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To change a custom password for locked Apple Notes, go to Settings > Apps > Notes > Password, select the Notes account, tap Change Password, authenticate, and enter the new password and hint. On older iOS versions, go to Settings > Notes. If you have forgotten the password and cannot authenticate with Face ID or Touch ID, use Reset Password—but resetting does not unlock notes protected by the forgotten password.

What password are you changing?

A custom Notes password is separate from both your iPhone passcode and your Apple Account password. Apple Notes can protect locked notes with either a custom password or the device passcode. Face ID and Touch ID can make access easier, but they are authentication methods—not a substitute for retaining the underlying credential. The Apple Account password may be required to reset a forgotten Notes password; it does not normally open a locked note.

Password settings are account-specific. If you have more than one Notes account, such as iCloud and On My iPhone, check which account contains the note before changing its password. Apple’s instructions for locking notes explain the account selection and password options.

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Change your custom Notes password

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap Apps, then Notes. On older iOS versions, tap Notes directly in Settings.
  3. Tap Password.
  4. If prompted, choose the Notes account whose password you want to change.
  5. Tap Change Password.
  6. Authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or the existing Notes password, as prompted.
  7. Enter and confirm the new password, add a password hint, then tap Done.

A normal password change updates the locked notes in that account that use the existing password. If the note is protected by the device passcode rather than a custom Notes password, this custom-password change flow is not the relevant setting. See Apple’s iPhone guide to locked notes for the current options.

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Use your iPhone passcode instead

To stop using a separate custom Notes password, open Settings > Apps > Notes > Password, select the account if asked, then tap Use Device Passcode and authenticate. Apple says iCloud Keychain must be enabled for the device-passcode option in the relevant setup flow. With this method, Face ID or Touch ID can provide convenient access, but anyone who knows your iPhone passcode may also be able to unlock those notes.

Device-passcode protection behaves differently across devices: each device uses its own passcode, while a Mac uses its login password in the corresponding setup. Apple specifies iOS 16, iPadOS 16, or macOS 13 and later for devices accessing notes protected with the device-passcode method. A custom Notes password keeps note protection separate from the iPhone unlock code, but forgetting that password can leave older locked notes inaccessible.

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Forgot the password? Understand reset before using it

If Face ID or Touch ID still opens the note, use that access while it is available and try Change Password first. Apple documents biometric authentication for this flow. Avoid signing out of your Apple Account, deleting Notes, or disabling biometrics before you have dealt with the password; those actions do not recover a forgotten password and could remove a route you can currently use to access notes.

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If you cannot authenticate with the old password or biometrics, go to Settings > Apps > Notes > Password, select the relevant account, and tap Reset Password. Enter your Apple Account password when prompted, then create a new Notes password or choose the device passcode.

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Resetting does not unlock notes protected by the old, forgotten password. The new password applies to notes you lock afterward. Apple says it cannot regain access to notes protected by a forgotten custom password; resetting is not a way to bypass that protection. See Apple Platform Security’s explanation of locked Notes.

Why an older note may reject the new password

A reset can leave notes protected by an earlier password while newly locked notes use the current one. Open the locked note and try the older password associated with it. If it opens, look for an option to update the note to the current password. If you cannot remember the old password and no biometric access works, changing or resetting the current password will not open that note.

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If you cannot find Password or Change Password

  • Check the account: Select the account that stores the note. A password change for one account does not necessarily apply to notes in another.
  • Check the protection method: If the account is using the device passcode, a separate custom-password change may not be available for those notes.
  • Check the iOS layout: Newer versions place Notes under Settings > Apps; older versions may show Settings > Notes.
  • Check the account type: Third-party mail accounts such as Gmail or Yahoo may not support locked Notes. Locked Notes are also unavailable with a Managed Apple Account.
  • Use an Apple device: iCloud.com does not offer the controls to change or reset a Notes password. Use Notes on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac instead.
  • Choose the right action: If you forgot the current custom password, look for Reset Password, not Change Password.

For the relevant account and feature settings, consult Apple’s Notes settings guide.

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Some notes cannot be locked

A missing lock option does not always indicate a password problem. Apple Notes does not support locking every note. Restrictions include:

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  • Notes shared with another person.
  • Notes stored in some third-party accounts, including Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail/IMAP.
  • Notes containing certain attachments, such as PDFs, audio or video, or Keynote, Pages, or Numbers documents.
  • Quick Notes and some other unsupported content or account configurations.

Apple’s locked Notes support page lists current restrictions.

Choose between a custom password and your device passcode

Method What it means Main trade-off
Custom Notes password Uses a separate password for locked notes in the selected account; the custom password is used across supported devices signed in to the same Apple Account for that Notes account. It provides separation from the iPhone passcode, but forgetting it can block access to older notes protected with it.
Device passcode Uses the device’s passcode, with Face ID or Touch ID available for convenience. Each device uses its own passcode; a Mac uses its login password in the corresponding setup. It is one less password to remember, but someone who knows the iPhone passcode may also be able to unlock the notes.

For device-passcode protection, Apple lists iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS 13 or later as the required versions on relevant devices. Its compatibility guidance for custom-password-locked notes lists iOS 9.3, iPadOS 13, or OS X 10.11.4 or later. Check Apple’s compatibility and cross-device details if you use older devices.

Can you change the password on iCloud.com?

No. iCloud.com does not provide Notes password-management controls; make a change or reset in Notes on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Notes protected with an iPhone passcode or Mac login password also cannot be viewed on iCloud.com using that device credential. See Apple’s iCloud.com guide to locked notes.

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