How do I reset forgotten passcode on my disabled iPhone?

Once your device is disabled, you have to erase it using a computer, by following the directions in this link --> If you forgot your iPhone passcode or your iPhone is disabled - Apple Support

If you haven't been backing up your data, it's too late now. Backups must happen before something goes wrong. If you have backed up your data, you'll be able to restore it after you erase your iPhone and get back in to set it up again.

The "Forgot Passcode?" option appears on the "iPhone Unavailable" screen – not on the "iPhone Disabled" one. It also only appears if you are running iOS 17 or later, and have changed the passcode within the last 72 hours.

Temporarily use your old passcode when you forget your new passcode on iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

So if you are not seeing the option, there are several possible causes:

• You never updated your iPhone 12 Pro Max to iOS 17 or later
• You changed the passcode more than 72 hours ago or used "Expire Previous Passcode Now"
• You have entered incorrect passwords so many times that you are no longer in "iPhone Unavailable" territory (i.e. you will have a chance to try again later, once a security timeout passes), and have reached "Disabled" territory.

I could be mistaken, but it sounds like the last cause is the one that applies here. In which case you must reset and wipe the phone to get back in.

swornima48 wrote:

I don't have a backup. All those photos, my documents, my papers, my grade sheets, and everything are in that device. Isn't there any option for me to get the type of previous passcode option? I've remembered and still remember every previous passcode. I just forgot this one.

Can't the Apple support staffs or anyone in the big post help me out. Its killing me.

That's unfortunate, but as I mentioned above the time to backup is before something goes wrong. If you don't have a backup, you're going to learn a painful, not not life altering lesson. You ARE GOING to lose your data and there is no way around that. And no, Apple cannot help you either. The data on your phone is encrypted. Apple has not access to it.

Once you're out of this mess you've created for yourself, please turn on iCloud Backup. When you plug your phone to charge at night, with Wifi on, your phone will automatically backup every night. Backing up is beyond simple and foolproof. I'm sorry you're going to lose your data, but this was completely avoidable.

Unfortunately, this is going to be a painful experience. Apple does not store your passcode for security reasons.

The fact that the phone now displays a "disabled" message means that that wrong passcode has been entered too many times and the phone will not even accept any more passcode entry attempts.

Your only option at this point would be to reset / erase the phone and then set it up again with a new passcode. You can use your most recent backup to restore data back to the phone, so it will look like it did before you forgot the new passcode.

Best to write down the new passcode and keep that in a safe place......even if you are sure that you will never forget it.

swornima48 wrote:

I have apple id password and everything. Any two step method?

Neither will help you. I get you are grasping at straws, but you have to face reality. You MUST erase your phone and since you don't have a backup, you are GOING TO lose your data. There are NO other solutions. Sorry.

swornima48 wrote:

I don't have a backup. All those photos, my documents, my papers, my grade sheets, and everything are in that device. Isn't there any option for me to get the type of previous passcode option?

If the phone does not display that option, there is no way to force it to do so.

Backups – of any sort, in the broadest sense – must be made before catastrophe happens. Suppose that you had not forgotten your passcode, but that a thief had stolen your iPhone. If you were not synchronizing or backing up any of your important data, you wouldn't just lose your phone. You'd lose all of that data, too.

Same thing if the phone fell into a swimming pool and shorted out, or if it fell into the street and a truck ran over it ("just slip what's left under the door").

Can't the Apple support staffs or anyone in the big post help me out. Its killing me.

I don't think there is any way for Apple to force their way into your device without your passcode. Apple doesn't know your passcode. Only your iPhone knows your passcode (or something derived from it), and your iPhone is designed so that it will not give up that secret.

Nor do they have a way to force it to display the "Forgot passcode?" option, now that it is in this state.

swornima48 wrote:

My device is 12 Pro Max, it is running the latest iOS. Yes, I have tried multiple passcodes, but I has never shown enter previous passcode. It is saying try again in 3 hours.

If it is saying to try again in 3 hours, that might suggest that you were on the iPhone Unavailable screen – not on the disabled screen, as you originally indicated. This could be good news.

iOS uses escalating time delays to discourage brute-force attacks. I believe that if your iPhone is telling you that you must wait 3 hours to try again, that means that you have made 8 incorrect passcode entry attempts. Should you botch the 9th attempt, the next delay would be 8 hours. Should you botch the 10th attempt, the iPhone will stop accepting new attempts. Any data that only exists on that phone will be as good as gone.

Passcodes and passwords - Apple Support

But you might have two more attempts to get the passcode right, and maybe "Forgot Passcode?" will show up. That's better than being at the stage where no attempts are left.

Please Help Me. There must be some way to get that previous passcode option.

If it shows up, it shows up. If it doesn't, it doesn't.

I haven't even selected the expire passcode option.

I mentioned it because I was trying to accurately summarize what I read in the Support article.

swornima48 wrote:

I have apple id password and everything. Any two step method?

The Apple ID and Apple ID password are not sufficient to bypass the passcode lock, and gain access to data that exists only on the phone. (You may need the Apple ID and Apple ID password to satisfy Activation Lock when you reset and wipe the phone – but the phone will still be wiped.)

So, if you are lucky enough to have two passcode entry attempts left, you need to make those count.

swornima48 wrote:

So, there are 2 more attempts remaining?

That's how I read the situation, based on "3 hours" and the table in the Apple Platform Security guide. It's also how Mr. Timmons seems to read it.

And try the previous passcode option, it might appear?

It might – if your iPhone was running iOS 17 or later, and you changed the passcode within the last 72 hours. (If you changed the passcode more than three days ago, the passcode reset option will not be available.)

Unavailable means that the phone is locked and will not accept another passcode attempt for 3 hours. When you see a message about waiting for 8 hours, you are probably down to the last try.

Why is it not showing type previous passcode option?

It won't on the screen you are looking at. Hopefully, you will see a "Forgot Passcode" option at the lower right of the screen after a series of incorrect passcode attempts. Tap on "Forgot Passcode" and follow the prompts, which will include entering the previous passcode.

Unfortunately, we have seen posts from some users that this option does not appear. I don't know why, but a guess would be that too much time has passed.

Yes, it is a hassle to reset / erase the phone and restore from your backup, because it will likely take 3-4 hours.

I have a feeling that you are hinting that you do not have a backup. Hopefully, this is not the case.

Hopefully you were synchronizing data to iCloud, and backing up your iPhone on a regular basis. That would have saved most of your data, with a few exceptions such as purchased music from your own CDs.

Back up iPhone - Apple Support

Things synchronized to iCloud would be visible now, by logging into iCloud on the Web (https://www.icloud.com/).