If you enter the incorrect passcode also many times, you'll end up with a locked iPhone - but this problem needn't be terminal. In this commodity nosotros explain how to set up a disabled iPhone using iTunes, the Finder or iCloud.

iPhone is Disabled error messages

Here's a common - but worrying - notification that you may accept seen on your iPhone:

How to fix 'iPhone is disabled. Connect to iTunes' errors

iPhone is disabled. Try once again in 1 minute

That's not too bad. Only it might be worse:

iPhone is disabled. Endeavour over again in hr

Annoying! It could as well be 5 or 15 minutes. The warnings that include a waiting menstruum are less worrying just can ramp up to the worst error message of all if you're not careful:

iPhone is disabled. Connect to iTunes

If y'all've seen the above message, or the ominous screen below, you have a bigger problem. But we're here to help you fix it!

How to fix 'iPhone is disabled. Connect to iTunes' errors: Connect to Mac

These fault messages range from mildly inconvenient to totally incapacitating, but whichever one you get, you absolutely shouldn't ignore them.

Why is my iPhone disabled?

These error messages nigh ever hateful you've got the passcode wrong also many times (or someone else has - did you let the kids play with your smartphone?) and the iPhone has locked downwardly to protect itself from a possible hacking endeavor.

The iPhone has powerful built-in security measures, and one of these is designed to preclude animate being-force attempts to bypass the passcode.

If a phone thief could just keep guessing passcodes - and particularly if they could hook it upwardly to a piece of software that rattles through guesses far quicker than a man - then somewhen they would intermission in. If yous use a iv-digit lawmaking, remember, there are 'merely' 10,000 combinations, which Fortune's tool estimates could be cracked by a man in 4 hours and six minutes, and by a computer in 6 minutes and 34 seconds.

To finish this arroyo, iOS deliberately makes it harder for someone to input lots of incorrect passcodes. Go it wrong a few times (up to five) and you can carry on as normal; make six or 7 incorrect attempts and information technology'll merely tiresome you down a bit, just the more than times you go information technology incorrect, the harder things get. Once you get to 10, that'southward it - no more guesses for you.

Here'south how the error messages (and fourth dimension delays) tie into the number of wrong guesses:

  • 6 incorrect guesses: iPhone is disabled. Try again in 1 minute
  • seven incorrect guesses: iPhone is disabled. Try again in 5 minutes
  • eight incorrect guesses: iPhone is disabled. Try again in 15 minutes
  • 9 wrong guesses: iPhone is disabled. Endeavour again in 60 minutes
  • 10 incorrect guesses: iPhone is disabled. Connect to iTunes

For more general related advice, run into How to bypass a forgotten passcode.

How can I stop my phone being disabled?

The way to avert seeing these letters in future is to either exist more careful nearly inputting your passcode, choose a complex passcode with more than characters (because this is less probable to be entered accidentally), or stop using a passcode at all (for security reasons we very much suggest against this last option).

You might notice your iPhone has attempted to unlock itself from inside your pocket - in that case you lot would be wise to opt for the screen to turn off automatically after 30 seconds to minimise the likelihood that the screen will spring to life once more.

What you tin't do is plough off this safety measure out. You tin't even turn off or change the time delays as these are automatically activated on your iPhone.

Permit u.s. to note in passing, however, that there is a related and more than drastic security measure that is optional: one that will wipe the device completely if someone gets the passcode wrong x times in a row. This is useful if your iPhone contains information you cannot allow to fall into the wrong easily.

Go into Settings, so Touch ID & Passcode (or Face ID & Passcode), then enter your passcode. If y'all scroll downwards to the lesser you lot'll see a toggle labelled 'Erase Data'. Don't utilise this option lightly; information technology could prove highly inconvenient if y'all're forgetful.

How to gear up 'iPhone is disabled. Endeavor again in X minutes'

If you're lucky, your iPhone or iPad will only accept been exposed to nine or fewer incorrect guesses. In that instance all y'all need to exercise is wait. (Yous'll notice that the 'endeavor again in X minutes' counts downwards so you can see how long there is left to look.)

You can't exercise much while yous're waiting, and we're not aware of any cheats to speed up the countdown, merely y'all can still make emergency calls - tap the button at the bottom labelled Emergency.

Once the waiting menstruation is up, the screen of your iPhone will change dorsum to the usual background and yous'll be able to try again. But it'southward very important that you input your passcode carefully when you side by side get a chance. If you get it incorrect over again y'all'll be escalated to the next waiting period.

How to fix 'iPhone is disabled. Connect to iTunes' errors: Disabled

As shortly equally you go to the 60-minute wait, you lot're on your concluding life. Get it wrong one more time and yous'll be locked out until you plug the iPhone into iTunes, and the data on the device will realistically be unrecoverable.

If you're getting anywhere near the 10-guess limit, tread very carefully. Is the correct passcode written down anywhere, or is in that location anyone else who knows it?

Information technology may exist worth writing down every estimate you make from now on (and whatever that yous're sure yous've made previously), just this is only to assist jog the memory - rather cleverly, iOS counts multiple entries of the same wrong passcode as one wrong guess, and so you don't need to worry about wasting any guesses repeating yourself.

