Struggling to unlock your iPhone X without the passcode?
As a mobile technology experts, we offer 7 proven unlocking methods.
In this easy-to-follow article we will explain the following iPhone X unlocking topics:
- Free passcode unlock techniques.
- Keeping data after resetting the screen passcode.
- Unlocking without a computer.
- Tested software tools.
- Using recovery mode effectively.
- Apple’s official process.
- Bypassing Face ID and passwords.
- Detailed Face ID reset instructions.
Each solution is tested and verified, ensuring your iPhone X is safely unlocked.
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Unlock iPhone X without passcode or FaceID, or iTunes
Use your old passcode (on iOS 17 or newer)
With the introduction of iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, Apple has added a new feature known as Passcode Reset. If you ever forget your new passcode, this feature allows you to use your previous passcode as a backup for up to 72 hours.
Using iOS 17 Passcode Reset:
- Start from your iPhone X’s lock screen.
- Attempt to enter your passcode incorrectly five times in a row.
- Wait until you see the message “[Device] Unavailable” and a prompt asking you to try again later.
- Once prompted, locate and tap on the “Forgot Passcode?” option, which will be found in the bottom corner of the screen.
- Choose “Enter Previous Passcode.”
- Key in your old passcode.
- Follow the subsequent on-screen directions to establish a fresh passcode. Remember, with the iOS 17 and later updates, your old passcode can temporarily unlock your device.
Manually Expiring the Old Passcode Before 72 Hours:
- Navigate to the “Settings” app on your device.
- Choose “Face ID & Passcode.”
- When prompted, enter your current passcode.
- Locate and tap on “Expire Previous Passcode Now.”
By following these steps, you can ensure your old passcode becomes invalid before the default 72-hour timeframe.
Use Find My and iCloud
When you use Find My or iCloud to unlock your disabled iPhone X it will erase all the data.
To avoid losing recent information permanently, it is important to check the date the latest backup was done on your device.
You can unlock the passcode via iCloud using any internet-connected smartphone, tablet, or computer as follows:
- On another computer, tablet, or smartphone, open a web browser and go to iCloud.com and sign in.
- If you have Two Factor Authentication turned on, you will be prompted for your authentication code.
- Once signed in, click Find iPhone.
- All the Apple devices you own will be located.
- Once your devices have been located, they will appear on a map.
- At the top of the screen, select All Devices and select your iPhone X from the list.
- Next, click Erase iPhone to remove the passcode. This process will also remove all the data from your iOS device.
- On the dialog box that pops open, confirm you want to erase the device.
- The passcode and all the data will be removed from your iPhone.
- Once erased, set up your device and restore your iPhone data.
Use iTunes
The officially recommended method to unlock and reset the passcode is to put your device into Recovery Mode.
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When using this technique, you need to gather the following items:
- A Mac, or a PC with Windows 8, or newer and iTunes installed.
- Your passcode locked iPhone X.
- A USB cable to connect your phone to the computer.
To use recovery mode do the following:
- Press and hold both the side button and the Volume down button on your iPhone X until the power-off slider appears.
- Drag the slider to turn off your device, then wait a minute to make sure it turns off completely.
- Press and hold the side button and connect your iPhone X to the computer. Don’t let go of the button.
- Keep holding the button until you see the recovery mode screen on your iPhone, then let go. If you see the passcode screen, you need to turn off your iPhone and start again.
- Locate your iPhone in the Finder or in iTunes on the computer.
- When you see the option to Restore or Update, choose Restore. Your computer downloads software for your iPhone X and begins the restore process. If the download takes more than 15 minutes and your device exits the recovery mode screen, let the download finish, then turn off your iPhone and start again.
- Wait for the process to finish.
- Once done, disconnect your iPhone from the computer, then set up your iPhone.
Use your Apple Watch
You can use a paired Apple Watch to unlock your iPhone X by doing the following:
- On your iPhone, go to Settings
- Tap Face ID & Passcode.
- Scroll down, then below Unlock with Apple Watch turn on Apple Watch.
To unlock your iPhone X, your Apple Watch must have a passcode, be unlocked and on your wrist, and be close to your iPhone.
Use Face ID
If you have Face ID configured and your disabled iPhone X is locked, do the following:
- Tap the screen or raise your iPhone to wake it, then look at your screen. The lock icon at the top of the lock screen animates from closed to open to indicate that your device is unlocked.
- Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to use the phone.
To lock iPhone again:
- Press the side button.
If you don’t touch the screen for a minute or two, your iPhone X locks automatically.
If you don’t have Face ID enabled, find out how to Set up Face ID on iPhone.
If Face ID doesn’t recognise you
If you set up Face ID on your iPhone X, but it no longer works do the following:
Check your Face ID settings
- On your iPhone, tap Settings.
- Then, tap Face ID & Passcode.
- Check Face ID is set up and turned on.
Check the front-facing camera can scan your features properly
Make sure nothing is covering the front-facing TrueDepth camera on your iPhone X with the following checks:
- Get rid of anything that may be covering the front camera such as dirt, a case, or a screen protector
- Ensure you are not covering the front-facing TrueDepth camera with your hand.
- Make sure your face is not covered. Your eyes, nose, and mouth must be fully visible to the front TrueDepth camera.
- Make sure your eyes aren’t blocked if you’re wearing a face mask. You may need to hold your iPhone higher than normal.
- If you’re wearing sunglasses designed to block certain types of infrared light your iPhone X won’t unlock. Try using Face ID without your sunglasses.
If none of these fixes work, check if there are any updates for your iPhone.
How to reset Face ID
If you have tried the fixes above and they haven’t worked, you need to reset your Face ID on your phone.
Before you begin, make sure your face isn’t covered and you take off your sunglasses.
