What happens if you forgot your ipad password

The iPad has multiple passwords associated with it. The passcode unlocks an iPad when you wake it from sleep. The parental control passcode blocks and restricts content from other people who share a tablet. Most important, however, is the Apple ID password that unlocks the App Store and other Apple services.

If you lose your Apple ID password or iPad passcode, here are some methods you can use to recover them. The steps in this article work with all iPad models.

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How to Recover a Forgotten Apple ID

If you haven't downloaded an app in a while and have turned on Touch ID for App Store purchases, it can be easy to forget your Apple ID password. Apple has a website where you can manage your Apple ID account, and it helps with forgotten passwords. Here's how to use it.

  1. Go to appleid.apple.com.

  2. Click Forgot Apple ID or password.

    What happens if you forgot your ipad password
    What happens if you forgot your ipad password

  3. Enter the email address associated with your Apple ID, then click Continue.

    What happens if you forgot your ipad password
    What happens if you forgot your ipad password

  4. Confirm your phone number, then click Continue.

    What happens if you forgot your ipad password
    What happens if you forgot your ipad password

  5. Apple will send a notification to every device that's signed in with your Apple ID. Tap Allow or click Show, depending on the device you're using, and then follow the instructions to reset your password.

    What happens if you forgot your ipad password
    What happens if you forgot your ipad password

  6. If you can't use another phone, iPad, or Mac, click Don't have access to your devices? at the bottom of the page on the Apple ID site.

    What happens if you forgot your ipad password
    What happens if you forgot your ipad password

  7. The next page provides additional options to reset your Apple ID password:

    • Reset your password while signing in on a new device, like a new iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac.
    • Use someone else's iOS device.
    • The website provides a third option that you can select: Can't get to another iOS device? which walks you through additional steps on the website.

    What happens if you forgot your ipad password
    What happens if you forgot your ipad password

  8. One of these options should get you set up with a new Apple ID password.

How to Recover a Forgotten iPad Passcode

No long-term trick exists to get past the passcode you need to unlock your iPad. You can use Touch ID or Face ID to bypass it for a time, but after the iPad reboots, you'll have to enter the passcode.

The only way to fix the problem of a forgotten passcode is to reset the iPad to factory default settings. This means erasing everything on the iPad. However, during the setup process, you can restore your iPad from a backup.

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The easiest way to deal with a forgotten passcode is to use iCloud to reset your iPad. Use the Find My iPad feature to reset your iPad remotely.

  1. Open a web browser and go to www.icloud.com.

  2. Sign in to iCloud when prompted.

    If you have two-factor authentication set up on your account, a code is sent to all your Apple devices. You'll need this code to continue signing in to iCloud.

    What happens if you forgot your ipad password
    What happens if you forgot your ipad password

  3. Select Find iPhone.

    What happens if you forgot your ipad password
    What happens if you forgot your ipad password

  4. When the map appears, click All Devices and choose your iPad from the list.

    Your iPad will be named whatever you named it. Not simply iPad.

    What happens if you forgot your ipad password
    What happens if you forgot your ipad password

  5. When you click the name of your iPad, a window appears in the corner of the map. This window has three buttons: Play Sound, Lost Mode (which locks the iPad down), and Erase iPad.

    Verify that the device name above these buttons is your iPad. This way, your iPhone won't be erased by mistake.

    What happens if you forgot your ipad password
    What happens if you forgot your ipad password

  6. Tap Erase iPad and follow the directions. It'll ask you to verify your choice. Once done, your iPad will reset.

    What happens if you forgot your ipad password
    What happens if you forgot your ipad password

  7. Your iPad will need to be charged and connected to the internet for this to work, so it's a good idea to plug it in while it is resetting.

How to Deal With a Lost Passcode Using iTunes

If you synced your iPad to iTunes on your PC, whether to transfer music and movies to it or back the device up on your computer, you can restore it using the PC. However, you must have trusted that computer in the past, so if you never hooked up your iPad to your PC, this option won't work.

  1. Connect your iPad to the PC you use to sync and boot iTunes.

  2. iTunes syncs with the iPad. Wait until this process finishes, then click the Device icon at the top of the screen.

    What happens if you forgot your ipad password
    What happens if you forgot your ipad password

  3. Click Restore iPad.

    What happens if you forgot your ipad password
    What happens if you forgot your ipad password

  4. The computer erases the iPad. Set up a new passcode when the iPad restarts.

Access Your iPad Using Recovery Mode

Even if you haven't turned on Find My iPad, and you've never plugged your iPad into your PC, you can reset the iPad by going into recovery mode. However, you'll need to plug it into a PC with iTunes afterward. If you don't have iTunes, download it from Apple. If you don't have a PC, use a friend's computer.

  1. Connect the iPad to the PC using the cable that came with the iPad. Then open iTunes.

  2. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button on the iPad and keep holding when the Apple logo appears. When you see the graphic of the iPad connected to iTunes, release the buttons.

  3. Select Restore and follow the directions.

  4. It takes a few minutes to restore an iPad, which powers off and powers on during the process. Once it restarts, you are prompted to set up the iPad like you did when you purchased it. You can restore it from a backup during this process.

Learn how to factory reset an iPad without the passcode

FAQ

  • How do I change my iPad passcode?

    To change your iPad passcode, go to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode > Change Passcode > enter existing passcode. Next, enter a six-digit numerical passcode or select Passcode Options to enter a longer, shorter, or alphanumeric passcode.

  • How do I share my Wi-Fi password from my iPad to iPhone?

    On both devices, go to Settings and turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Next, place the iPad and iPhone near each other. On the iPhone, tap Settings > Wi-Fi > select Wi-Fi network. On the iPad, tap Share password.