How To Reset A Disabled iPhone: The Quick & Easy Guide!

David Lynch

MARCH 24, 2017

You want to unlock a disabled iPhone, but you're not sure how. An iPhone becomes disabled when the passcode is entered incorrectly too many times. In this article, I'll use a simple guide which will show you how to reset a disabled iPhone!

iPhone Is Disabled. Connect To iTunes. What Now?

If you see this message on the screen of your iPhone, it means that your passcode has been entered incorrectly too many times. How many times is too many? Well, if your passcode is entered incorrectly:

  • 1-5 times: your iPhone will not be disabled.
  • 6 times: your iPhone will be disabled for 1 minute.
  • 7 times: your iPhone will be disabled for 5 minutes.
  • 8 times: your iPhone will be disabled for 15 minutes.
  • 9 times: your iPhone will be disabled for an hour.
  • 10 times: you'll see the message "iPhone is disabled. Connect to iTunes" appear on the screen.

One important thing to keep in mind is that if you enter the same sequence of numbers incorrectly multiple times, it will only count as one incorrect attempt. So, if you entered the passcode 123456 four times, it would only be counted once rather than as four separate attempts.

Can I Unlock A Disabled iPhone?

No, you cannot unlock a disabled iPhone. The only thing you can do at this point is erase all the data on your iPhone and start from scratch. Fortunately, if you've ever backed up the data on your iPhone, you'll be able to restore all of your data.

Can I Reset A Disabled iPhone Without Using iTunes?

Yes, but only under certain circumstances. If you want to reset a disabled iPhone without using iTunes, your iPhone must have had Find My iPhone turned on in Settings -> iCloud -> Find My iPhone.

If your iPhone was signed into iCloud when it was disabled, you can erase all of its data using Find My iPhone on iCloud.com. Simply log into your iCloud account, then select your iPhone from the All My Devices menu. Finally, click Erase iPhone to erase your iPhone's data without using iTunes!

If this worked for you, then you can skip the first step in our troubleshooting guide.

No matter which model iPhone you have, the steps below will show you how to reset a disabled iPhone! First, I'll show you how to erase all the data on your iPhone using iTunes, then explain how to restore backed up data onto your iPhone, whether your backup is on iTunes or iCloud.

How To Reset A Disabled iPhone

3 Steps Total
1.

DFU Restore Your iPhone

A DFU restore has the potential to fix software problems by completely erasing the code which may be causing your problem. The code is rewritten as if your iPhone is brand new, so the software problem may get solved.

Think of it like a house that has cracks in the foundation. Rather than try and fix the cracks, we are building an entirely new foundation.

If you can, back up your iPhone before completing a DFU restore. Any time you do a restore, it erases everything from your iPhone. However, after the restore is completed, you restore all your backed up data back onto your iPhone.

How Do I DFU Restore My iPhone?

How To DFU Restore An iPhone SE, 6s, Or Older

  1. Using a Lightning cable, plug your iPhone into a USB port on your computer.
  2. Open iTunes if you have a PC or Mac running Mojave 10.14 or earlier. Open Finder if you have a Mac running Catalina 10.15 or newer. It doesn’t matter if your iPhone is on or off.
  3. Press and hold the Home button and the power button simultaneously.
  4. After 8 seconds, release the power button, but continue to hold the Home button.
  5. Let go of the power button when your iPhone appears in iTunes or Finder.
  6. Your iPhone’s display will be completely black if you’ve successfully entered DFU mode. If it’s not, try again from the beginning.
  7. Restore your iPhone using iTunes or Finder.

How To DFU Restore An iPhone 7 Or 7 Plus

  1. Using a Lightning cable, plug your iPhone into a USB port on your computer.
  2. Open iTunes if you have a PC or Mac running Mojave 10.14 or earlier. Open Finder if you have a Mac running Catalina 10.15 or newer. It doesn’t matter if your iPhone is on or off.
  3. Press and hold the power and volume down button simultaneously.
  4. After 8 seconds, release the power button, but continue to hold the volume down button.
  5. Release the volume down button when your iPhone appears in iTunes or Finder.
  6. You'll know your iPhone is in DFU mode if the display is completely black.
  7. Restore your iPhone using iTunes or Finder.

How To DFU Restore An iPhone 8 Or Newer

  1. Connect your iPhone to your computer using a charging cable.
  2. Open iTunes (PCs and Macs running macOS 10.14 or older) or Finder (Macs running macOS 10.15 or newer).
  3. Quickly press and release the volume up button.
  4. Quickly press and release the volume down button.
  5. Press and hold the side button until the screen goes black.
  6. When the screen goes black, press and hold the volume down button while continuing to press and hold the side button.
  7. Hold both buttons for five seconds.
  8. After five seconds, release the side button while continuing to hold the volume down button.
  9. Keep holding the volume down button until your iPhone appears in Finder or iTunes.
  10. Restore your iPhone using iTunes or Finder.
View More
2.

