How to Reset Screen Time Passcode on iPhone, iPad, or Mac (When Nothing Else Works)

If you forgot your Screen Time passcode, here is the fastest fix. Open Settings, tap Screen Time, then tap Manage Screen Time. Tap Change Screen Time Passcode, then tap it again. Tap Forgot Passcode? and sign in with the Apple Account you used to set it up. This is how to reset Screen Time passcode if you forgot it on an iPhone or iPad today.

If your screen looks different from older guides, that’s normal. Apple added the Manage Screen Time step recently, so some posts are outdated.

Before You Start: Device & Setup Differences (Plus Lockscreen vs. Screen Time)

Two different passcodes live on your iPhone or iPad, and mixing them up wastes time. The Screen Time passcode is a separate 4-digit code. It only controls Screen Time settings, like limits and restrictions. It is not the same as the passcode you use to unlock your phone every day.

If your lockscreen says “iPhone Unavailable” or “iPhone is disabled, try again in some minutes,” that’s a different problem. That message is about your main device passcode, not Screen Time. The steps in this guide won’t fix that screen.

Also, don’t trust any article that gives you exact wait times for a locked Screen Time passcode. Those minute-by-minute timers (like “wait 15 minutes” or “wait an hour”) apply to the lockscreen passcode system, which Apple documents separately. Apple has not published exact wait times for Screen Time passcode attempts.

One more thing before you dive in. There is no single fix that works for every setup. Your exact steps depend on your situation. Use this list to find your section:

• Resetting your own iPhone or iPad: Jump to the “your device” section below
• Resetting a child’s device: Jump to the Family Sharing section
• Using a Mac: Jump to the Mac section, since Mac works differently
• No Apple Account was ever linked, or your software is older than iOS 13.4: Jump to the

How to Reset Your Own Screen Time Passcode on iPhone or iPad

The steps are the same whether you’re resetting your Screen Time passcode on iPhone or iPad. All you need is iOS or iPadOS 13.4 or newer, which almost every device already runs.

Here is how to reset Screen Time passcode on iPhone if forgotten:

1. Open Settings and tap Screen Time.
2. Tap Manage Screen Time.
3. Tap Change Screen Time Passcode.
4. Tap Change Screen Time Passcode again.
5. Tap Forgot Passcode?
6. Enter the Apple Account email and password you used when you first set up the Screen Time passcode.
7. Type a new 4-digit passcode, then type it again to confirm.

That’s it. Your passcode is reset.

If you’ve looked this up before and couldn’t find the option, there’s a simple reason. Many older guides skip step 2. They tell you to tap Screen Time, then go straight to Change Screen Time Passcode. But Apple now puts Manage Screen Time in between those two steps. Miss that tap, and it can feel like the option has vanished, even though it’s right there.

So if you’re trying to figure out how to reset Screen Time passcode on iPhone if I forgot it and nothing seems to match what you’re seeing, check for that extra Manage Screen Time button first. It’s probably just one tap away.

One more useful detail. If you have Share Across Devices turned on, you only need to do this once. Your new passcode will automatically update on your other Apple devices that are signed into the same Apple Account. You won’t need to repeat these steps on each one.

How to Reset a Child’s Screen Time Passcode (Family Sharing Method)

Here’s the rule most parents miss. If your child’s Screen Time is set up through Family Sharing, you can’t fix it on the child’s phone at all. You have to do it from your own device, the one set up as the family organizer.

This matters a lot if you’re trying to figure out how to reset Screen Time passcode on kids iPhone and nothing you tap on their phone seems to work. You’re probably looking in the wrong place.

Here’s how to reset Screen Time passcode for your child through Family Sharing:

1. On your own iPhone or iPad, open Settings and tap Screen Time.
2. Scroll down to the Family section and tap your child’s name.
3. Tap Manage Screen Time.
4. Tap Change Screen Time Passcode.
5. Tap Change Screen Time Passcode again.
6. If asked, verify it’s you using your Apple Account, Face ID, Touch ID, or your own device passcode.
7. Type a new 4-digit passcode, then type it again to confirm.

This is also how to reset Screen Time passcode for family members set up under one Family Sharing group. Each child’s passcode is managed the same way, from your device, under their name.

There’s one exception worth knowing. If you set up Screen Time directly on your child’s own phone, without using Family Sharing to manage it, then your child’s device is really acting like its own separate setup. In that case, use the steps from the earlier section instead, done right on the kid’s phone, since there’s no parent device involved in that setup.

