You can reset a forgotten Screen Time passcode through Apple’s Settings—not by entering your device-unlock passcode. On your own iPhone or iPad, use Settings > Screen Time > Manage Screen Time > Change Screen Time Passcode, then authenticate with the Apple Account used when Screen Time passcode recovery was set up. For a child’s Family Sharing settings, a parent, guardian, or organizer resets it from their own device.
Reset a Screen Time passcode on your own iPhone or iPad
- Open Settings and tap Screen Time.
- Tap Manage Screen Time, then Change Screen Time Passcode. Tap Change Screen Time Passcode again if prompted.
- When asked, enter the Apple Account email and password used when you configured Screen Time passcode recovery. It may not be the account currently signed in on the device.
- Enter a new Screen Time passcode, then enter it again to confirm.
Apple’s documented steps are for iPhone and iPad. Settings labels can vary slightly with software version. See Apple’s instructions for changing a Screen Time passcode.
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Reset a child’s Screen Time passcode with Family Sharing
A parent, guardian, or Family Sharing organizer performs this reset on their own iPhone or iPad—not on the child’s device.
- On the parent or organizer’s device, open Settings > Screen Time.
- Under Family, tap the child’s name.
- Tap Manage Screen Time, then Change Screen Time Passcode. Tap the change option again if prompted.
- Enter and confirm the new passcode.
For Apple’s current steps, see Change your Screen Time passcode on an iPhone or iPad.
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If the Apple Account sign-in does not work
Use the account that was entered when Screen Time passcode recovery was configured. It may differ from the Apple Account currently signed in, and in a family group it may belong to another family member or to the child. Apple says it cannot provide a forgotten Screen Time passcode. Its guidance on setting a Screen Time passcode explains that the recovery account is used to reset it.
Screen Time passcode vs. device passcode
The Screen Time passcode protects Screen Time settings; the device passcode unlocks the iPhone or iPad. Apple puts it plainly: “A Screen Time passcode isn’t the same as the passcode you use to unlock your device.” Resetting one does not reset the other.
Why erasing the device is not the Screen Time reset
Apple’s erase procedure is for a forgotten device-unlock passcode, not the documented way to recover Screen Time settings. Erasing permanently deletes the device’s data and settings, so do not use it as a routine workaround for a forgotten Screen Time passcode. The erase flow also has requirements, including a supported operating system, Find My enabled beforehand, network access, and Apple Account credentials. Details are in Apple’s guide to resetting a device after forgetting its passcode.
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