Simple Steps to Unlock a Disabled iPhone

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Learn different ways to get into a disabled iPhone
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This wikiHow teaches you how to remove the "iPhone is Disabled" lock, which occurs after entering incorrectly the passcode several times, from your iPhone. While your iPhone will usually remove the lock itself after anywhere from a minute to 60 minutes, numerous incorrect passcode attempts can result in your iPhone being disabled indefinitely. You can remove this lock by erasing and restoring your iPhone, which can be done from both iTunes and iCloud, or by using Recovery Mode in iTunes to erase your iPhone.

Things You Should Know

  • If you have iTunes on a PC or an older Mac, connect your phone to your computer to restore it.
  • If you have "Find My" enabled, use the iCloud website and the Find My tool to erase and restore your iPhone.
  • In some circumstances, put your iPhone in Recovery Mode and then plug it into iTunes or Finder to restore it.
Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Using iTunes

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  1. Plug the charging end of your iPhone's charger cable into your iPhone, then plug the USB end of the cable into your computer.
    • If you use a Mac, you may need to buy a USB 3.0 to Thunderbolt adapter in order to connect the cable.
  2. Its app icon resembles a multicolored musical note on a white background.
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  3. It's the iPhone-shaped icon that's in the upper-left side of the iTunes window.
  4. This is in the upper-right side of the page.
    • If your iPhone's Find My iPhone feature is turned on, you'll be prompted to turn it off before proceeding. Since you can't disable Find My iPhone while your iPhone is disabled, try using iCloud to erase your iPhone instead.
  5. Doing so will prompt your iPhone to begin restoring to factory settings.
    • You may need to enter a password before proceeding.
  6. This should only take a few minutes, though it may take longer if your iPhone needs to be updated. Once the restore completes, your iPhone's "Disabled" protection should be unlocked, and your passcode will be gone. [1]
  7. Restore a backup if needed. If you have a backup of your iPhone stored in iTunes or iCloud, you can restore your iPhone's settings, photos, apps, and so on.
    • If your iPhone has an activation lock on it, you'll need to enter your Apple ID email address and password in order to restore a backup in iTunes.
    • If you don't have a backup available, you'll need to set up your iPhone as a new iPhone.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Using iCloud

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  1. If you turned off Find My iPhone at any point and didn't turn it back on, you won't be able to use this method. Try using iTunes or using Recovery Mode instead. [2]
  2. Go to https://www.icloud.com/ in your browser, then log in by entering your Apple ID email address and password if prompted. This will bring up your iCloud dashboard.
  3. It's a green radar icon at the bottom of the dashboard. Doing so causes iCloud to begin trying to find your iPhone.
    • You may have to re-enter your Apple ID password here before continuing.
  4. This is a green tab at the top of the window. A drop-down menu will appear.
  5. Click your iPhone's name in the drop-down menu. You should see the iPhone's page open on the right side of the window.
    • If you can't see your iPhone's name here, Find My iPhone isn't enabled on your iPhone.
  6. It's in the bottom-right corner of the iPhone's page.
  7. Doing so will bring up a password field.
  8. In the password field, type in the Apple ID password for the iPhone that you're trying to erase.
  9. It's in the upper-right corner of the iPhone's page that's in the top-right side of the window.
  10. This green button is in the upper-right side of the iPhone's page. Doing so prompts your iPhone to begin erasing.
  11. The erasing process will usually only take a few minutes. Once you see various languages' versions of "Hello" flashing across your iPhone's screen, you may proceed.
  12. Restore a backup if needed. If you have a backup of your iPhone stored in iTunes or iCloud, you can restore your iPhone's settings, photos, apps, and so on.
    • If your iPhone has an activation lock on it, you'll need to enter your Apple ID email address and password in order to restore a backup in iTunes.
    • If you don't have a backup available, you'll need to set up your iPhone as a new iPhone.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Using Recovery Mode

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  1. Recovery Mode allows you to use iTunes to reset your iPhone on a computer on which you've never used your iPhone. If you can't use iTunes to restore your iPhone and your iCloud account doesn't have Find My iPhone enabled, you'll need to use Recovery Mode.
  2. This is important for enabling Recovery Mode, as leaving iTunes open and then placing your iPhone in Recovery Mode will result in an error.
  3. Plug the charging end of your iPhone's charger cable into your iPhone, then plug the USB end of the cable into your computer.
    • If you use a Mac, you may need to buy a USB 3.0 to Thunderbolt adapter in order to connect the cable.
    • If iTunes opens, close it before proceeding.
  4. For an iPhone 8 or higher, you'll press quickly the Volume Up button, press quickly the Volume Down button, and then press and hold the Power button until you see the "Connect to iTunes" message—which resembles a power cable and the iTunes logo—appear on your iPhone's screen. [3]
    • For an iPhone 7, press and hold both the Volume Down button and the Power button until you see the "Connect to iTunes" message.
    • For an iPhone 6S or lower, press and hold both the Power button and the Home button until you see the "Connect to iTunes" message.
  5. Its app icon resembles a multicolored musical note on a white background. iTunes should open to the Recovery Mode page.
  6. This is at the top of the window.
  7. Your iPhone will begin restoring to factory settings.
    • You may have to enter your Apple ID password here.
  8. This will usually only take a few minutes, though it may take longer if your iPhone needs to be updated.
  9. Restore a backup if needed. If you have a backup available on a different computer or in iCloud, you can restore your iPhone's information via the backup.
    • If your iPhone has an activation lock on it, you'll need to enter your Apple ID email address and password in order to restore a backup in iTunes.
    • If you don't have a backup available, you'll need to set up your iPhone as a new iPhone.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    How do I unlock my iPhone without erasing it?
    Community Answer
    You cannot unlock your iPhone without erasing it.
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  • Question
    Why is it not letting me sync my iPhone?
    Al Poley
    Community Answer
    Make sure that your iTunes account on your PC is authorizing your phone. It may be that you can only have 5 at a time.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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    Not Helpful 2 Helpful 9
  • Question
    What do I do if it is asking for a password, shows all the device parts, and the "hello" is not showing?
    Community Answer
    Using Recovery Mode means there's no need for a password. If you don't have a password, you can use the third method in the article. You can also use Eelphone iPhone Unlock.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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      Tips

      • It's almost always worth waiting for the full amount of time that it'll take for your iPhone's "Disabled" lock to go away rather than erasing and restoring your iPhone.
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      • If you need to make an emergency call while your iPhone is disabled, tap Emergency at the bottom of the screen and then manually dial the number.
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      Warnings

      • If your iPhone is disabled and you’ve never backed up your iPhone to iTunes or iCloud, all personal data will be lost after you restore it.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201252
      2. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204306
      3. ↑ https://9to5mac.com/2016/09/18/iphone-7-how-to-force-restart-recovery-dfu-mode/

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