New iPad asking for really old iPad passcode that I don't have and isn't listed as a device on iCloud

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New iPad asking for really old iPad passcode that I don't have and isn't listed as a device on iCloud

I recently bought a new iPad (A16).

I've set this up as a brand new iPad and not restored from any iCloud backup.

The iPad is perfectly usable which is great, however, I can't seem to fully sign in to iCloud in the settings as it's asking me to confirm the passcode for my really old iPad (haven't had one since 2020).

This device isn't listed in my devices on iCloud (the only device on the is my new iPad).

It's not listed on the Find My app either.

I know my password for iCloud and can log into that perfectly fine. It's still linked to the same email address that I've used for years and would have been used for my old iPad.

In this case, how can I get iCloud working properly on my new iPad when I do not remember what passcode I used for an old device 6 years ago, which isn't even linked to my account any more (at least from what I can see anywhere).

Help much appreciated.

iPad, iPadOS 26

Posted on Mar 4, 2026 2:48 PM

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Answer 1

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ApplePower797 Author

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10 points

Mar 5, 2026 9:23 AM in response to ApplePower797

Thanks for the replies both. I persevered with this and managed to get it solved eventually.

For clarification though, as mentioned, I can sign in to iCloud online fine. I don't own any other Apple device so I couldn't try your suggestion of signing in on an iPhone.

My iPad allowed me to log in to iCloud in the settings, but I had an alert in the settings app to "finish setting up your iPad". It wouldn't do things like backup to iCloud, or sync with iCloud.

When I clicked on the alert to finish setting up my iPad, it first asked me to confirm my current iPad passcode (fine, I know that one) then thought about it for around 10 seconds and then moved onto the next screen which said something like to access my data I needed to confirm the passcode for one of my other devices and listed the old iPad air that I had. I had to press this and it asked me to confirm my passcode (definitely said passcode, nothing to do with 2FA/MFA).

I eventually managed to find somewhere in the settings app where it showed me that it was my health data in iCloud that was causing this, so I believe this was encrypted and wanted my old passcode to unencrypt/access this data. It gave me a button to delete this so I just went with that option to just start again and my new iPad is backing up fine now.

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Answer 2

Mar 5, 2026 7:38 AM in response to ApplePower797

ApplePower797 wrote: … I can't seem to fully sign in to iCloud in the settings as it's asking me to confirm the passcode for my really old iPad (haven't had one since 2020).

As Phil0124 says, this seems odd. I wonder what you mean by "fully sign in." Can you sign in to your iCloud Account? At what point does it ask for this password?

What happens if you try signing in on a iPhone, or with a computer using the Web Site at iCloud.com?

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Answer 3

Mar 5, 2026 6:47 AM in response to ApplePower797

Are you sure it's asking for a device passcode?

Is it maybe asking for a 2-Factor Authentication code and not a device passcode?

What exactly does the message say?

It's kind of strange either way would be asking for a device passcode without having used a backup for setup or used the Quick start option

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Answer 4

Mar 5, 2026 9:45 AM in response to ApplePower797

Aah -- so this wasn't exactly about signing into iCloud; rather it was about accessing old information--that makes sense. I'm glad you got to that "Delete" dialog! Congratulations on following it through!

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Answer 5

May 17, 2026 3:06 PM in response to ApplePower797

Do you remember where you found this in the settings? I have exactly the same issue on my new iPad, and I haven't been able to find a way to delete the old data. It's asking for the passcode from a device I have not owned for over a decade.

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New iPad asking for really old iPad passcode that I don't have and isn't listed as a device on iCloud

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