How to Reset a Screen Time Passcode on a Mac (And Why “Forgot Passcode” Is Missing)

If you’re searching for how to reset Screen Time passcode on Mac and comparing it to the iPhone steps, here’s the surprise. Mac doesn’t have a “Forgot Passcode” button anywhere in its Screen Time settings. Apple’s own Mac Help documentation confirms this. It simply isn’t built into the Mac app the way it is on iPhone and iPad.

If you still know your current passcode, or if your Mac can verify you another way, here’s the path:

1. Open System Settings.
2. Click Screen Time in the sidebar.
3. Scroll down and click Change Passcode (it sits next to Lock Screen Time Settings).
4. Enter your current 4-digit passcode. If you’re prompted instead, verify your identity with your Mac login password or Touch ID.
5. Type a new 4-digit passcode, then type it again to confirm.

But what if you’ve truly forgotten the passcode and none of that works? This is where Apple’s own guidance is clear, and a little surprising. Apple’s Mac support article tells you to go use the iPhone or iPad reset process instead, not a Mac-specific one.

So your best move is this. Reset the Screen Time passcode on an iPhone or iPad signed into the same Apple Account, using the steps from the earlier section in this guide. As long as Share Across Devices is turned on, that new passcode will automatically sync over to your Mac. You won’t need to touch the Mac itself again.

Troubleshooting: Why “Forgot Passcode” Doesn’t Work (Wrong Apple ID & The Glitch Loop)

Tried the steps above and still stuck? Here are the three most common reasons, and what actually fixes each one.

The Wrong Apple Account Trap

The Apple Account that resets your Screen Time passcode doesn’t have to be the one you’re signed into right now. It just has to be whichever one was used the day the passcode was first created.

This trips up a lot of families. Think back and ask yourself:

• Did a parent type their own email on a kid’s phone, instead of the child’s?
• Could it be a spouse’s or co-parent’s Apple Account instead of yours?
• Is there an older or forgotten family email you used to use?

Try each one you can think of. If you’re pretty sure you know the right email but can’t remember its password, don’t keep guessing. Go reset that Apple Account’s password first through Apple’s official account recovery, then come back and try the Screen Time steps again.

The “Failed Passcode Attempt” Glitch Loop

Here’s a frustrating bug that’s been reported again and again on Apple’s own support community, including after recent iOS updates. You tap Forgot Passcode?, type in the correct email and password, and instead of letting you in, the phone either sends you right back to the same screen or counts it as a Failed Passcode Attempt and makes your wait timer longer.

If this happens to you, stop retrying. Each attempt just adds more wait time. Instead, try this workaround that Apple Community moderators have pointed people to:

1. Go to the main Settings screen.
2. Tap your name at the top.
3. Sign out of your Apple Account completely.
4. Restart your device, or simply sign back in.
5. Try the Screen Time reset steps again from the start.

Why “Forgot Passcode?” Is Missing Entirely

If you don’t see that button at all, it usually comes down to one of three things. No recovery Apple Account was ever linked when the passcode was first set up. The device is managed under a parent’s Family Sharing account, so the option lives on the parent’s phone instead. Or the device is running a version of iOS or iPadOS older than 13.4, before Apple added this recovery feature.

Why You Should Avoid Third-Party “Screen Time Unlock” Tools

If you’ve been searching for a way to skip erasing your phone, you’ve probably come across ads for desktop programs like Tenorshare 4uKey, AnyUnlock, or iSumsoft. They promise to strip your Screen Time passcode away without needing an Apple Account at all.

It’s worth being cautious here. These tools are not approved or supported by Apple. Using them means plugging your phone into software from an unknown company and giving it deep access to your system. That’s a real privacy risk, not just a technical one.

They also charge money for something Apple already does for free. And in practice, many of them simply don’t work as promised, or leave the device acting strangely afterward.

If you never linked a recovery Apple Account and nothing else has worked, Apple’s own erase process (covered next) is still the safest path forward. It’s free, it’s official, and it won’t put your personal data through a stranger’s software.

Last Resort: How to Reset Screen Time Passcode Without an Apple ID (Erase Device)

Warning: Read this before you erase anything.
Erasing your iPhone or iPad deletes everything stored on it. There’s also a trap almost no other guide mentions. If you erase your device and then restore it from an iCloud, Finder, or iTunes backup that was made after you set the Screen Time passcode, that backup will put the same forgotten passcode right back onto your phone. You’ll be right back where you started.

