Cannot remember parental control pin

I cannot remember my parental control pin and it's not giving me an option to reset it. How do I factory reset my phone if I can't get past the parental pin? I've had thirteen unsuccessful attempts to put in the pin.

iPhone 5s, iOS 12

Posted on May 31, 2023 06:59 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on May 31, 2023 07:00 AM

If you have forgotten your Screen Time passcode. There are two options.

If you are unable to reset the Screen Time passcode from this-> link then, you will need a computer for option 2. If you don't have one, borrow one from a friend.



Option 1

Use this link to reset your passcode If you forgot your Screen Time passcode - Apple Support







Option 2

Forgot? Click below to reset…

Click->If you forgot the passcode for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, or your ...



If you have chosen option 2 then regarding your data, If…

  1. You have an iCloud or iTunes backup, I am sorry there is no use of a backup because if you restore from your backup your Screen Time Passcode will be back. 
  2. You have synced your data to iCloud, then what you will get back is what you have synced to iCloud and uploaded to iCloud Drive; the information that is synced and stored in iCloud are, Contacts, Calendars, Bookmarks, Mail, Notes, Voice Memosshared photosiCloud Photos*, Health data, call history, and files you store in iCloud Drive. (*-If you had turned on iCloud Photos, your content is automatically stored in iCloud.)
  3. You have imported your Photos & Videos to Mac/PC then they are safely residing there
  4. You have uploaded some of it Cloud Drives using the Files app (iCloud Drive, Google Drive, OneDrive, DropBox, Flickr, box, AmazonDrive, Adobe Creative Cloud etc)
  5. If you have not imported nor you have synced or uploaded your data to cloud drives prior to forgetting the Screen Time passcode then I am sorry, all your data is lost.


12 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

May 31, 2023 07:00 AM in response to Mkopley

If you have forgotten your Screen Time passcode. There are two options.

If you are unable to reset the Screen Time passcode from this-> link then, you will need a computer for option 2. If you don't have one, borrow one from a friend.



Option 1

Use this link to reset your passcode If you forgot your Screen Time passcode - Apple Support







Option 2

Forgot? Click below to reset…

Click->If you forgot the passcode for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, or your ...



If you have chosen option 2 then regarding your data, If…

  1. You have an iCloud or iTunes backup, I am sorry there is no use of a backup because if you restore from your backup your Screen Time Passcode will be back. 
  2. You have synced your data to iCloud, then what you will get back is what you have synced to iCloud and uploaded to iCloud Drive; the information that is synced and stored in iCloud are, Contacts, Calendars, Bookmarks, Mail, Notes, Voice Memosshared photosiCloud Photos*, Health data, call history, and files you store in iCloud Drive. (*-If you had turned on iCloud Photos, your content is automatically stored in iCloud.)
  3. You have imported your Photos & Videos to Mac/PC then they are safely residing there
  4. You have uploaded some of it Cloud Drives using the Files app (iCloud Drive, Google Drive, OneDrive, DropBox, Flickr, box, AmazonDrive, Adobe Creative Cloud etc)
  5. If you have not imported nor you have synced or uploaded your data to cloud drives prior to forgetting the Screen Time passcode then I am sorry, all your data is lost.


May 31, 2023 07:47 AM in response to Mkopley

If the Family Organizer is your daughter, she should be able to change the Screen Time passcode for other family members in the group. Here's how she can do it:

  1. On her iPhone, go to "Settings".
  2. Tap on "Screen Time".
  3. Under "Family", choose the name of the family member for whom she needs to change the passcode.
  4. Tap on "Change Screen Time Passcode", then tap "Change Screen Time Passcode" again.
  5. Enter a new passcode when prompted.

If you want to perform a factory reset on the iPhone, you can do this directly from the device. Here's how:

  1. Go to "Settings".
  2. Scroll down and tap on "General".
  3. Scroll down to the bottom and tap on "Reset".
  4. Tap on "Erase All Content and Settings".
  5. Enter the device passcode when prompted.
  6. Tap "Erase iPhone" to confirm.


May 31, 2023 07:35 AM in response to Mkopley

If you've forgotten your Screen Time passcode (also known as parental control PIN) on your iPhone, you can remove it with the following steps. Note, however, that this process is only available on iOS 13.4 and later.


Here's how you can remove your Screen Time passcode:


    • Go to "Settings" > "Screen Time".
    • Tap "Change Screen Time Passcode", then tap "Change Screen Time Passcode" again.
    • Tap "Forgot Passcode?".
    • Enter the Apple ID and password that you used to set up the Screen Time passcode.


If you are part of a Family Sharing group on Apple, you will not have this option. Only the organizer can remove it. Here's how you can check who the Family Organizer is:


  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap on your name at the top, which will take you to the Apple ID screen.
  3. Tap on "Family Sharing".
  4. The Family Organizer's name will appear at the top of the next screen under the "Family Organizer" section.


This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Cannot remember parental control pin

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