How to reset forgotten Notes password on iPhone

It took me 2 hours to figure it out!

If the hint says: “The password you used to unlock your iPhone” after you trying 3 times to no avail (presumably after changing to a new phone), apparently that means your notes are locked by the FIRST password you ever set your past phone for. So the best thing for you to do is to think long and hard back in the time when you first get the previous iPhone what password could you have used to lock your phone.

I have changed my phone’s password several times so I tried many different passwords and failed until I almost gave up and think back to the time where I first got my last phone and what was important to me then, and what 6 digit code could I have used to lock my phone with.

The whole thing is very stupid because people change their phone’s passwords multiple times through their time of using the phone and we forget our first password that locks our phone with. Apple, at least make the password be auto-set to the LAST password we used to lock our phones, not first - if you’re going to give us all that trouble to unlock it to begin with!

I hope this helps! Thanks!

I got a text that told me to go to the NOTES app in settings, not the notes on your phone screen. This is what messed with my mind for a long time . I was trying to rectify my lost password though my notes from my screen. You need to go to settings-notes-password-and turn on face ID. It was as simple as that. For extra Measure I restarted my phone. I went to the locked note, touched it, and it opened with face ID. Ya 😁

okay, now that i figured it out for myself. I upgraded a phone from one without face id to the iphone 11. so it doesn’t let you log into your old notes even if you reset the password. what you need to do is delete the note you want, then it will ask if you want to use face id. go to your recently deleted and you can unlock the notes! hope this helps

The way that I fixed the same problem was, I had to go unlock the notes on my old phone with my finger print and copy and paste the note into a new note. Then the note will automatically come up on you new phone, unlocked, and then you can set a new password for the note and lock it. Hope this helps!

I don’t know if this will work or if any of you guys still have your old devices. But I just tried to remove the lock from my notes on my old device and it worked! If your new device is connected and all your notes were saved to the Cloud, it should work. Then you can just add a new lock if you wanted and that lock will be with your new password. Just be sure to write it down this time LOL!

TL;DR • Enter Locked Notes on Old Device -> Remove Lock (in the right upper hand corner click the three ••• and then “Remove Lock”) -> BOOM should have access from there!

And if you want to keep it locked and you changed to password, just add a new lock and it should work with the new password!

Hope this was clear but if you need clarification, lmk!

PS205 wrote:

Hi, I am having the same issue and when I went to Apple to get assistance, it was a useless attempt.

Please let me know if you figure a way to unlock your old notes. I really need to access mine.

Thanks,

P

There is no way to access them. As Apple has indicated in the article linked above:

If you forgot your notes password

You can unlock a note only when you enter the password that it's locked with. If you forgot your password, Apple can't help you regain access to your locked notes.

Abandon all hope, my friend....

GB

Here is Apple's article regarding locking and unlocking notes: Keep your notes secure with password-protection - Apple Support

This is a current article which clearly states you can use your Touch ID if you set it up that way when you locked the notes. So, not sure what issue you are running into. Can you explain what is happening exactly?

And no one was implying that anyone has been stupid.

GB

Solution: All you need to do is swipe left on one of your locked notes and tap the trash can to delete. It will then ask if you want to use Face ID to access locked notes. Select yes, then you’re all set. If you want your deleted note back, then go to deleted notes and move it back to your notes folder.

Forgot to say I went to nots in settings not the note app on phone screen. First go to settings. Scrolled down to password, clicked on password and it opens screen where you can turn on face id for notes. If you have face id set up already your good to go . Close setting and open notes. It ask you to unlock the note. When you touch that face id takes over and your in. Im doing this on a iPhone XR. Don’t know if other phones work the same. Im new to Apple phones. Have a nice day.

After a while of you putting in the password wrong they’ll ask you if you wanna use facial recognition if you have a facial recognition on the phone as for if you don’t I’m not sure quite how you reset it but all mines asked for is my facial recognization if I wanted to use it and I clicked yes and it just scanned my face and I was able to get him back to my notes

Hi,

I forgot my password too and i have been trying for months to unlock it, i just figured it and very simple,

create a new note and lock 🔐 it known password then

Go to settings- Note- reset password-enable your face id

come back and open u locked note

it work for me.

hope this help someone,

note !! I switch from fingerprint to face id

@murtalsuraj

That’s because the solution proffered is neither not “official or endorsed.”

Think about it.

Apple already provides a VERY solid security architecture; complete w/ user controls and encryption. (which DOES have a “recovery” process)

If a user decides that that the Apple-provided level of security is insufficient for his purposes; there IS the means to add YET ANOTHER LAYER via an EXTRA password …i.e. over-and-above what Apple’s “system” provides.

However, “retention and recovery” of this “extra” - outside of Apple’s ecosystem - password is now a user responsibility for obvious reasons. (i.e. if the user “trusted” Apple’s system, he would not have felt the need for the extra password)

I had this problem until I randomly tried something new - So if you let Apple save your password for your other accounts (the option where Apple saves it so you don’t have to enter a bunch of times), the Notes app gives you the option to use them. So I just decided to try random passwords and it worked! Once I got into my Note, I immediately unlocked it and reset the password. Who knew my Notes app password was the same as my FitBit password???

If you have forgotten your password, you are not going to be able to see the note.

There is no “backdoor” or other “reset” once a password has been set.

Sorry.

It is a shame that we can’t open or reset password on our iPhone after forgetting of misentering the password. We’re human & forget or make mistakes.

I suggest finding and old phone & back up old phone that may have your old notes...you can then retrieve them without locked password and copy them. Not sure this helps but, that’s what I plan on doing with several screenplay ideas which I lost due to the face that Apple Support wasn’t able to assist. 😕