Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you’ve forgotten your iPhone password and wondered if there’s a way to unlock it without restoring it? Or maybe you snagged a second-hand iPhone, only to realize you’re locked out without a clue about its passcode?

We’ve all gone through that, and it totally sucks. Apple’s iOS security can make resetting your passcode seem impossible. But here’s the good news: it’s not. There are several ways you can unlock your iPhone with or without a computer without having to completely reset your iPhone.

Things to Consider Before You Reset Your iPhone Without a Passcode

You might be tempted to reset your iPhone passcode immediately to fix the forgotten iPhone password problem. And while this is certainly one option available to you, you may want to think twice about doing this.

If you haven’t already backed up your data using iTunes or iCloud, it won’t be recoverable, and you might lose everything on your device. So ensure you back up your data before you reset your iPhone.

What to Do if You Forget Your iPhone Password

There are a number of methods you can try if you have forgotten your iPhone password. First, however, if your device has been updated to iOS 17, you can use your old passcode to unlock your iPhone within 72 hours of changing it.

If you’ve left it for over 72 hours or haven’t updated to iOS 17, here are some alternative methods.

1. Use a Reliable iPhone Unlocker Tool: Tenorshare 4uKey

Forgetting your iPhone passcode needn’t be a nightmare. If you have forgotten your iPhone passcode and want to unlock it without restoring it, you can use a reliable unlocker tool like Tenorshare 4uKey.

With it, you don’t need to worry about having the technical know-how to start enjoying all your phone's features again. Here’s what this multipurpose tool offers:

• Remove every type of passcode from your device without iTunes or iCloud.
• Remove 4-digit or 6-digit passcode, custom numeric code, alphanumeric passcode, Touch ID, or Face ID.
• Regain access to disabled iPhones within a few clicks.
• Remove MDM profiles and screen time passcode.
• Entered the wrong passcode too many times? You can still regain access in just three simple steps.

Follow the instructions below to unlock your iPhone without restoring with the Tenorshare 4uKey tool:

Image Credit: Tenorshare

• To begin, download Tenorshare 4uKey on your PC or Mac and plug in your iPhone. Choose Unlock iOS Screen.

Image Credit: Tenorshare

• Choose the correct firmware package and click Download.

Image Credit: Tenorshare

• Press Start Remove then sit back and let 4uKey unlock your iPhone. Your screen lock will be removed in a few minutes, and you will regain access to your iPhone.

2. Unlock Your iPhone With iCloud

Georgie Peru / How-To Geek

If you have forgotten your iPhone password, you can use Apple’s Find My feature in iCloud to erase your iPhone remotely. However, be aware that this erases all your data and settings, including the forgotten passcode, so you must have a backup.

Here’s how to unlock your locked iPhone with iCloud:

• Log into your iCloud account and select the Find My option.
• Choose your phone from the list and select Erase This iPhone.

Note, however, that you can only use this method if you have enabled the Find My feature on your iPhone. You will also not be able to proceed if your iPhone is not synced with an iCloud account.

3. Unlock Your iPhone With iTunes

Apple

If you have forgotten your iPhone passcode, using iTunes, you can unlock your iPhone. However, if it is locked, your device will not be recognized. Instead, you’ll be prompted to put your iPhone into Recovery mode, which will reset your iPhone.

Much like the iCloud method, this will erase your iPhone’s data:

• Connect your iPhone to your computer.
• Follow the instructions to put your iPhone into recovery mode, depending on its model.
• Once in recovery mode, you should see an icon on your iPhone's screen.
• Open Finder on Mac, or iTunes on PC and follow the on-screen instructions.

This method is likely more suitable for users with more advanced technical knowledge. There have been reports that your iPhone may get stuck in Recovery mode, too.

4. Erase Your iPhone Without a Computer

Apple

If you have forgotten the passcode on your iPhone and don’t have a computer nearby, you can still unlock it using the built-in Security Lockout feature in iOS 15.2 and later.

Here’s how to erase your iPhone directly when you've forgotten the passcode on your iPhone:

• Ensure Find My is active and your iPhone is linked to your Apple ID.
• Enter the wrong iPhone passcode more than seven times until the Security Lockout screen appears with an Erase iPhone option.
• Select Erase iPhone and confirm it. Next, enter your Apple ID password to log out of your Apple account.
• Press Erase iPhone again, and your iPhone will reset.

You can only use this method if your iPhone is running iOS 15.2 or later. If you erase your iPhone without a backup, you will lose all of the data on your device. You can also only use this method if you have a cellular or Wi-Fi connection.

Get Your iPhone Back With Tenorshare 4uKey

Whether you have forgotten your iPhone passcode or bought a second-hand iPhone, you still can unlock it. If you’ve made a backup before forgetting your iPhone passcode, you can reset your device and restore your data. But if you want to quickly unlock your iPhone without any technical skills, consider using a trusted third-party tool like Tenorshare 4uKey.

It can bypass all types of screen locks, passcodes, Touch, and Face IDs within a few clicks.