Screen Time Passcode: What It Is, How to Reset It If You Forgot, and Why It Won’t Stop You
Short answer
The Screen Time passcode is a 4-digit code, separate from the passcode that unlocks your iPhone, that protects your Screen Time settings and is needed to approve more time when a limit is reached. If you forgot it, go to Settings → Screen Time → Manage Screen Time → Change Screen Time Passcode, tap it again, then tap Forgot Passcode? and sign in with the Apple Account you used when you set it up. There is no default Screen Time passcode: if you never set one, there isn’t one. For adults limiting their own phone, the passcode has a built-in weakness: you know it. A partner can hold it for you, or you can use an app like ScreenWorth that puts a small, optional price on going past your limit.
How to reset a forgotten Screen Time passcode
This works on your own iPhone or iPad in iOS 27. You’ll need the Apple Account email and password you entered when you first set the passcode.
- Open Screen Time. Open Settings, then tap Screen Time.
- Manage Screen Time. Tap Manage Screen Time. On iOS 18 and earlier, skip this step.
- Change the passcode. Tap Change Screen Time Passcode, then tap Change Screen Time Passcode again.
- Tap Forgot Passcode?. When you’re asked for the old passcode, tap Forgot Passcode?
- Sign in. Enter the Apple Account email and password you used to set up the Screen Time passcode. This can be different from the account signed in on the phone.
- Choose a new passcode. Enter a new 4-digit passcode, then enter it again to confirm. Your limits and schedules stay as they were.
If Share Across Devices is on, the new passcode updates on your other Apple devices automatically, according to Apple.
How to reset the passcode on your child’s iPhone
In a Family Sharing group, reset it from the parent’s or family organizer’s own device, not the child’s.
- Open Screen Time on your device. Open Settings, then tap Screen Time.
- Pick your child. Scroll down and tap your child’s name under Family.
- Change the passcode. Tap Manage Screen Time, then Change Screen Time Passcode twice, and enter a new passcode twice.
How to set a Screen Time passcode
- Open Screen Time. Open Settings, then tap Screen Time.
- Lock the settings. Tap Manage Screen Time, then Lock Screen Time Settings. On iOS 18 and earlier, Lock Screen Time Settings is on the main Screen Time screen.
- Enter a code. Enter a 4-digit passcode and confirm it. Pick one that’s different from your iPhone passcode.
- Add recovery. Enter your Apple Account email and password so you can reset the passcode later if you forget it.
What the Screen Time passcode actually does
The passcode guards two things. It stops anyone from changing or turning off your Screen Time settings without it, and it’s the code you enter to approve more time when an app runs out of its limit. With a passcode set, the limit screen’s Ignore Limit button asks for it before offering more time, such as 15 more minutes or the rest of the day.
It is not the same as your iPhone passcode, the 6-digit (or longer) code that unlocks your phone. The Screen Time passcode is always 4 digits, and it’s best to make it different from your device passcode.
If you can’t sign in with the Apple Account
Apple’s instructions say to use the exact Apple Account you entered when you set up Screen Time Passcode Recovery. In a family, that may be a parent’s account, or even your child’s. Apple’s support page doesn’t describe any other way to recover the passcode, so if none of your accounts work, use the Get suggestions link on Apple’s support page or contact Apple Support.
You’ll find paid “Screen Time unlocker” programs online. They aren’t made by Apple, and some ask you to turn off Find My first. We’d try Apple’s route and Apple Support before handing your phone to one.
Why the passcode doesn’t stop you (if you’re the one who set it)
The Screen Time passcode was designed for parents. When you set limits on your own phone, you know the code, so “Ignore Limit” is still only four digits away. That’s why limits often hold for a few days and then stop meaning anything.
Adults who make it work usually do one of three things:
- Give the passcode to someone else. A partner or friend sets it, so you have to ask for more time. It works, but it puts them in charge of approving your extra minutes.
- Make breaking the limit cost something. This is what ScreenWorth does. When your daily allowance runs out, the app locks: walk away for free, or pay a small amount you agreed to in advance ($0.49 for the first 15 minutes on the default setting) to keep going. No one else has to hold a code.
- Remove the app from your phone. It’s the most effective option, and the hardest to stick with.
ScreenWorth runs on Apple’s Screen Time technology and works alongside your Screen Time settings. It never charges you automatically: hitting your limit is free, and every unlock is a purchase you confirm with Face ID or Touch ID. For a full comparison, see ScreenWorth vs Apple Screen Time.
FAQ
What is the Screen Time passcode?
It’s a 4-digit code that protects your iPhone’s Screen Time settings and is needed to approve more time when an app limit is reached. It’s separate from the passcode that unlocks your iPhone.
What is the default Screen Time passcode?
There isn’t one. A Screen Time passcode only exists if you or a parent set one. If you never set it, Screen Time settings aren’t locked.
I forgot my Screen Time passcode. How do I reset it?
Go to Settings → Screen Time → Manage Screen Time → Change Screen Time Passcode, tap it again, tap Forgot Passcode?, then sign in with the Apple Account you used when setting up the passcode and choose a new one.
Is the Screen Time passcode the same as my iPhone passcode?
No. Your iPhone passcode unlocks the phone. The Screen Time passcode is a separate 4-digit code that only protects Screen Time settings and limits.
Will resetting the Screen Time passcode delete my data or limits?
No. Resetting it with your Apple Account only sets a new code. Your limits, schedules and usage history stay the same.
How do I stop ignoring my own Screen Time limits?
Either have someone else hold the passcode, or make going over cost something. ScreenWorth locks the apps you choose when your daily allowance runs out and lets you walk away for free or pay a small price you set in advance for 15 more minutes. Free to download. Free to walk away. You only pay if you decide extra time is worth it.
Sources
- Apple Support: If you forgot the Screen Time passcode for an iPhone or iPad
- iGeeksBlog: The new Screen Time in iOS 27 (Sep 2026)
- Warden: Where App Limits and Downtime went in iOS 27 (Oct 2026)
We make ScreenWorth. Menu names can differ slightly between iOS versions. Spot something wrong or out of date? Email hello@screenworth.co and we’ll fix it.