If you practise accomplish the 10th incorrect guess, you lot'll have to move on to the next section of this tutorial.

How to gear up 'iPhone is disabled. Connect to iTunes'

If yous run into the 'Connect to iTunes' bulletin - or, in iOS fourteen, 'Connect to a Mac/PC' - it's possible to get into your iPhone but you lot volition lose all the data as part of the necessary recovery process.

You'll be able to restore the data from your last backup, if that's any alleviation. You did dorsum up, correct?

Here's how to ready a disabled iPhone.

What you need

A reckoner: If you haven't got admission to a Mac or PC, you may need to visit an Apple tree Retail Store or Mac reseller to use one of their machines.

A lightning to USB cable: You will also need a Lightning to USB cable. This could be a problem if your Mac only has USB-C and your iPhone cable uses the older USB-A... In that case you'll demand an adapter or a USB-C to lightning cable such as this 1.

If you own an iPhone 11, conversely, it will have shipped with a USB-C to Lightning cable, which could be an issue if your Mac doesn't have USB-C...

Step ane: Enter Recovery Mode

The showtime pace is to connect your iPhone to your reckoner and enter recovery style. The method used will depends on the model of iPhone you take.

iPhone 8 and later

  1. Press and hold the Side push button and one of the volume buttons and wait for the ability off slider to announced.
  2. Drag the slide to plough off your iPhone.
  3. Agree the side button on your iPhone every bit you plug your iPhone into the Mac using your cable. Keep belongings the side button until the recovery screen appears.

iPhone 7, iPhone seven Plus, and iPod touch (seventh gen)

  1. Printing and hold the Side (or Top) button and await for the power off slider to appear.
  2. Turn off your iPhone.
  3. Connect your iPhone to the computer while pressing the Volume downwardly button until you seen the recovery mode screen.

iPhone 6s and before

  1. Follow the steps above: Printing and concord the Side (or Height) button until the power off slider appears.
  2. Drag the slider to plough off your iPhone.
  3. This time connect your device to your estimator while pressing the Domicile push button.
  4. Keep pressing the Abode button until y'all see the recovery mode screen.

iPad (Face ID)

  1. If your iPad has Face up ID you need to press and concord the Top button and either book button until the power off slider appears.
  2. Turn off your iPad.
  3. Now connect your iPad to your Mac while pressing the Top push.
  4. Keep pressing this button until yous encounter the recovery way screen.

iPad with Home push button

  1. This time yous tin press and hold the Peak push until the ability off slider appears.
  2. Plow off the iPad past dragging the slider across.
  3. Now connect your iPad to your Mac while pressing the Home button.
  4. Go on pressing Home until you meet the recovery screen.

Pace 2: Locate your iPhone/iPad via your Mac/PC

Depending on the software running on your Mac or PC the next step will either involve the Finder (on a Mac running Catalina) or iTunes (on a PC, or a Mac running an older version of macOS).

macOS Catalina

  1. If you're running Catalina, open a Finder window.
  2. You volition see your iPhone or iPad on the left side of the Finder window nether locations.
  3. Click on it.

macOS Mojave or older

If you're running Mojave or older on your Mac, yous will need to open iTunes. There are lots of different versions of iTunes you could exist running, and the method varies:

iTunes 12

Click on the iPhone's icon in the upper-left corner of the iTunes window.

iTunes 11

Click on the iPhone tab on the correct side of the window.

iTunes x

The iPhone will be in the sidebar on the left.

On a PC running iTunes for Windows

The process will friction match 1 of the versions of iTunes listed above (depending on which version yous're running).

Pace 3: Cull the pick to Restore

Now that you've selected your iPhone or iPad on the estimator you lot demand to click on Restore.

In one case you practice this the necessary software will download. This can take a few minutes. If information technology takes longer than xv minutes you might need to reconnect your device post-obit the steps in a higher place.

Once the download has finished you will see onscreen prompts to follow. Starting time you volition have to expect while the data on your device is erased.

Step 4: Set up your iPhone

Yous can at present set upwards your iPhone equally if it was new. You lot'll get the option while following these steps to restore from fill-in.

For much more detail on erasing an iPhone, come across How to reset an iPhone or iPad.

My iPhone is disabled and won't connect to iTunes!

Fixing the disabled iPhone isn't e'er as simple every bit outlined above. Some iPhone owners find that connecting the disabled iPhone to iTunes doesn't practise much of anything.

If you lot've tried both the standard iTunes wipe and Recovery Mode, you lot may be able to wipe it using iCloud, which we explain in the next department.

Restore your iPhone with iCloud

An alternative method of wiping the disabled iPhone and starting over again is to use iCloud - this is only possible, all the same, if y'all've ready upward Notice My iPhone, and if the disabled iPhone has a information connection.

How to fix 'iPhone is disabled. Connect to iTunes' or 'Try again in X minutes' error messages: iCloud

On your Mac (or some other iPhone or iPad), go to icloud.com and click on Find iPhone. You lot'll take to enter the password for your Apple account.

Later on a brief wait, a map will announced showing the location of your devices. Click All Devices at the top, so select the iPhone you lot want to erase. Click Erase iPhone.