Safety 

How to unlock iPhone via iCloud?

How to unlock iPhone if you forgot your password? How often can you see similar questions on various forums. The terrible message “iPhone is disabled” does not make anyone happy.

Many people treat passwords with disdain, they say, what should I protect? Other users install it on all devices, including smartphones, thus ensuring the security of their data. Despite the advent of fingerprint scanners (Touch ID for iPhone, starting with 5), familiar passwords are not going anywhere yet. We decided to help the poor souls who, having forgotten the password, panic. We have compiled instructions for unlocking your iPhone especially for you.


We are all human, we all tend to forget, even seemingly simple combinations that should have already been ingrained in our memory. Try to remember the password to unlock your iPhone. You may have it written down somewhere, take a look.

Please note that you have 10 attempts, after which the smartphone will be permanently blocked. Therefore, do not try to enter your password over and over again in the hope that one of the combinations will be correct.

Connect to iTunes

If you can’t remember the password, then you need to move on to more radical measures. First, let's turn for help to the standard tools that Apple itself offers - iTunes. In this case, the situation can develop in two scenarios:

  • iPhone unlocked, data saved
  • iPhone is unlocked, but data could not be saved

In the second scenario, which is rare but happens, the iPhone cannot connect to the computer as usual, various errors are displayed on the screen that prevent successful synchronization. A more common reason is that the user has never connected the smartphone to the computer before and, accordingly, has not entered a password into iTunes. In this case, your data most likely will not be saved. It's good if you're the type of user who constantly backs up important files and settings.

How to unlock iPhone while saving data?

So, first, let’s look at a more pleasant situation in which the iPhone connected to the computer without any problems and was also identified in iTunes. This instruction works if you have already synchronized before. Otherwise, when pairing, iTunes will ask for a password, which you, unfortunately, have forgotten.

  • Launch iTunes, connect your iPhone.
  • Wait until synchronization finishes (the program creates backup copies).
  • From the list of devices, select the connected one.
  • A list will appear on the left that lists possible actions with iPhone. To unlock your device, select Browse.
  • A new tab will appear containing information about the iPhone (serial number, model, software version). Just below you will see the “Update” and “Restore” buttons. To unlock we need the second one.
  • Click on the button and wait until the password reset is completed. During the operation, a window may appear in which you need to click the “Restore from iTunes backup” button.

Once unlocking is completed, you can enter a new password, all data will be saved.

How to restore access with data loss?

Now about a more unpleasant outcome, in which it will not be possible to save information on the iPhone. This is how events develop, as a rule, for the reason that the user has never synchronized the smartphone with the computer. Therefore, iTunes simply does not know what kind of device is being connected, much less has backup copies of it. Essentially, we will reflash the device.


To unlock an iPhone without a password using this method, follow the instructions:

  • We connect the iPhone with a working cable to the computer on which iTunes is installed.
  • Turn off the device. Make sure it is disabled.
  • Now we will put the device into DFU (firmware update mode). This is done by simultaneously pressing the “Power” (power, on the top) and “Home” buttons (on the front)
  • After counting down 10 seconds, release the Power key while continuing to hold Home. Hold until iTunes detects the new device (about 10-20 seconds).
  • Your iPhone, for which you forgot the password, will appear in the list of iTunes devices.
  • As in the previous unlocking instructions, go to “Overview” and click “Recovery”.
  • We wait for the process to complete (the firmware is downloaded from the Internet, which may take a long time).

As a result, the iPhone will be unlocked, but absolutely everything will be deleted.

Installing new firmware

Unlocking an iPhone, described just above, is not suitable for every user: during the recovery process, iTunes begins downloading firmware for the device from the company’s servers, and this process, it must be said, is not a quick one. Therefore, users found an alternative - download the firmware separately.

  1. Of course, download the firmware. It has the extension .IPSW. The Internet is full of resources that present different versions for all models. Don't forget to install iTunes if you haven't already.
  2. We copy the firmware to the following path: C:\Documents and Settings\username \Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPhone Software Updates.
  3. We pair the iPhone with the computer.
  4. Go to the “Devices” section, then “Browse”, then click the “iPhone recovery” button.
  5. A window will appear in which you need to specify the path to the firmware by selecting a file with the extension .IPSW.
  6. We are waiting for the end.

Since iTunes no longer needs to download the firmware on its own, resetting your password (and everything else) is much faster.

How to unlock iPhone via iCloud?

There is another way to restore access to your iPhone if you have forgotten your password. However, to implement it, certain requirements must be met. First, the “Find iPhone” function must be active on your smartphone (activated in the device settings). Secondly, the iPhone must be connected to a mobile network or Wi-Fi.

Again, all your data will be deleted as a result.

So, the instructions:


  • To unlock your iPhone, go to: www.icloud.com/#find. A window will open in which you need to enter your Apple ID account information.
  • A map will load on which you will see the location of your device.
  • At the top of the “Device List” select the name of your iPhonefor which you don’t remember the password.
  • A window will appear on the right that displays information about the device and available actions.
  • Select the item “Erase iPhone".
  • To confirm the action, enter your Apple ID password again.
  • The process of resetting settings and deleting data will begin, which is accompanied by an image of a bitten apple and a loading bar on the iPhone, on the computer screen - “The erasing procedure has started.”

It will take some time, after which the password will be reset - the iPhone will be unlocked. As already noted, all data has been deleted. You can try to restore them using backups and the Setup Assistant, but, as you might have guessed, the success of the operation is not guaranteed.

How to unlock an iPhone if it is jailbroken?

Not every owner of a jailbroken iPhone will reset the password and lose all the capabilities that the option provides. In addition, users whose devices have been jailbroken have another unlocking method available.

The procedure is doomed to failure if a special OpenSSH set is not installed on the iPhone, which is downloaded from Cydia (an alternative to the App Store).

So, let's move on to resetting the password that you forgot:

  • Download the SemiRestore program, which is available on Windows, Linux, and OS X (note that you need a 64-bit version of the operating system). We install it and launch it.
  • We connect the smartphone to the computer. Wait until the program recognizes it.
  • You must click the “SemiRestore” button. Don't worry, you'll find it quickly - the program's interface is simple.
  • We observe the bar that shows the progress of execution.

While cleaning, your iPhone may reboot several times, don't worry, this is normal. As a result, you will get a “clean” system, but the jailbreak will not disappear. All that remains is to come up with a new password and restore the backups.

Unlocking at the service center

Despite the fact that the methods for resetting the password on an iPhone discussed in the article can be called simple, many users would prefer to entrust this task to professionals. The help of a specialist can really be useful for those who have very important information stored on their smartphone, otherwise you can handle it yourself.

If you do decide to go to the service center, do not forget to take the original box and sales receipt with you. Oh yes, and, of course, money. The cost of unlocking depends on the specific iPhone model, starting from 1000-1500 rubles for 4S.