How to Reset Your Apple ID

Last Updated: December 27, 2021 Tested

What do you do if you forget your Apple ID password or email? Apple has made it easy with lots of solutions to solve this issue throughout the years. This wikiHow article will guide you through how to reset a forgotten Apple ID password using an iPhone or Mac computer, or using the phone number associated with your Apple ID. If you already know your current Apple ID's password, you can change the password or email address of your Apple ID.

Method 1

Method 1 of 6:

Using Account Recovery on iOS 15

1
Go to Settings. You can tap the gear icon on your Home screen to open Settings.
- This needs to be done with a friend or family member who has you set up in Account Recovery. If your friend is locked out of their Apple ID account, they will need to answer some verification questions to ensure that they're the account owner before they can ask you, a recovery contact, for help.
- Both the locked-out person and you need to have at least iOS 15.
- To set up an account recovery contact, go to Settings > Your Name > Password & Security > Account Recovery > Add Recovery Contact. Tap a contact to send a request (family members will be automatically listed as a recovery contact while other contacts must first accept the request).
2
Tap your name. It's at the top of the menu.

Advertisement
3
Tap Password & Security. It's usually the second listing in the menu.
4
Tap Account Recovery. You'll then see the account recovery screen.
5
Tap the person's name that you're helping. They should be listed under "Account Recovery For." If not, you haven't accepted their request to become an account recovery contact, or they never sent the request.
6
Tap Get Recovery Code. It's under the header "Account Recovery for [Their Name]."
- You'll see a six-digit code that you can give to your friend so they can recover their account.

Method 2

Method 2 of 6:

Using Account Recovery With macOS Monterey or Later

1
Open System Preferences. You can open System Preferences by clicking the Apple logo, then System Preferences.
- This needs to be done with a friend or family member who has you set up in Account Recovery. If your friend is locked out of their Apple ID account, they will need to answer some verification questions to ensure that they're the account owner before they can ask you, a recovery contact, for help.
- Both the locked-out person and you need to have at least macOS Monterey or later.
- To set up an account recovery contact, go to System Preferences > Apple ID > Password & Security > Manage (Account Recovery) > + > Add Recovery Contact. Enter a contact to send a request (family members will be automatically listed as a recovery contact while other contacts must first accept the request). ^{[1]
  X
  Research source}
2
Click Apple ID. You'll see to the right of your profile picture when you open System Preferences.
3
Click Password & Security. It's in the panel on the left side of the window next to an icon of a padlock.
4
Click Manage next to "Account Recovery." You'll see it near the center of the window.
5
Click Details next to your friend's name. You'll see this under the "Account Recovery For" header.
6
Click Get Recovery Code. You'll get a six-digit code to tell your friend so they can enter it on their iPhone, iPad, or Mac to recover their Apple ID account.^{[2]
X
Research source}

Method 3

Method 3 of 6:

Resetting Your Password with an iPhone or Mac Computer

1
Open iForgot. Go to https://iforgot.apple.com/ in your computer's browser. This is Apple's password reset service.
2
Enter your Apple ID email address. In the "name@example.com" text field near the middle of the page, type in the email address that you use to sign into your Apple ID account.
3
Click Continue. It's a blue button at the bottom of the page.
4
Enter your phone number. Type in the phone number that you used to set up your Apple ID.
5
Click Continue.
6
Look for the notification that will appear on your device. This notification will give you instructions to allow you to use your iPhone or Mac computer to reset your Apple ID password.
7
Unlock your iPhone. If your iPhone was locked, enter your passcode and press the Home button, or scan your Touch ID fingerprint.
8
Tap Allow when prompted. Doing so will open the iCloud password portion of the Settings app.
- If for some reason this doesn't work, open Settings, tap your name, tap Password & Security, and tap Change Password before proceeding.
9
Enter your iPhone's passcode. Type in the passcode that you use to unlock your iPhone.
10
Enter your new password. Type the password that you want to use for your Apple ID account into the top text field, then re-type it into the text field below the first one.
11
Tap Change. It's in the upper-right corner of the screen.
12
Wait for the password to finish integrating. This can take several minutes, and you may be asked to re-enter your password during this process. Once you see the Change Password text appear near the top of the screen, your password has successfully been updated.

