drfone logo
Dr.Fone – Phone Unlock&Clean

Unlock your devices in 3 steps

Dr.Fone – Data&Photo Recovery

Recover data in 3 steps

Dr.Fone - Screen Unlock (iOS)

Unlock iPad When You Forgot Passcode

  • Simple operations to unlock iPhone or iPad without passcode.
  • Factory reset any iDevice whose passcode is unknown.
  • Compatible with all iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and the latest iOS version fully!New icon
  • Intructions provided for step-by-step guidance.
Try It Free Try It Free

[Forgot iPad Password] How to Unlock iPad and Recover Data on it

drfone

Jul 18, 2024 • Filed to: Remove Screen Lock • Proven solutions

Forgot iPad password!

"I forgot iPad password and now I’m locked out of my iPad! I don’t want to lose any of my data, is there any way to unlock iPad or recover data on it?"

It is an unfortunate but common problem that people sometimes forget their iPad passcode. This ends up getting you locked out of your own iPad. And you’re really not entirely to blame for this, what with the hundreds of passwords we have to keep for all kinds of different accounts! However, there are means by which to unlock iPad but they would lead to data loss.

So in this article we’ll show you how to keep a safe backup in case you ever forget iPad password. And if you’ve already been locked out, then you will lose your data, but we’ll show you how you can recover them as well.

Part 1: Backup data on locked iPad

Before you go ahead and unlock iPad screen, thus losing all your data, you should use a third-party software to backup all your data. To do this you can use Dr.Fone - Phone Backup (iOS), which is a reliable software used and loved by millions of people around the world. You know you can trust this software because its parent company Wondershare has received international acclaim, even from Forbes.

Using Dr.Fone you can selectively backup all the data that you want to preserve, and then you can restore them after you unlock iPad screen.

style arrow up

Dr.Fone - Phone Backup (iOS)

Backup & Restore iOS Data Turns Flexible

  • One click to backup the whole iOS device to your Mac or PC.
  • Allow to preview and restore any item from the backup to a device.
  • Export what you want from the backup to your computer.
  • Selectively backup and restore any data you want.
  • Supported all iPhone and iPad models.
  • Supports iPhone X / 8 (Plus)/ iPhone 7(Plus)/ iPhone6s(Plus), iPhone SE and the latest iOS version!New icon
Available on: Windows Mac
3981454 people have downloaded it

How to Backup data using Dr.Fone:

Step 1. Data Backup & Restore.

After you launch Dr.Fone, you’ll find a menu with several options. Choose "Phone Backup".

Tips: Actually you can also use this tool to unlock other Android phone including Huawei, Lenovo, Xiaomi,etc., the only sacrifice is that you will lose all the data after unlocking.

forgot ipad lock screen password

Step 2. Backup locked iPad to computer.

Connect your iPad to your computer. Dr.Fone will immediately recognize the device. You’ll find a menu of all the types of files in the iPad. Select the ones you want to backup, and then click on 'Backup.’ This should take a few minutes.

Forgot iPad Password

It will take you a few minutes to finish the backup.

unlock ipad lock screen

Step 3. Preview Backup files.

Finally, you can view and access all the backed up data in a gallery. If you want, you can also 'Restore’ them or 'Export’ them to your PC or your iPad later.

Forgot iPad Passcode

If you are reading this before you’ve forgotten your iPad passcode, as a preemptive move, then you should know that you can also backup with iCloud and iTunes, though my personal recommendation is to go for Dr.Fone.

Part 2: How to unlock iPad screen with iTunes

The only way to unlock iPad screen and fix the "forgot iPad passcode" issue is to Restore your entire iPad. You can do so with iTunes in the following ways:

  1. Connect the iPad to your computer.
  2. Select your iPad and then go to 'Summary.’
  3. Click on 'Check for Updates.’ You’ll be told if there’s a newer update available.
  4. backup locked ipad

  5. Click on 'Restore iPhone.’ The process should take a while, and at the end you can set up your iPad again. At this stage if you’ve created a backup, such as the one in Part 1, then you can use it to restore all your data.

Part 3. How to unlock iPad screen with iCloud

This method can only be used if you’ve set up 'Find My iPhone’ in your iPad. This allows you to detect your iPad and remote control it, You can use it to erase all data on it. This is how you can do it:

  1. Go to the iCloud website and enter your Apple ID.
  2. Use the drop-down menu at the top called "All Devices" to select your iPad.
  3. backup locked ipad-unlock iPad screen with iCloud

  4. Select the iPad you need to erase.
  5. unlock ipad

  6. Click on 'Erase iPad.’
  7. After this, you can restore your iPad, and use your backup from part 1 to restore your data.

Part 4: How to unlock iPad screen with recovery mode

A lot of iPad users never set up the 'Find My iPhone’ feature, if you are one of them you can use the recovery mode to fix the "forgot iPad passcode" issue. This is how you can do it:

  1. Connect your iPad to the computer and run iTunes.
  2. Force restart your iPad by pressing down on the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons together.
  3. Do this till you see the recovery mode screen.
  4. unlock ipad screen with recovery mode

  5. You’ll get a pop-up message in iTunes, like the one below. Simply click on 'Restore.’ However, this process isn’t always efficient and your restore process may get stuck, however there are a lot of solutions to getting your iPad out of recovery mode.

Part 5: How to recover lost data from iPad

Unlocking iPad is a process that involves erasing all the data on your iPad. In this case, if you don’t have a backup, you would lose all your data. That is why we mentioned in Part 1 that you should use Dr.Fone to create a backup.

However, if your data is already lost, all hope is still not lost. Dr.Fone - Data Recovery (iOS) can help you scan your iPad for any lost data and help restore it.

style arrow up

Dr.Fone - Data Recovery (iOS)

World's 1st iPhone and iPad data recovery software.

  • Highest iPhone data recovery rate in the industry.
  • Recover photos, videos, contacts, messages, notes, call logs, and more.
  • Selectively preview and recover any data you want from all models of iPhone and iPad.
  • Recover data lost due to deletion, device loss, jailbreak, iOS 13/12/11 update, etc.
  • Compatible with all iOS devices and versions.
Available on: Windows Mac
3981454 people have downloaded it

How to recover lost data from iPad with Dr.Fone

Step 1 Scan the iPad.

Connect your iPad to the computer. Dr.Fone will immediately detect the device. Click on the option of “Recover” from Dr.Fone interface and choose the 'Recover from iOS Device’ option, then select the file types that you want to restore, and click on 'Start Scan.’

start scan to recover ipad lost data

Step 2 Recover lost data from iPad.

You can now go through an entire gallery of all the data that has been lost from your device. Select the data you want and then click on 'Restore to Device’ or 'Recover to Computer.’

Forgot iPad Password-Recover lost data from iPad

So you can see that even if you forgot iPad password, all hope isn’t lost. Yes, the methods to unlock iPad screen does involve all your data getting lost. However, you can use Dr.Fone - Phone Backup (iOS) before that as a preemptive action. Alternatively, even if you haven’t made a backup, you can still use Dr.Fone - Data Recovery (iOS) to recover all the lost data from your iPad.

Do comment down below and let us know whether this guide helped you. We’d love to hear from you!

screen unlock

Alice MJ

staff Editor

Home > How-to > Remove Screen Lock > [Forgot iPad Password] How to Unlock iPad and Recover Data on it