Forget Your Apple Login? Here Are 5 Easy Ways to Reset Your Password
Don't stress if you've forgotten your credentials.
- Apple software beta tester, "Helps make our computers and phones work!" - Zach's grandparents
Your Apple ID is your key to using a lot of Apple's products and services.
If you're an Apple user, then you know the value of your Apple ID and password. You can't access Apple services like iCloud, iMessage and Apple Pay without them. You also need these precious credentials to set up new Apple devices -- like any of the new iPhone 14 models, Apple Watch Series 8 or Apple Watch Ultra.
If you forgot your Apple ID password (and don't use a password manager) or your account has been compromised, you might not be able to access your device or any of Apple's services. Resetting your Apple ID password might be just the trick to gaining access again.
Here are some easy ways to change your Apple ID password.
Reset your Apple ID password with your iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch
iPhones accounted for about half of Apple's revenue in 2021, according to consumer data website Statista, so we'll start there. The instructions for resetting your Apple ID password on your iPhone will also work on your iPad and Apple Watch. Here's how.
1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap your name.
3. Tap Password & Security.
4. Tap Change Password.
Follow the onscreen instructions, and you're all set. Easy, right?
Resetting your Apple ID password from a Mac device
You can also reset your Apple ID password from your MacBook or iMac. Here's how.
1. Click the Apple logo in the top left corner of your screen and click System Preferences.
2. Click Apple ID.
3. Click Password and Security.
4. Click Change Password…
Follow the onscreen prompts to finish changing your password.
Reset your Apple ID password on a new device
While setting up a new Apple device, you'll be asked to sign into your Apple ID. If you can't remember your password, no worries. Here's how to reset your password during the setup process.
1. During device setup, select Forgot Apple ID or Password? whenever the option is available.
2. Finish the setup process.
3. Once setup is complete, select an app or another option that requires you to sign into your Apple ID. On iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch, you can select Messages. On your Mac computer, follow the instructions above.
Resetting your Apple ID password without an Apple device
If you've forsaken Apple devices after previously using them, but you still need to log into your Apple ID, you have a few options. You can either borrow a friend or family member's Apple device, or you can use one of the devices in an Apple store. You can't follow the same directions as above, though. Instead, here's how to change your Apple ID password from a borrowed or in-store device.
1. Open the Apple Support app. You can also download the Apple Support app from the App Store.
2. Select Passwords & Security.
3. Select Reset Apple ID Password.
4. Select Get Started.
5. Select A different Apple ID.
6. Enter your Apple ID and follow the onscreen prompts.
7. Once your password is reset, make sure to log out. You don't want someone else to have access to your profile.
Reset your Apple ID password from the web
If all else fails, Apple has a website you can visit to reset your Apple ID password. However, Apple warns this process might take longer than the other methods on this list. But if it's your only option, visit iforgot.apple.com, follow the instructions and your password will be reset.
It's important to remember that once you change your Apple ID password on one device, you'll have to log back in on your other devices with your new password. So instead of forgetting your new password in three days and repeating this cycle again, save yourself the headache now and log back into everything while your new password is fresh in your mind.
For more tech tips, check out how to clear your iPhone's cache, how to use Snapchat on your computer and how to get rid of photobombers in your Pixel 6 pictures.
