You can only use this method if there is an active cellular or Wi-Fi connection on your locked iPhone and it has previously enabled Find My feature.
Here's a guide on how to unlock iPhone from iCloud when passcode is forgotten.
Once your iPhone is unlocked, set your phone up again or restore it from a backup.
You may have heard of it for the first time, but it is actually built in iTunes. If you have a Windows computer nearby, you can enter your iPhone into this mode and restore it to reset the forgotten passcode. The steps on using Finder in Mac are similar. The screenshots provided below are from a Windows machine.
1. Turn off your iPhone. And don't open iTunes, if it already opens, close it.
2. Boot the device from Recovery mode. Depending on which version of iOS you have, your operation will be slightly different.
3. Restore the iPhone passcode with computer. Open iTunes, it should pop up a window and alert you that the iPhone has a problem that needs to be restored or updated. Select Restore.
4. Wait for iTunes to download the latest iOS software and install on the iPhone. The process will, at the same time, erase your iPhone, remove the passcodes, and restore to factory settings.
5. When your iPhone shows Hello screen, disconnect it from the computer, then set up and use your device.