If you never set up a recovery Apple Account, or nothing above has worked, this is how to reset Screen Time passcode without Apple ID: a full erase.

Before you erase, there’s one thing worth trying first. Apple’s own Developer Forums have documented a quirk in one specific screen. When you go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings, iOS asks you to enter the Screen Time passcode before it will erase. Unlike the regular Change Screen Time Passcode screen, this particular prompt has been reported not to lock you out after a few wrong guesses. So if a couple of 4-digit codes feel familiar, like an old PIN or a birthday, it’s worth typing them in here. If one works, you’re back in without losing anything.

If none of your guesses work, go ahead with the erase through Apple’s official computer-based recovery process (using Finder on a Mac or iTunes on a PC).

Once the device is erased, you have two paths:

1. Set it up as new. Your Photos, Contacts, and Messages can still sync back in through iCloud once you sign in again, without needing an old backup at all.
2. Restore from an older backup, but only one made before you ever set the Screen Time passcode.

Either way, skip any backup made after the passcode was created, or you’ll end up locked out all over again.

How to Set Up Screen Time Passcode Recovery (And Close 2 Major Loopholes Kids Use)

Now that your passcode is working again, let’s make sure you never get stuck like this a second time. Apple’s own advice is simple. Never skip the Screen Time Passcode Recovery prompt when you set a passcode. Always link an Apple Account to it. On a child’s own device, link the parent’s Apple Account, not the child’s, since it needs to belong to someone the kid can’t log into.

Here’s a quick parent security check worth knowing, not to use against your kids, but to protect against three real weaknesses that have been documented.

The Apple ID Email Loophole

If your child knows their own device passcode and happens to know the email address linked to Screen Time recovery, they can trigger a password reset for that Apple Account right from inside the Screen Time screen itself. That resets your password and opens Screen Time wide open. Keep your recovery email private from your kids, and consider using Family Sharing so their device isn’t treated as a trusted way to recover your own account.

The Erase-Screen Guessing Loophole

The Erase All Content and Settings screen doesn’t lock someone out after a few wrong Screen Time passcode guesses, the way the normal screen does. A patient kid could try birthdays or simple codes like 0000. Pick a random 4-digit code, and never reuse your child’s own unlock passcode.

Shoulder Surfing & Screen Recording

Before typing your Screen Time passcode on your child’s phone, glance at the status bar. A red or orange dot means something is recording the screen, and your passcode could be caught on camera.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I change my child’s Screen Time passcode?
Go to Settings on your own device, not your child’s. Tap Screen Time, then tap your child’s name under Family. Tap Manage Screen Time, then tap Change Screen Time Passcode twice to set a new code.

How to bypass Screen Time passcode to reset iPhone?
There’s no legitimate shortcut in 2026. Your only Apple-supported options are resetting through Forgot Passcode? with the Apple Account linked during setup, or erasing the iPhone through Settings or Finder/iTunes without restoring a backup made after the passcode was set. Skip any paid third-party unlocker app that claims otherwise.

Why isn’t the “Change Screen Time Passcode” option showing up on my iPhone?
In Apple’s current layout, you need to tap Manage Screen Time inside the Screen Time menu first, before Change Screen Time Passcode appears. If it’s still missing, check whether the device runs iOS older than 13.4, or is managed under a parent’s Family Sharing account.

What is the 4-digit Screen Time passcode?
It’s a separate 4-digit code from your regular lockscreen passcode. It locks down app limits, downtime schedules, and content restrictions in Screen Time.

Is there a way to find out Screen Time passcode?
No. Apple doesn’t offer any menu to view or look up an existing passcode. You can only overwrite it, either through Apple Account recovery or by erasing the device.

Can you unlock Screen Time without a passcode?
Only two ways work. Tap Forgot Passcode? and sign in with the Apple Account used at setup, or erase the device completely.

How can my daughter override Screen Time?
Kids typically get around Screen Time in a few known ways: screen-recording you as you type the code, guessing weak PINs through the Erase menu, which doesn’t lock out guesses, or using a known loophole if they know both your device passcode and your recovery email. Protect against this with Family Sharing, a random 4-digit code, and keeping your recovery email private.

Wrapping Up

A forgotten Screen Time passcode feels bigger than it is. In most cases, you’re just one Apple Account sign-in away from fixing it, whether that’s on your own phone, your child’s device, or synced over from an iPhone to your Mac. Save a little time next time by keeping your recovery Apple Account linked and your passcode written down somewhere safe. That one habit is what stands between you and another five-minute scramble.