How to reset forgotten Notes password on iPhone

create a new note and lock it, iPhone will then ask you if you want to unlock with face ID, say yes. Now you can go back and unlock the old notes. You may have to reset Notes password first, in order to create another locked note. Once unlocked you can relock it with your new password

I did the very same thing..Upgraded to a Max & I was locked out of my notes the ‘hint’ is there & I know it

but it still won’t unlock any notes. If you change your password that immediately eliminates the old one and you can only use your new one for any new passwords or information. The unfortunate thing is to change password, you must remember the old one. I believe I am going to take my phone back and get a new one and see if this is just a fluke or making me want my touch ID back!

Unfortunately it’s not a fluke. I tried everything including working with my company’s I.T. department to find a solution. What worked for me may not work for you, but I will tell you what I did. What finally fixed the issue for me is I selected that I wanted to DELETE the note that I could not open. As soon as I did that, a prompt popped up asking if I wanted to enable Face ID for notes. I was like are you kidding?? I had tried to access the locked notes for days. Ha ha When I indicated that I did want to enable Face ID for notes, the note indeed deleted as I had requested. Then I just opened the RECENTLY DELETED folder and restored it. Then I just selected to lock it again and it was treated like a new note so I was able to enter the password I wanted to assign to it. I hope this works for you!

I actually just have the first X from last year. The only other issue we’ve had in my family with this phone (hubs too) is that it will not pair with any of our Bluetooth speakers. Apple says it’s because the speakers are older models. They have opened trouble tickets about the issue. ☹ But I hope this fixes your notes issue!

What I did was to reset my passcode, then allow the iPhone to use Face ID or Touch ID (either is applicable). After that, I made a locked note with my new password and used Face or Touch ID to unlock it. Finally, you go to the original locked note and unlock it with Face or Touch ID.

If your old phone with Touch ID does not work at all, you are out of luck. I recently had same experience, but my old phone still worked. After giving up with Apple tech support, I had a workaround and, was able to transfer all Notes including locked ones.

I had the same problem. Set a password and used Touch ID to access my protected notes.

This morning I tried to access a locked note with a wet finger and it locked me out requiring my password.

Luckily I had other notes protected by the same password.

I opened one of these other notes using Touch ID and it opened. I then closed that note and went to my note list. I picked the note I had just opened and swiped left. A padlock symbol appeared which allowed me to remove the password from the note. I then did the same thing with the one I had locked with my wet finger and it removed the password allowing me to open that note without a password.

Have changed my notes password and locked the notes using the swipe left feature. The notes now need Touch ID or the new password to open them.

i agree with this statement, i had a fraudulent situation with my bank and i decided to change all my passwords. when i got home i forgot the new one i used and my phone ended up going into locked status connect to itunes. spent 9hours with several support reps that couldnt do anything but repeat the same solutions. sign into appleid, use itunes, icloud, backup/restore from itunes in recovery mode. all in the end none of these options worked out for me. i ended up wiping the phone and had to start all over again. i lost several important information access apps etc... when i finally got everything almost back up well at least half of the things missing i was able to retrieve. had to use my other phones tablets and PCs to find pieces of information that helped recover a few things. but still its pointless solutions really.

just a while ago i couldnt open my notes the pw that i used before i cant remember i had a pw hint but i forgot the format i used or if i had special characters or spaces etc... and all im told is if you dont know we cant help you. try to remember the pw and keep trying

thats a really vauge response. its 2019 and with the technology that is out and apple being around for so long, no expandable memory for ONE, the cheesy support you get and if you talk bad about apple you get disconnected or hung up on. But being human and frustrated you rely on support and recieve this kind of feedback by them convinces me to switch to blackberry or android devices.

i mean think about this with me for a moment. u got passcodes, note passcodes, phone unlock codes, apple ids, eye scan, fingerprint scan, yet you cant come up with a simple method for a notepad? you really think im buying that lame sense of excuse? umm no! sorry. come up with a better response and hmu in the morning! like get it together apple seriously. ive spent probably about 2hours so far trying every possible algorithim i can come up with and every possible pattern of passwords ive used to my memory throughout my lifetime. and none which help. even notepad has a reset password, but the joke is a small fine print that says this will reset your passcode for your notes going forward but notes locked prior to this change will not be effected.... why is notes this important. if they declare its for secure reasons then why cant there be locks for things like emails and text messages contacts phone calls etc.... whatsApp has a feature that they will send you if requested all ur information. many apps programs devices have a fail safe backup plan for those simple minded folk like me to recover pws in these critical moments with ease. we have to add on to the list of backup options two-point verification methods by call text email or code. why couldnt there be one of those options. as a matter of fact instead of apple asking me for my serial number just to ask if i tried this and that which ive repeatedly indicated that they dont work. they can remote into your phone and see and control ur phone but they tell you sorry nothing they can do. if u forget oh well whichs is a load of bs. apple needs to smarten up serioyusly. ive already started marketing my iphone for sale so i can buy a S9.

anyone want a iphone 7plus lol

If the FBI can’t get into a phone, and the claims that they did are still in debate, that gives me a comfort feeling that my information is safe......from anyone.

