iPad: Forgotten code – what you can do

Forgotten your iPad code and now you can’t access the device? Maybe you’ve even entered it incorrectly so many times that your iPad has been deactivated? We show you how to solve the problem and use your iPad again!

Reset iPad

The bad news first: if you forgot your iPad code, the only way to regain access to the device is to reset it. This means that all data stored on the iPad will be deleted. If you don’t have a backup, this is a big problem, but there’s no way around it. You see, backups are important if you care about your data!

Step 1: Connect iPad to PC or Mac

First, you need to connect your iPad to a Mac or PC via a charging cable. The device must have iTunes installed. If you don’t have your own PC and can’t borrow one, you can go to an Apple store instead. They can do the reset for you.

Check if the iPad appears in iTunes as an added or connected device. This must be the case in order to proceed.

Step 2: Unplug the cable

Disconnect the iPad from the PC again by pulling the cable.

Step 3: Turn off iPad

Now turn off your iPad.

Step 4: Enable recovery mode

The procedure at this point depends on your iPad model. If it has a home button, you need to press it to activate the recovery mode. If it doesn’t have a home button, you need to press the power button instead.

Press and hold the corresponding button. Meanwhile, quickly reconnect the iPad to the PC by plugging the cable back in. Do not release the button until it indicates that recovery mode is active. If the iPad now asks for the code, you need to turn it off again.

Step 5: Restore iPad

Open iTunes on the PC or Finder on the Mac. Search for your iPad here and select it. In the dialog box that opens, click Restore. This will start downloading a software and the recovery process will start. Wait until the process is complete. Then disconnect the iPad from the computer and set it up again. If the download takes longer than 15 minutes and the recovery screen closes, the process cannot be completed successfully. Then wait for the download to finish, turn off your iPad and start over.

forgotten iPad code: What happens to my data?

Your data stored on the iPad will be lost in the process of restoring the device. However, if you have a backup, you can restore them. For this, it is important that you do not set up the iPad as a new device after the restore, but choose the option of setting it up from a backup.

Do you have other problems with your iPad? We’ll show you in our articles about what you can do when your iPad stops turning on.