How to Fix the iPhone Passcode Not Working Problem

iPhone passcode problem is not uncommon, especially if your device is aging and the latest releases of iOS have stopped supporting it. Apart from older phones, many users have noticed that the passcode is not working on an iPhone, even if they bought it a few days or months before.

Regardless of your device type, if your iPhone password is not working, here you will find some useful methods and tips to fix the issue with the least effort.

Reasons Behind iPhone Passcode Not Working Problem?

Excluding the possibility of any physical damage, which is rare to happen, there could be several other reasons you might experience the iPhone passcode problem. Some of the causes include:

iOS Upgrade (or Downgrade)

If your iPhone password is not working after upgrading or downgrading the iOS, the issue likely occurred during the installation or uninstallation. There could be some power fluctuation in your device, bandwidth issues with the Internet, etc.

A Corrupt Password File

Because iPhones store your passwords in a file installed with the iOS and reside within your device, if that file gets corrupt, the iOS may fail to access it for your password/passcode authentication, hence not allowing you to use your smartphone.

Forgotten Passcode

If you defined an extremely complex passcode to ensure its security and then forgot it, you may end up entering one several times and eventually locking down your phone completely.

While the above reasons are more frequent, there could be several others that could be culprits for your passcode not working on an iPhone.

In the following sections, you will learn some effective methods to fix the problem.

What Happens When an iPhone Password Is Not Working?

When the passcode is not working on an iPhone, and you enter incorrect codes several times in an attempt to access your device, your phone gets locked out.

To elaborate:

• After the first six incorrect attempts, your iPhone gets locked out for one minute
• On the seventh failed attempt, the duration extends to 5 minutes
• With the eighth attempt, the lockout duration is 15 minutes
• On the tenth attempt, the time stretches to one hour
• Any further failed attempt may make your device permanently unusable, and you must reset it to regain access

According to the best practices, when your device gets locked out for 15 minutes, you must stop making any further attempts to unlock it and consider resetting the phone using any of the solutions explained here.

How to Fix Passcode Not Working on iPhone?

To fix the iPhone passcode problem, you can try the solutions suggested below:

Method 1: Fix Passcode Not Working by Restarting iPhone

Depending on your iPhone model, the process of restarting it may vary. Also, because you cannot restart your phone normally by going to the ‘Settings’ screen, as you cannot enter your phone, you can only use the external buttons to get the job done.

For your convenience, the processes of restarting all iPhone models using the physical button(s) are explained below:

For iPhone 7 Plus and Earlier, and iPhone SE (1^st Generation)

• Press and hold down the Sleep/Wake button until the slide to power off slider appears
• Swipe the slider to the right
• Wait while your iPhone shuts down
• Press and hold down the Sleep/Wake button again until the Apple logo shows up
• Release the button and wait while your iPhone starts normally
• Try entering the passcode again and see if it works this time

For iPhone 8 and Above and iPhone SE (2^nd Generation)

• Press and hold down the Volume Down and Sleep/Wake buttons together until the slide to power off slider appears
• Swipe the slider to the right
• Wait while your iPhone powers off
• Long press the Sleep/Wake button again until the Apple logo appears on the screen
• Release the button and wait while your phone boots
• Enter your passcode and see if it works

Method 2: Fix iPhone Passcode Not Working with an iPhone Unlocker

Suppose the above solution fails, and you are still experiencing an iPhone passcode problem. In that case, you can try using any third-party iPhone unlocker tools that require your least intervention and can do the job almost instantaneously.

One such program that has received several positive reviews and is trending these days is Tenorshare 4uKey. The application is available for both Windows and Mac computers. It can also remove the Screen Time passcode, unlock disabled iPhones/iPads/iPod touch devices without iTunes or iCloud, and much more.

The steps given below explain how to fix the issue using Tenorshare 4uKey if the passcode is not working on an iPhone:

>> Get Tenorshare 4uKey <<

Note: A PC running Windows 11 is used here for reference.

• Download a variant of the Tenorshare 4uKey compatible with your PC
• Install and then launch the program
• Click Start from the Unlock iOS Screen section on the first interface

• On the Remove Lock Screen window, check the Your continued use of the Service will mean that you have read and agree to the disclaimer box
• Click Next

• Use the genuine lightning cable to connect your iPhone to the computer
• From the upper-right area of the next screen, ensure that the iPhone option is selected in the Switch to Other Devices list. Click to open the list and choose iPhone if it’s not
• Follow the method explained on the next screen to put your iPhone into Recovery Mode

Note: You can switch to the other tabs from the upper-left area to get to the iPhone model you are using.

• When 4uKey automatically switches to the next window, optionally click Browse from the right of the Path field to choose a location where you want the program to download the new firmware

Note: Alternatively, click Import local firmware under the Path field to pick a *.ipsw file if you have already downloaded it on your PC.

• Click Download

• Follow the on-screen instructions to download and clean install the fresh and updated instance of the firmware on your iPhone
• Once done, you can enter your Apple ID and password for authentication
• After that, you can either restore your iPhone from the iTunes or iCloud backup or set it up as a new device

Method 3: Fix iPhone Passcode Problem via Find My

The Find My option is available on both your iPhone and iCloud. Since you cannot access your iPhone, you must grab a computer, go to your iCloud account via any web browser, and use Find My to fix the issue when your iPhone password is not working.

How Does This Method Work?

In this method, you erase your iPhone remotely via iCloud. Therefore, even if you have forgotten your passcode, you must remember your Apple ID and password. If not, you can’t reset your password failing which, Apple will assume that you are trying to access a stolen iPhone, and as a result, it won’t let you proceed further.

