In the event you forgot your new iPhone passcode, you possibly can reset it together with your previous one for as much as three days later. This may prevent hours of attempting to recollect the brand new passcode, or worse, resetting your telephone from a backup.
You simply need to faucet Forgot Passcode? on the Lock Display screen after you enter it a number of incorrect occasions.
Maintain studying for an in depth walkthrough. And don’t fear — if you happen to change your passcode deliberately to maintain somebody out, you possibly can immediately expire your previous one.
Unlock your iPhone with an previous passcode
In the event you’re operating iOS 17 or later, this function may save your pores and skin if you happen to change your passcode and overlook what you set it to.
This as soon as occurred to me once I tried switching to an advanced, alphanumeric passcode — I had no different possibility however to erase my telephone and restore from an iCloud backup.
That’s an extended course of that may take hours. A lot quicker is solely resetting your passcode by coming into your previous one. I’ll present you the way it’s accomplished.
In the event you forgot your iPhone passcode, reset it
Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
In the event you enter the mistaken passcode sufficient occasions, you’ll see this display indicating your telephone is locked quickly. In your iPhone, faucet Forgot Passcode? within the decrease proper.
Except you disabled it, you possibly can reset your iPhone passcode by coming into within the previous one you should still bear in mind. Faucet Attempt Passcode Reset to proceed.
Give your self a brand new iPhone passcode
Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Enter the prior passcode you used earlier than altering it. You should use it for as much as 72 hours. Faucet Subsequent whenever you assume you’ve it.
Then, attempt to enter a passcode that you simply’ll bear in mind this time! After I reset mine, I set my new passcode to what I (incorrectly) thought the previous one was.
manually expire your previous passcode
Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
In the event you change your passcode to maintain somebody from moving into your iPhone, you may not need your previous passcode to unlock the machine for the following three days.
To manually expire the previous passcode, go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode and enter your new passcode. (Hopefully, you haven’t forgotten already!) Scroll down and faucet Expire Earlier Passcode Now.
Now, solely your present password will work. You received’t have a Forgot Passcode possibility on the Lock Display screen.
If all else fails, contact Apple assist
In the event you expired your previous iPhone passcode, or 72 hours have elapsed because you modified it, try Apple’s assist web page for recommendation and subsequent steps. In brief, you might want to plug your telephone into a pc, boot it into restoration mode and restore it from a latest iCloud backup.
We initially printed this text on what to do if you happen to forgot your iPhone passcode on October 17, 2023. We republished it on Might 23, 2025.
