Key Takeaways
- The standard fix takes 60 seconds. Tap Forgot Passcode? on the Screen Time entry screen and verify with the Apple ID you used to set it up. Still know the passcode? You can change it any time in Settings without a reset.
- No “Forgot Passcode?” option showing? You’re likely on iOS 13.3 or earlier, or the passcode was set without an Apple ID. Update iOS first, then try again.
- For a child’s iPhone, reset from the parent’s device. Family Sharing puts the passcode under the parent’s Apple ID. The Forgot Passcode? option won’t appear on the child’s iPhone.
- Factory reset is the last resort. It wipes everything on the iPhone. Use it only after Methods 1, 2, and 3 have failed.
You set up Screen Time two years ago. Wrote down the passcode somewhere obvious. Now you cannot find it, and your kid is asking for an app to be approved. Or you set one for yourself and never wrote it down at all.
If you forgot Screen Time passcode access, four methods get you back in. Most readers solve it with Method 1 in under two minutes. The other three cover edge cases: when the Forgot Passcode? option doesn’t appear, when the passcode controls a child’s device through Family Sharing, and the last resort when nothing else works. Everything in this article applies to iPad too. Setting up iPhone parental controls is the easy part. Remembering the passcode you chose is the hard part.
Reset the Passcode, Don’t Remove Screen Time
Resetting the passcode keeps your existing Screen Time setup intact. App Limits, content filters, and Downtime schedules all stay in place. You just create a new passcode you’ll remember. Turning Screen Time off entirely is a different decision and a different process.
Two paths exist here. Make sure you’re on the right one before you start.
- Reset the passcode (this article). You keep every limit, filter, and restriction you set up. You just swap in a new passcode you’ll remember.
- Turn off Screen Time entirely. Every restriction goes away. The right choice if Screen Time wasn’t working for you anyway. Our turn off parental controls on iPhone post covers that path.
Most readers want the first path. Let’s get you back in.
How to Change Your Screen Time Passcode When You Know It
Changing and resetting are different flows. If you still know the current passcode, you do not need any recovery steps: open Settings → Screen Time → Change Screen Time Passcode, tap Change Screen Time Passcode, enter the old passcode, and set the new one. Nothing else on the device is affected. The methods below are for the other situation: the passcode is lost and the screen is asking for a code you cannot supply.
Before You Start: What You’ll Need
Three things to have in front of you before you start.
- The Apple ID and password originally used to set up Screen Time. For most users this is their own Apple ID. On a child’s device set up through Family Sharing, it’s the parent’s. Method 3 covers the child’s-device scenario.
- Access to a trusted device for two-factor authentication, if your Apple ID has it turned on. The verification code will be sent there.
- A recent backup of the iPhone. If Methods 1, 2, and 3 don’t work and you have to factory reset, you’ll be glad you have one.
If you don’t have access to the original Apple ID at all, jump straight to Method 4.
What to Do If You Forgot Screen Time Passcode
Four ways to recover access, in order from least disruptive to most. Try Method 1 first. It works for most users on current iOS. Methods 2 and 3 handle specific situations. Method 4 is the last resort.
Method 1: Reset the Screen Time Passcode with Your Apple ID
On iOS 13.4 and later, the Screen Time passcode entry screen has a Forgot Passcode? option. Tap it, sign in with the Apple ID used to set up Screen Time, and create a new passcode. The whole process takes under two minutes.
This is the default fix. About 90% of readers will resolve their issue here.
1. Open Settings → Screen Time → Change Screen Time Passcode, then tap Change Screen Time Passcode again.
2. Tap Forgot Passcode? on the passcode entry screen.
3. Enter the Apple ID and password originally used to set up Screen Time.
4. Create a new Screen Time passcode. Write this one down somewhere safe.
One thing to know: the Apple ID required is the one used at setup, not necessarily the one currently signed in to the iPhone. For most personal iPhones these are the same. For a child’s device set up through Family Sharing, the parent’s Apple ID is required. See Method 3.
Method 2: No “Forgot Passcode?” Option Showing
The Forgot Passcode? option was added in iOS 13.4 and requires that the Screen Time passcode was set up with an Apple ID. Older iOS versions, or passcodes set without an Apple ID, won’t show the option. Update iOS first, then retry.
This is the most common search frustration: people land on Method 1 and don’t see the Forgot Passcode? link at all. Three reasons it’s missing.
Your iPhone is on iOS 13.3 or earlier. Apple added the Forgot Passcode? option in iOS 13.4 (released March 2020). Update iOS at Settings → General → Software Update, then retry Method 1.
The passcode was set up without an Apple ID. If you skipped the Apple ID link during the original Screen Time setup, there’s no recovery path through iOS itself. Method 4 (factory reset) is the only built-in option.
The passcode is managed through Family Sharing. The Forgot Passcode? option won’t appear on the child’s device because the passcode is controlled from the parent’s iPhone. Jump to Method 3.
If updating iOS reveals the option, go back to Method 1. If it still doesn’t appear, your path is Method 3 or Method 4.
Method 3: Reset a Child’s Screen Time Passcode via Family Sharing
If Screen Time was set up on a child’s iPhone through Family Sharing, the passcode resets from the parent’s iPhone, not the child’s. Open Screen Time on the parent’s device, tap the child’s name, and change the passcode there.
This is the right method for parents who set up Screen Time for a child and now can’t remember the passcode they chose.
