If your iPhone is locked and you forget the password, you can still reset it. This process can erase all content and restore your personal data if you previously backed it up. There are three ways to reset a locked iPhone: restore it with iTunes, reset it with the Find My iPhone feature, or in recovery mode.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Restoring Using iTunes
![Reset a Locked iPhone Step 1 Reset a Locked iPhone Step 1](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6753-1-j.webp)
Step 1. Connect iPhone to your computer using a USB cable
You must be using the same computer you first synced your iPhone with with iTunes. iTunes will run automatically when it detects your device.
If iTunes asks you for a password, or you never synced iPhone with iTunes on your computer, follow the steps for method three in this article
![Reset a Locked iPhone Step 2 Reset a Locked iPhone Step 2](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6753-2-j.webp)
Step 2. Wait for iTunes to finish syncing your iPhone with your computer and back up the files
If iTunes fails to sync your iPhone, click the iPhone icon in iTunes, then click “Sync.”
![Reset a Locked iPhone Step 3 Reset a Locked iPhone Step 3](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6753-3-j.webp)
Step 3. Click “Restore iPhone” when iTunes is done syncing and backing up your iPhone
![Reset a Locked iPhone Step 4 Reset a Locked iPhone Step 4](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6753-4-j.webp)
Step 4. Select the “Restore from iTunes backup” option when your iPhone screen displays the settings
![Reset a Locked iPhone Step 5 Reset a Locked iPhone Step 5](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6753-5-j.webp)
Step 5. Select your iPhone in iTunes, then click the latest file
iTunes will reset, unlock your iPhone and your personal data.
Method 2 of 3: Using Find My iPhone
![Reset a Locked iPhone Step 6 Reset a Locked iPhone Step 6](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6753-6-j.webp)
Step 1. Visit the iCloud website at https://www.icloud.com/#find on your computer or other device
Sign in with your Apple ID and password.
If you didn't previously activate the Find My iPhone feature using iCloud, you can't reset it using this method. Follow the third method in this article
![Reset a Locked iPhone Step 7 Reset a Locked iPhone Step 7](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6753-7-j.webp)
Step 2. Click “All Devices” at the top of iCloud then select your iPhone
![Reset a Locked iPhone Step 8 Reset a Locked iPhone Step 8](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6753-8-j.webp)
Step 3. Click “Erase iPhone
” iCloud will reset the password and delete all content from your iPhone.
![Reset a Locked iPhone Step 9 Reset a Locked iPhone Step 9](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6753-9-j.webp)
Step 4. Select the option to reset your personal data from iCloud backup file or follow the instructions that appear on the screen to set up your device as a new device
Your iPhone will then be reset and unlocked again.
Method 3 of 3: Recovering Using Recovery Mode
![Reset a Locked iPhone Step 10 Reset a Locked iPhone Step 10](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6753-10-j.webp)
Step 1. Connect your iPhone to the computer using a USB cable
![Reset a Locked iPhone Step 11 Reset a Locked iPhone Step 11](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6753-11-j.webp)
Step 2. Run the iTunes application
Wait until iTunes detects your iPhone.
If iTunes is not installed on your computer, visit the Apple website at https://www.apple.com/itunes/download/ to download the latest version of iTunes
![Reset a Locked iPhone Step 12 Reset a Locked iPhone Step 12](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6753-12-j.webp)
Step 3. Press and hold the “Sleep/Wake” and “Home” buttons on your iPhone simultaneously until the recovery mode screen appears
Recovery mode will appear when the Apple logo disappears.
![Reset a Locked iPhone Step 13 Reset a Locked iPhone Step 13](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6753-13-j.webp)
Step 4. Click “Restore” when iTunes informs you that your device has a problem
iTunes will download and install any available software update files. This process can take up to 15 minutes.
If it's been more than 15 minutes, it's likely that your iPhone has exited recovery mode. Repeat steps 3 and 4 before moving on to the next step
![Reset a Locked iPhone Step 14 Reset a Locked iPhone Step 14](https://i.how-what-advice.com/images/003/image-6753-14-j.webp)
Step 5. Wait for iTunes to finish resetting your iPhone, follow the on-screen instructions to set up your device as a new device
Your iPhone will be reset and unlocked.