Method 4

Method 4 of 6:

Resetting Your Password without an iPhone

1
Open iForgot. Go to https://iforgot.apple.com/ in your computer's browser. This is Apple's password reset service.
2
Enter your Apple ID email address. In the "name@example.com" text field near the middle of the page, type in the email address that you use to sign into your Apple ID account.
3
Click Continue. It's a blue button at the bottom of the page.
4
Enter your phone number. Type in the phone number that you used to set up your Apple ID.
5
Click Continue.
6
Click the "Are you unable to find another iOS device to use?" link. This option uses your phone number and other information to verify your Apple ID account, but it can take several days to complete.
7
Click Continue Anyway when prompted. Clicking this button will take you to the beginning of the account recovery process.
8
Retrieve your verification code. Open the Messages app on the phone whose number you entered earlier, open the message from Apple, and review the six-digit code in the message.
9
Enter the verification code. Type the six-digit code into the text field in the middle of the page in your computer's browser.
10
Click Continue.
11
Wait for a message from Apple. Depending on the type of phone you have, the status of your account, and your Apple ID itself, this process will vary, but following the steps will help you reset your Apple ID password.

Method 5

Method 5 of 6:

Changing a Known Password

1
Open the Apple ID website. Go to https://appleid.apple.com/ in your web browser.
2
Log into your account. Enter your Apple ID email address in the top text field, then enter your password in the bottom field and click →.
3
Scroll down to the "Security" section. It's in the middle of the page.
4
Click Change Password…. It's below the "PASSWORD" heading in the "Security" section.
5
Type in your current password. In the pop-out menu that appears, type your current Apple ID password into the top text field.
6
Enter a new password. Type the password that you want to use into the middle text field, then re-type it into the bottom text field to ensure that you spelled it the same way.
7
Click Change Password…. It's a blue button at the bottom of the menu. Doing so will update your Apple ID password, though you may need to log out of your Apple ID account on any connected phones, tablets, and/or computers and then log back in before the changes will take effect.
- You can also check the "Sign out devices" box to sign out any phones, tablets, computers, and websites that currently have your Apple ID logged in with your old password before clicking Change Password... here.

Method 6

Method 6 of 6:

Changing an Apple ID Email Address

1
Open the Apple ID website. Go to https://appleid.apple.com/ in your web browser.
2
Log into your account. Enter your Apple ID email address in the top text field, then enter your password in the bottom field and click →.
3
Find the "Account" section. It's at the top of the page.
4
Click Edit. You'll find this option in the upper-right side of the "Account" section.
5
Click Change Apple ID…. This link is below the current Apple ID email address in the upper-left side of the "Account" section. A drop-down menu will appear.
6
Enter a new email address. Type the email address that you want to use into the text field in the drop-down menu.
- This must be a different email address than the one at which you receive email notifications if you have them enabled.
7
Click Continue. It's a blue button at the bottom of the menu. Doing so will test your email address for compatibility and, if it's usable, apply it as your new Apple ID email address.
8
Click Done. This small, blue button is in the upper-right side of the Apple ID page. Doing so saves your changes and closes the Apple ID Edit menu.
- You may need to log out of your Apple ID account on any connected phones, tablets, and/or computers and then log back in with your new Apple ID in order for the changes to take place.

Community Q&A

Question

Safari will not let me change my Apple ID. How do I do this?

Community Answer

Look in the upper left corner of Safari for system preferences. You should be able to find the link to change it there.
Question

How do I reset my passcode?

Community Answer

On iPhone, go into settings, go to general, and then password setting. It will ask you to put in your old password; once you do, it will unlock all the settings. Then click change password/reset.
Question

I forgot my Apple ID but only know my yahoo's rescue email. What do I do?

Asurajsingh

Community Answer

If you forget your Apple ID and are looking for technical support contact Apple Support at https://support.apple.com/.

Warnings

When changing passwords, you cannot use a password you have used within the last 12 months.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 4 Not Helpful 5
You may not be able to change your Apple ID if the associated email address ends with @icloud.com, @me.com, or @mac.com.^{[3]
X
Research source}

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Using multiple Apple IDs on the same device can cause login problems with some applications. Try clearing your browser cookies if this happens, or delete the Apple ID cookie.^{[4]
X
Research source}

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Any of these methods are free to you. Beware of sites offering the same process for a fee.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0