1. On the parent’s iPhone: Settings → Screen Time.
2. Tap the child’s name under the Family section.
3. Tap Change Screen Time Passcode (or Use Screen Time Passcode if not yet set).
4. Enter the parent’s Apple ID password if prompted, then create a new passcode.
One caveat: this method only works if the parent’s iPhone is the one that originally configured Screen Time on the child’s device. If a different parent or guardian set it up, the recovery has to happen from their iPhone. For the broader parent-setup reference, see kid-proof an iPhone for a child.
Method 4: Erase and Restart Your iPhone (Last Resort)
If Methods 1 through 3 don’t work, a factory reset is the remaining option. This wipes the entire iPhone and removes Screen Time along with everything else. Back up first, and do not restore from a Screen-Time-enabled backup.
A factory reset deletes every photo, message, app, and saved password on the iPhone. This is rarely the right move unless you’ve exhausted Methods 1, 2, and 3. If the iPhone holds anything you care about, back it up first.
1. Back up the iPhone: Settings → [your name] → iCloud → iCloud Backup → Back Up Now.
2. Erase the iPhone: Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Erase All Content and Settings.
3. During the welcome setup flow, choose Set Up as New iPhone. Do not restore from the iCloud backup that has Screen Time enabled. The passcode comes back with it.
4. If you need your data back, restore individual items from iCloud (photos, contacts, messages) rather than the full backup.
One important caveat about Activation Lock: if the iPhone is signed in to someone else’s Apple ID, activation after the reset requires that Apple ID’s password. iOS will not let you skip this. If you don’t know the original Apple ID’s password, contact Apple Support with proof of ownership.
What Happens After 10 Failed Screen Time Passcode Attempts?
After a series of incorrect Screen Time passcode entries, iOS introduces a delay between attempts. It does not erase the iPhone the way a failed device passcode does. Three things to know.
- The delay scales. It starts after about 5 incorrect attempts and increases with each subsequent wrong entry. After 10 failed attempts, the wait time can stretch to over an hour.
- This is different from the device passcode. Failed device passcode attempts can erase the iPhone after 10 tries if Erase Data is enabled in Settings → Face ID & Passcode. Screen Time passcode failures only impose a wait.
- Stop guessing. If you’re hitting the wait, use Method 1. The Apple ID recovery path doesn’t require knowing the old passcode at all.
If Your Child Figured Out Your Passcode
A guessed passcode is more common than a forgotten one. Kids watch for the tap pattern, try birthdays and repeated digits, or simply reuse the phone unlock code they have already seen. If limits stopped working or Screen Time settings changed on their own, treat the passcode as known and replace it: change it using the steps above, and pick four digits with no connection to birthdays, house numbers, or your unlock code. Then review the settings your child may have altered, re-enable Ask to Buy if you use Family Sharing, and make sure your Apple ID password is not something your child knows, since it is the recovery key for the passcode itself. The tips in the next section help you choose a code that is memorable for you and useless to a determined kid.
For Parents: Setting Up a Passcode You Won’t Forget
Now that you’re back in, the obvious next move is creating a passcode you’ll actually remember. A few tips.
- Don’t reuse your phone unlock code. If your child has watched you unlock the phone, they have your Screen Time passcode too. Our 12 ways kids bypass Screen Time post covers the workarounds children actually use.
- Write it down somewhere safe. A password manager, a sticky note in your top drawer, the back of a less-used credit card sleeve. Anywhere your child won’t find but you will.
- Make sure your Apple ID is linked. The Forgot Passcode? recovery only works when an Apple ID is attached. Screen Time prompts for this during setup, but you can re-link from Settings → Screen Time → Use Screen Time Passcode if you skipped it.
For parents with younger children, a different approach can sidestep the passcode problem entirely. A closed environment (an app where every piece of content has been reviewed for safety in advance) doesn’t depend on a passcode you might forget. Jellies works this way: every video is hand-reviewed by our team for safety, with no ads, no autoplay, and no comments. For households with young kids, browsing what’s safe by design at jelliesapp.com is worth a look.
Wrapping Up
Four methods, depending on your situation. The standard Apple ID reset for current iOS. The update-and-retry fix when Forgot Passcode? doesn’t appear. The Family Sharing path for a child’s device. The last-resort factory reset.
Try the fastest action first. Open Settings → Screen Time → Change Screen Time Passcode → Forgot Passcode? You’ll know in 30 seconds whether you’re on Method 1 or whether you need to keep reading. If you’re starting fresh with a new Screen Time setup after recovery, our set up parental controls on iPhone post covers the build.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I forgot my Screen Time passcode and my Apple ID password?
Recover the Apple ID first at iforgot.apple.com, then return to Method 1. If you can’t recover the Apple ID, factory reset (Method 4) is the remaining option.
Why isn’t the “Forgot Passcode?” option showing on my iPhone?
Most often because the iPhone is on iOS 13.3 or earlier. Update iOS via Settings → General → Software Update, then retry. If it still doesn’t appear, the passcode was set without an Apple ID link.
What happens if I keep entering the wrong Screen Time passcode?
iOS imposes a wait between attempts that increases with each wrong entry, but it does not erase the iPhone. Stop guessing and use the Apple ID reset (Method 1) instead.
Can I reset my child’s Screen Time passcode from my iPhone?
Yes, through Family Sharing. Settings → Screen Time → tap your child’s name → Change Screen Time Passcode. See Method 3 above for the full flow.
Will resetting the Screen Time passcode delete my apps or photos?
No. Methods 1, 2, and 3 only change the passcode. App data, photos, and settings are untouched. Only the factory reset (Method 4) deletes content.