You can use Face ID with face masks on iPhone X as long as you have iOS 15.4 or later installed. Face ID works best when your iPhone is approximately 10-15 inches from your face.
To reset Face ID:
- On your iPhone, tap Settings.
- Scroll down, then tap Face ID & Passcode.
- If prompted, enter the screen lock code.
- Tap Reset Face ID. This will disable Face ID security on your device.
- Return to the Home screen.
- Tap Settings.
- Then, tap Face ID & Passcode. If asked, enter your passcode. If you didn’t set a passcode, you’ll be asked to create one to use as an alternative way to verify your identity.
- Tap Set Up Face ID.
- Next, tap Get Started.
- Position your face inside the frame shown on the screen and move your head to complete a circle.
- When you’ve finished the first Face ID scan, tap Continue.
- Repeat the scan a second time.
- Tap Done.
You can unlock iPhone X without Face ID by using the passcode you picked when you first set up your device.
Use tools
As mentioned earlier, if you follow the official instructions from Apple to reset a forgotten passcode then all your data will be deleted from your iPhone X. The idea is that you recover the erased contents from a backup.
But what if you don’t have a backup?
There are a couple of solutions you can try – one free and one paid – that will remove the passcode and recover the missing data.
Free method
There is a free unlock method that may work on iPhone X.
It has quite a low success rate, but if you want a free way to unlock your passcode and keep your data – even without a restore – then it may be worth trying.
This technique uses a software tool called IPSW to hack your iPhone X.
As shown in the video below, it is downloaded onto a PC and used to unlock the passcode without erasing the data.
For a step-by-step guide on this method and further information, see Unlock your iPhone passcode for free without a restore.
Paid method
If the free technique doesn’t work there is also a few paid software tool you can use to unlock the passcode and restore the lost data on your iPhone X. You will need a computer for these to work.
| Tool | Rating | Features | |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 LockWiper | ★★★★★ | Removes locks such as passcode, Face ID, Apple ID, MDM lock, & screen time lock. | |
| #2 D-Back iPhone Data Recovery | ★★★★★ | Recovers erased data from an iOS device, iTunes, or iCloud – including photos, messages, and more… | |
#3 Ultdata | ★★★★ | Recovers 35 deleted file types from iOS devices, iTunes, or iCloud backups. | |
Regardless of the specific tool used, the paid passcode unlocking process is as follows:
- Download and install the data recovery tool of your choice. There are free trial versions available – so you can try them out before you buy them.
- Before you wipe your device, test the data recovery program on your iPhone X to see if it will get back deleted files. If so, move on to the next step. If not, try the other tool.
- Download and install the passcode removal tool.
- Use the passcode removal tool to unlock the iPhone X screen. The phone’s data will be wiped.
- Recover your data from the wiped phone using the data recovery tool you successfully tested in step 2.
For more in-depth instructions on unlocking iPhone X without a backup or restore, see Unlock an iPhone passcode without a backup.
Without using a computer
You can still unlock your iPhone X when it is passcode locked, even if you don’t own a computer. For example, you can use a friend’s smartphone, use another Apple device you own or even ask for help in an Apple Store:
- Ask for help from a friend, family member, or colleague. Borrow their smartphone, tablet, or computer to go online using a web browser and log in to your iCloud account and erase the passcode from there.
For more information on accessing your iCloud account, see How to log in to iCloud. - Another option is to download the Find My app onto another Apple device you own, such as an iPad. You can use the app to remotely erase your iPhone X and remove the passcode.
- A third option is to pop into your nearest Apple Store or Apple reseller and ask them to help you perform the passcode reset using one of their computers.
For more detailed instructions on what to do, see Unlock iPhone without a computer.
Lock screen vs. Screen Time passcodes
The Restrictions or Screen Time Passcode was created by Apple to allow parents or employers to block certain functions and features and to limit device usage. It is a different passcode to the one that locks your device.
To find out how to reset or remove the Screen Time passcode, see our Screen Time passcode reset guide.
Passcode and Face ID
The iPhone X replaced the home button with a new type of authentication called Face ID, which used sensors to scan the owner’s face to unlock the device. The sensors are located at the top of the display in an area referred to as the notch. With a bezel-less design, iPhone user interaction changed significantly, using gestures to navigate the operating system.
Face ID can go wrong meaning you have to resort to using the passcode to unlock the screen. This makes it vital that you remember your iPhone X passcode.
When you get the 4 or 6-digit passcode wrong too many times your device will be disabled. You only get 10 passcode attempts in a row. After this, your iPhone will be permanently locked and an on-screen message will say “iPhone is disabled. Connect to iTunes”.
The official iPhone passcode reset method Apple recommends erases all the data on your device. This is fine if you have a backup that you can use to restore the contents back to the phone.
Unlock iPhone without passcode or Face ID: Wrap up
In this all-encompassing guide, we’ve navigated through a multitude of unlocking methods for the iPhone X, tailored for those tricky moments when you’re stumped by a forgotten or elusive passcode.
Our journey has taken us through diverse techniques:
- The strategic use of recovery mode.
- Tapping into the powers of iTunes or Finder.
- Employing the cleverness of Find My iPhone via iCloud.
- Utilizing Siri’s smarts in certain iOS versions.
- Delving into the realm of advanced software tools like LockWiper.
It’s crucial for iPhone X users to recognize the various passcode types at play, such as the Screen Time passcode, and understand the different unlocking scenarios, including iCloud Lock and carrier restrictions.
Selecting the right method for your situation is key. And don’t forget: regular data backups are your safety net.
With this guide, unlocking your iPhone X’s passcode becomes a straightforward task, sweeping away the lock screen hurdles.