The process to fix the iPhone passcode problem via Find My is given below:

• Grab a computer to go to https://www.icloud.com/
• Use your Apple ID and password to sign in to your iCloud account
• Scroll down the main page and click Find My from the app container

• Click All Devices from the center-top of the iCloud Find Devices page
• Click iPhone from the list that opens up

Note: In case of multiple iPhones, select the culprit one.

• Wait while iCloud locates your device’s location
• Click Erase iPhone in the control box from the upper-left area

• Click Erase on the confirmation box

• Follow the on-screen instructions from there to verify your Apple account and erase everything on your iPhone
• After the process completes, set up your iPhone as a new device or restore it from the iCloud or iTunes backup

Method 4: Fix iPhone Passcode Problem Using the Erase iPhone Option (iOS 15.2 or Later)

As explained earlier, if you forgot your passcode but remember your Apple ID, the best way to unlock your iPhone is by erasing all its contents and resetting it to factory defaults. Optionally, you can restore your data from iTunes or iCloud.

Here, the key point is that you must erase your iPhone. Now, if your iPhone is old and running iOS 15.1 or earlier, you can use any of the above solutions to erase it. On the other hand, if your phone has iOS 15.2 or later, you no longer need a PC.

The process to fix the iPhone passcode problem on a device running iOS 15.2 or later is explained below:

• Enter the wrong passcode a couple of times until your iPhone is locked out for one minute, five minutes, and then for 15 minutes
• Next, on the iPhone Unavailable screen, tap Erase iPhone from the bottom-right corner
• When your iPhone prompts, enter your Apple ID and password to start the erasure process
• Wait while your iPhone restarts after erasing everything.
• Set it up as a new device or restore your data from the iTunes or iCloud backup

Method 5: Fix iPhone Passcode Problem via Recovery Mode

This method works almost the same way as explained in Method 2. The only difference is that with Tenorshare 4uKey, the application downloads the *.ipsw file and installs it on your iPhone. On the other hand, in this solution, you do most of the tasks manually.

Also, this fix is a two-step process where you put your iPhone into Recovery Mode in the first step. In the second step, you make iTunes (on Windows) or Finder (on macOS) to download and install a fresh instance of the latest version of iOS on your device.

The entire procedure on how to fix the iPhone passcode problem through Recovery Mode is given below:

Note: A PC running Windows 11 is used here for reference.

Step 1: Put Your iPhone Into Recovery Mode

Depending on your iPhone model, the buttons you must press to put it into Recovery Mode may vary. For your convenience, the processes for all iPhone variants are covered here:

Note: Before proceeding, use the genuine Lightning Cable to connect your iPhone to the Windows PC or Mac. Also, if on a Windows computer, launch iTunes as well.

For iPhone 8 and Above and iPhone SE (2^nd Generation)

• Press and release the Volume Up button
• Quickly press and release the Volume Down button
• Press and hold down the Sleep/Wake button
• Keep the Sleep/Wake button pressed until the phone shuts down, powers back on, and you see the Recovery Mode icon on the screen
• Release the Sleep/Wake button

(Image Credits: https://support.apple.com/en-in/HT201263)

For iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus

• Press and hold down the Volume Down and Sleep/Wake buttons together
• Wait while your iPhone shuts down, powers back on, and the Recovery Mode icon shows up on the screen
• Release the buttons

(Image Credits: https://support.apple.com/en-in/HT201263)

For iPhone 6s and Earlier, and iPhone SE (1^st Generation)

• Press and hold down the Home and Sleep/Wake buttons together
• Wait while your iPhone powers off and then back on, and the Recovery Mode icon appears
• Release the buttons

(Image Credits: https://support.apple.com/en-in/HT201263)

Step 2: Restore and Update iPhone

After putting your iPhone into Recovery Mode, you can follow the instructions given below:

• On the information box, click Restore

• On the iTunes confirmation box, click Restore and Update

• Follow the on-screen instructions to allow iTunes to erase your iPhone and download and install a fresh instance of the latest iOS on your phone

Once done, you can set up the iPhone as a new device or restore your data from iTunes or iCloud.

FAQs About iPhone Passcode Not Working Problem

My iPhone passcode is not working even after erasing it via iCloud. What should I do next?

While erasing cleans everything on your phone, it doesn’t repair corrupt files. If the file responsible for saving your passcode is in bad condition, it may fail to authenticate your ID.

To fix the passcode not working on an iPhone problem in such a condition, you can put it into Recovery Mode and click Restore iPhone on the iTunes or Finder window. You can refer to Method 5 to learn the step-by-step process.

Can I use the Erase iPhone method to access any iPhone?

No. When you attempt to erase your iPhone from iCloud or the locked-out screen, it prompts you to enter your Apple ID and password to ensure that you are the legal owner of the device. If you enter your Apple ID details incorrectly, the iOS will assume that you are trying to access a stolen iPhone, and it won’t let you get past the lock screen.

What should I do if Enter iPhone Passcode is not working?

If you can’t enter the passcode because your iPhone screen has become unresponsive to your touch inputs, you can hard reset your phone to fix the issue. To do that, refer to Step 1 of Method 5 to understand the right buttons you must press according to your iPhone model.

However, instead of pressing the buttons after restarting to enter Recovery Mode, you can release them as soon as you see the Apple logo to start your device normally. This solution works for the current problem and helps resolve many other glitches you may experience over time while using your iPhone.

Conclusion

When your iPhone password is not working, and you are stuck on what to do next, you must try restarting the phone and see if it helps. If this solution fails to work, you can proceed to the other methods explained above that do not require any third-party tool and check whether any of those could fix the issue. If nothing helps, you can pick an efficient and robust program like Tenorshare 4uKey to rectify the iPhone passcode problem.