What is the difference between my iPhone passcode and my Apple ID password?

The passcode is the digits you type to unlock the screen, and it lives only on that phone. The Apple ID password belongs to your account with Apple and controls iCloud, apps and purchases. They are two separate things and are often different.

How long does an Apple account recovery take?

Often several days, sometimes more than a week. The wait is deliberate, so that nobody else can take over your account. It cannot be sped up, and Apple messages or emails you when it is ready. Keep using the phone as normal in the meantime.

Do I really need a recovery key?

Only if you created one yourself. If you did, it is required and Apple cannot work around it. Look for it among your important papers at home. If you never created one, it does not affect the reset at all.

Forgot your Apple ID password? How to reset it

Your Apple account, which used to be called your Apple ID, is the key to your photos in iCloud, every app you have bought and your ability to use the phone after a reset. If you have forgotten the password you can change it yourself, and if you are still signed in on an iPhone or iPad it takes a couple of minutes.

Always type the password yourself. Never read it out to anyone and never put it in a chat message. Apple, your bank, Google and Solvora will never ask for your password or for a verification code, and Apple does not phone private individuals to ask for them.

One important thing before you start: do not erase the phone or reset it to factory settings while you are locked out of the account. Activation Lock will then make the phone unusable until the correct password is entered, and that is the most common way people lock themselves out of their own phone.

Try this first

This works if you are still signed in on an iPhone or iPad.

Open Settings and tap your name at the very top of the first screen.
Tap Sign-In and Security.
Tap Change Password.
Enter the phone's passcode, the digits you use to unlock the screen.
Type the new password twice. It needs at least eight characters, with upper and lower case letters and at least one number.
Tap Change. You may have to sign in again on your other Apple devices afterwards, which is normal.

Write the new password on paper and keep it where you keep your other important documents.

If you are not signed in anywhere

Go to iforgot.apple.com in a browser, on any computer or phone. You can also borrow someone's iPhone and use the Apple Support app there.
Enter the email address or phone number that belongs to the account. If you are unsure which address it is, try the one your App Store receipts arrive at.
Follow the instructions on screen. If you have two-factor authentication switched on, you will get a code on another Apple device, or a text message to your trusted phone number. Type the code yourself and never read it out to anyone who calls.
If you have neither another device nor the old number, Apple starts an account recovery instead. Fill it in and wait. Apple will text or email you when the account is ready to use again.

If you created a recovery key

A recovery key is a 28 character code that some people choose to set up as extra protection. If you have one, you need it to get any further, and without it Apple cannot let you in. Find the paper you wrote it on before you start, so you do not get stuck halfway.

If you are unsure which account the phone is using, if the account recovery does not go through, or if you no longer have the old address or old number, ask us in the chat before trying anything else. The order of the steps matters here, and a wrong move can mean weeks of waiting.