Restore A Backup From iTunes

If the data on your iPhone gets erased, you can restore it if you have the data backed up on iTunes.

How Do I Restore A Backup From iTunes?

  1. Open iTunes on your computer.
  2. Connect your iPhone to your computer using a Lightning cable (charging cable).
  3. Select your iPhone when it shows up in iTunes.
  4. In iTunes under Backups, select Restore Backup...
  5. From the list of backups, select the one you want to use.
  6. Make sure the iPhone name is correct and click Restore.
  7. If your backup is encrypted, you'll be prompted to enter the password.
  8. Keep your iPhone plugged into your computer while the backup loads and while your iPhone reboots.
  9. When your iPhone has fully restarted, the backed up data has fully restored onto your iPhone and you can unplug your iPhone from your computer.
View More
3.

Restore A Backup From iCloud

If the data on your iPhone ever gets deleted, or if you have to perform a DFU restore on your iPhone, you can recover and restore the data from an iCloud backup if you have previously backed up the data.

  1. Make sure your iPhone is not plugged into your computer.
  2. During the iPhone set up process, select Restore from iCloud Backup when promoted on the Apps & Data screen.
  3. Sign into iCloud.
  4. Select Choose Backup.
  5. From the list of backups, choose the one you want to use to restore data on your iPhone.
View More

You're Able To Use Your iPhone Again!

You've successfully unlocked your disabled iPhone! Now you know exactly how to reset a disabled iPhone if it ever happens again. I encourage you to leave me a comment down below if you have any questions about your iPhone, and don't forget to share this article on social media with all the iPhone users you know!

  1. DFU Restore Your iPhone
  2. Restore A Backup From iTunes
  3. Restore A Backup From iCloud

Applies To: iPhone 5, iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone SE 2

AUTHOR

David Lynch

David Lynch is an expert on cell phones, cell phone plans, and other tech. After using a flip phone into his early 20s, he learned the ropes about iPhones and Androids from a former Apple employee. Today, his articles and videos are read and viewed by millions, and he has been cited by major publications including Reader's Digest, Wired, CMSWire, Consumers Advocate, and more.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
13 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
yuri
yuri
1 year ago

hi, ive had this iphone 7 for a couple years since my dad locked it down when i was 14, im 19 now and ive moved out, but i still have the old iphone which i found and packed into one of my bags when i moved out a year ago, its now in some drawer, but im pretty sure its still locked down, i remember trying to erase the data on it, but it didn’t work from the phones settings, and im lookig for some other way to reset it. help would be much appreciated

0
Reply
Candace Hicks
Candace Hicks
2 years ago

Thank you David for helping me with step by step to get my iphone back on after it was disabled.

0
Reply
Korankye Julius
Korankye Julius
2 years ago

Hi David, my phone is disabled and i have forgotten my passcode so how do i enable it. My phone is iphone 6s

0
Reply
Korankye Julius
Korankye Julius
2 years ago

Hi David, my is disabled and i have forgotten my passcode so do i enable it. My phone is iphone 6s

0
Reply
natalie premnauth
natalie premnauth
3 years ago

Hi, so my phone is disabled for a long time now and I do not want to delete my data. Is there any way for to me to get it if I forgot my password?

0
Reply
HOWARD Williams
HOWARD Williams
3 years ago

How can I delete my iPhone & reset it like new if it’s disabled?

0
Reply
josephine
josephine
3 years ago

Hi David. My iPhone is disable. How do I unlock my iPhone 11?

0
Reply
Srikar
Srikar
3 years ago

Hi David – I don’t mind losing data, but how do I factory reset a disabled iPhone without iTunes?

12
Reply
Neil
Neil
3 years ago

Hi David – I don’t mind losing data, but how do I factory reset a disabled iPhone without iTunes?

1
Reply
Tara-Michelle Kunkun
Tara-Michelle Kunkun
3 years ago

Hey David,

Someone has logged into my phone and now it is saying I’m disabled for one 1 hour.

I’ve log out and into my form and tried all my preference passwords. Looks like someone had access to my phone, without consent, and I have absolutely no idea what to do next or how to retrieve my iPhone lock screen password.
Any suggestion please?

Thank you

Tara

0
Reply
marlee thomis
marlee thomis
3 years ago

my phones disabled, but i also forgot my apple id password, how do i reset my whole iphone without my id, and only with a computer?? can u help me

0
Reply
Colin Boyd
Editor
Colin Boyd
3 years ago
Reply to  marlee thomis

Hi Marlee, I’d recommend going straight to Apple Support with this question. If there’s anyone who can help you with your problem, it’s them. I’m sorry we couldn’t be of more help, best of luck!

0
Reply
Srikar Siri
Srikar Siri
3 years ago
Reply to  Colin Boyd

Hi Marlee – I don’t mind losing data, but how do I factory reset my disabled iPhone without iTunes?

0
Reply