How to reset password on apple iphone

Your Apple ID is the center of your identity when it comes to managing Apple devices and services. Although this ID looks simple, its integration with the Apple ecosystem goes very deep.

Apple uses “iCloud account” on its support site, but an iCloud account is just a subset of an Apple ID account. You might hear both iCloud and Apple ID terms used interchangeably, but there is nothing wrong in mentioning either of them.

So what happens when you forget your Apple ID password? Thankfully, there’s no need to panic. We’ll show you how to reset the Apple ID password associated with your Apple ID using several methods.

If You Have Two-Factor Authentication Enabled

With two-factor authentication (2FA), you can only access your account through devices you trust, and on the web. A trusted device could be an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 9 or later or a Mac with OS X El Capitan or later.

When you sign in to a new device for the first time, you’ll need your password and a six-digit verification code shown on your other devices or sent to your phone number. By entering the code, you confirm that you trust the new device.

You won’t need that verification code again unless you sign out, erase the device, or change your password. If you have 2FA enabled, you can reset your Apple ID or iCloud password from any trusted device.

1. How to Reset Your Apple ID Password on an iPhone or iPad

Before proceeding, ensure that your device has iOS 10 or later. Then open the Settings app. Tap [Your Name] > Password & Security, then Change password.

Next, type in the passcode you use to unlock your device.

On the Change Password screen that appears, enter a new password in both fields and tap Change. Now you can enter this new Apple ID password on all your other devices.

2. How to Reset Your Apple ID Password on a Mac

In macOS Catalina or later, open the Apple menu and go to System Preferences, then click Apple ID. In earlier versions of macOS, go to System Preferences > iCloud, click Account Details, and click Security.

Click Password & Security, then click Change Password. You may be prompted to enter a password for an administrator’s account and click OK.

From the dialog box that appears, enter your new password and type it again in the Verify field. Then click Change. Your other devices will ask you to enter the new password when you next use them.

3. How to Reset Your Apple ID Password on the iForgot Website

Go to Apple’s iForgot website. Enter your Apple ID and click Continue.

Apple displays phone numbers associated with the Apple ID (the numbers are hidden and only the last two digits are shown). Enter the phone number that you use with your Apple ID and click Continue.

As with a 2FA login, a dialog box appears on your trusted devices. A list of your Apple devices also appears on the website. Click or tap Allow in the Reset Password message.

Enter your device passcode or macOS admin password and click Continue. Enter a new password, re-enter it in the Verify field, and tap Next or click Change. Your password is now changed. You may need to re-enter it in a number of locations.

4. How to Reset Your Apple ID Password Using the Apple Support App

If you can’t access any of your devices, you can reset your Apple ID password on a friend or family member’s iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch using the Apple Support app.

Ask the device owner to download the Apple Support app first. Under Topic, tap Passwords & Security. Tap Reset Apple ID password. Tap Get Started, then tap A different Apple ID.

Enter the Apple ID that you need to reset the password for, then tap Next and follow the steps on your screen until you receive the confirmation.

If the device uses iOS 9 to iOS 12 and you can’t download the Apple Support app, use the older Find My iPhone app instead.

If You Use Two-Step Verification

Before 2FA, Apple offered two-step verification. With this, Apple sends a short numeric code using the Find My iPhone system in iOS and via a text message to other devices. Macs couldn’t receive these codes.

The old system also relies on a 14-character recovery code. If your account became locked, and you lost the recovery code, you might never regain access to your account.

Two-step verification is available if your device is running software older than iOS 9 or OS X El Capitan. When devices update to later software, their security settings automatically update from two-step verification to 2FA.

5. How to Reset Your Apple ID Password With Two-Step Verification Enabled

To reset an Apple ID protected with two-step verification, you need to have the recovery key and a trusted device or phone number. Follow these steps:

1. Go to Apple’s iForgot website.
2. Enter your Apple ID email and click Continue.
3. Select the option to reset your password and hit Continue again.
4. Type in your recovery code and choose Continue.
5. Select a trusted device.
6. Enter the confirmation code.
7. Select a new password, then click Reset Password.

As shown in Apple’s support document on resetting a two-step verification password, you need at least two of these three items to sign in successfully: your Apple ID password, a trusted device, and your recovery key.

If you’ve lost any two of these items, you might never get access to your account again. You’re unfortunately out of options, and thus have to create a new Apple ID.

How to Reset a Password-Only Apple ID Account

Forgot your Apple ID or iCloud password and don’t use two-step verification or 2FA on your account? You can still reset your password using Apple’s iForgot website.

6. Reset Your Apple ID Using the iForgot Website

Visit the iForgot website and enter your Apple ID username. Then follow the simple prompts to reset your password. Because you don’t have any of these additional security measures, you can reset your password via email or with security questions, if you still have those set up.

Once you reset your Apple ID password, you should seriously consider enabling additional security protection. There’s no reason to use only password protection when 2FA provides vastly superior security. Follow our guide on securing your Apple account with 2FA.

Add Recovery Information for the Future

When you can’t sign in or reset your Apple ID password, your last hope is account recovery. Apple offers the following recovery methods:

Recovery Keys

When Apple shifted to a robust 2FA system, it dropped recovery key support for most users (except legacy two-step verification accounts upgraded to 2FA). However, it re-introduced recovery keys with the release of iOS 14. Follow our guide on how to set up recovery key on Apple devices.

To reset the password, you must have the recovery key and access to any one of your trusted devices. Once you set up the recovery key, you can unlock an Apple account that was locked due to suspicious activity (like too many failed login attempts).

Recovery Contacts

The main purpose of adding a recovery contact is to regain access to your Apple account with the help of a friend or family member, in case you get locked out. These contacts can receive a validation code and provide it to you.

In order to use a recovery contact, your devices and the must be running iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS Big Sur, or later. Anyone selected as a recovery contact must have at least iOS 15 or iPadOS 15 as well.

Depending on the encryption used by a particular Apple service, you may only be able to unlock certain types of iCloud data. Services with end-to-end-encryption include iCloud keychain data, Health data, Messages, Apple Pay, and more. They also require any one of your trusted devices.

To add a recovery contact on iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > [Your Name] > Password & Security > Account Recovery > Add Recovery Contact. Read the disclosure and tap Add Recovery Contact.

Authenticate yourself via Touch ID or Face ID, and choose a family member (if you’re enrolled in a Family Sharing group) or select any other member. Then, send an invitation and let them know that you wanted them to add as a recovery contact.

Don’t Forget to Set Up Legacy Contacts

Apple gives you a lot of methods to reset your Apple ID or iCloud password. The best method for you to use depends on how your account is set up. We highly recommend you use 2FA for your Apple ID.

Also, if you want your family to be able to access your iCloud data when you die, you need to set up legacy contacts. Apple introduced these with iOS 15 as a way to pass on your iCloud data when you die.