Research-checked Last researched: 30 October 2026 · For devices you administer only
Screen Time passcode: the legitimate reset
By the iphonefix.us editorial team · Research-based, last researched 30 October 2026.
Screen Time is the feature parents use to limit apps and downtime, and that adults also use on their own phones to cut down scrolling. It has its own four-digit passcode, separate from the lock-screen passcode — which is why it is so easy to forget. You set it once, months ago, and now the phone asks for it every time you try to change a limit.
First try: Forgot Passcode with your Apple Account
On a device you administer, go to Settings, Screen Time, Change Screen Time Passcode, and look for the Forgot Passcode option. If it is there, sign in with the Apple Account that was used when the passcode was set up. That is the intended reset path, and it does not require erasing anything.
For a child's device in Family Sharing
If the phone belongs to a child in your Family Sharing group, the organiser — usually the parent — manages Screen Time from their own device. Reset it from the organiser's account, not by hunting for a bypass on the child's phone. Any guide that promises to defeat a parent's controls is not something this site will publish, because the controls exist for the child's safety and the parent is the administrator.
Last resort: erase and restore carefully
Erasing the phone removes a local Screen Time passcode, but be careful: restoring from a backup that contains the same Screen Time settings can bring the restriction back, and a family-managed device will re-apply the organiser's settings anyway. Before erasing, confirm you have the Apple Account credentials for setup — otherwise you will trade a Screen Time problem for an Activation Lock problem, which is worse.
After the reset
Write the new passcode down somewhere only the administrator can find it, and make sure the Apple Account used for the reset is one you can still access. A passcode protected by an account you have also forgotten is just a second lockout waiting to happen.
Frequently asked questions
I forgot my Screen Time passcode. What is the first thing to try?
On your own device, use the Forgot Passcode option in Screen Time settings and sign in with the Apple Account that was used to set the passcode up, if that option is available on your iOS version.
Does erasing the phone remove a Screen Time passcode?
Erasing removes the local passcode, but if the phone is restored from a backup that includes Screen Time settings, or if it is a child's device managed through Family Sharing, the restriction can come back. The organiser's account is the proper route for a family device.
Can I bypass a parent's Screen Time passcode?
No — not legitimately, and this site does not provide instructions for defeating parental controls on a device you do not administer. If you are the parent or organiser, use your own Apple Account to reset it.
Related: Forgotten lock-screen passcode · Apple Account recovery