I’m not suggesting my information is super valuable to anyone but me, but at least my shopping list is safe 🤪.

But seriously, if you are foolish enough to forget your password, and the hint you gave yourself doesn’t help, then you are the one at fault. Leave yourself a better hint. Engrave the password on the bottom of your kettle or something.

Dont blame a manufacture for trying to make your information safe.

Its a bit like you buying a car with all of the safety features, traction control, ABS, collision avoidance etc and then blaming the car manufacture because you crashed while driving it badly.

Take responsibility for your actions. Manufactures will and try to help but the bottom line is you are in the driving seat - no pun intended.

If you think your information will be safer on another platform, where others can use back doors to gain access then go for it. It’s your information and you are in control. You make your own choices.

Oh, and in case any reader is wondering, I’m nothing to do with Apple and the above is just my view. I’m not getting anything for sharing it.

If however someone wants to offer me something, I’m happy to consider it 👍

its human nature to make mistakes on a regular basis. To make that comparison to buying and using the car scenario doesn’t make any sense as that is not in the same category in this comment. Ur entitled to ur opinion as the rest of us. In the electric industry especially with phones laptops etc...

thats like buying a laptop and run into the same situation but difference here are given ways to reset things in the event the non perfect human has forgotten. Your comment may be at me but indirectly you aiming at the mass majority who are also in the same boat. And if you don’t own an Apple product, why are you in this forum in the first place and posting your uncredited comment. I’d take your reply more seriously if that wasn’t the case. You can go stir the pot in another forum where your comment holds value sorry. I’m not buying that remark. “I don’t own the product but I’m gonna say how dumb ppl are posting theirs complaints” yeah sure ok buddy.

Just reminds me of a bad sales rep at a Best Buy selling me something he knows nothing about but comments on great the product is and recommends it based on opinion and holds no value. In that scenario you gonna blame the person who bought it anyway even though he listened to the guy hired by the company. Choices yes are choices period. The guy would be bringing the product back for a refund if not satisfied as it was falsely advertised to him up front.

Manufactures try to make things efficient overall. My disapproval is locking out potential ppl who make real honest mistakes and providing no support in that case there’s an issue or a backup plan in place. Other companies do offer this type of support on many platforms and categories so it’s not ancient knowledge. So you can take your non credited response and can bury it in your backyard. You can take responsibility for that action can’t you? For the rest who still and have had this issue as it’s not old either responsibility for their own action is to leave a comment feedback as Apple suggests or go return the product or but another product that meets their needs. It’s just the way it goes.

And my the phone offer was sarcastic as your comment to accept the offer also was.

so if have anything sensible to add feel free otherwise use your head before coming at someone for Something you don’t take part of

This might work if I didn’t have to wipe my phone prior to the issue but I’ll consider this in the future tho. I’ve seen key logger programs apps and what not. There other apps that work the same way as notes but if ur locked out it’s just a email or text verification to reset if anything. Microsoft has one for my hotmail. Looks pretty cool actually. Thanks

I actually own 2 iPhones, 3 iPads and an Apple Watch. I’ve been an apple customer since my first iPhone 4.

Im sorry you feel that I’m getting at you for you not taking responsibility for forgetting your passwords.

Im very happy with the products apple sell and the software included with them.

The best way to show your feelings if you aren’t happy is to go buy some other manufactures product.

But you would rather trash them and then trash me for suggesting you do so.

When you sign up to using any product, the instructions explain how to use that product and any limitations - if the purchaser actually reads the instructions. Shame on you if you didn’t read them. In the case of Apple notes and using a password it clearly explains if you forget your password you will loose access to the contents of that note. By using the notes app and applying a password you knew that if you lost the password you would loose access to the information. Why are you moaning? Don’t use the app if you don’t want to be tied to the way it works. Use something else and stop blaming other people for your failing. You put a password on the note. No one else. You forgot your password, no one else. It’s totally your fault, no one else’s.

Now please feel free to moan at me. It’s not going to get you your information back. It’s just going to make you feel even more miserable about your failing..... and I have very thick skin. 🤪

Yes! I went from Touch ID to XS MAX and I’m so mad I can’t get into my notes. I’m a writer and all my pieces of writing are there and I can’t get to any of them. Any answers to this please help me! Please and thank you.

OMG LMAOO, since you been a apple Customer for so long this means I in fact wont get my information back since I forgot the password. I use to be able to access it because I used Touch ID but now I have the XS MAX and it won’t unlock my notes because I used iCloud back up and won’t use Face ID only for new notes I create. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

I had a 6S and purchased an XS. I had a few notes locked and forgot my password. The hint did not even help me unlock my notes. I went into settings/notes/reset entered new password and then reset. Is there another step after I do that because I still can’t get into my locked note?

Respawn_Theory wrote:

Why did they make it like this? Why is a forgotten password for a locked note completely irrecoverable? Is this deliberate design, or something looked over and never fixed?

No on here can speak for Apple. However, a password that is recoverable is a password that can be cracked. So, my guess is it's intentional. The passcode to your phone is also not recoverable.