To change your iPhone passcode, go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode (or Touch ID & Passcode on a Home button iPhone), enter your current passcode, tap Change Passcode, enter the old code once more, then type your new code twice. Tap Passcode Options before typing the new code if you want a 4-digit, longer numeric or letters-and-numbers passcode.
You need to know your current passcode. If Stolen Device Protection is on and you’re away from home or work, the iPhone makes you wait an hour before the change goes through. Looking to change your Apple Account password instead? That’s a different setting, covered further down.
How to change your iPhone passcode
- Open Settings.
- Scroll down and tap Face ID & Passcode.
- Enter your current passcode.
- Scroll down and tap Change Passcode.
- Enter your current (old) passcode again.
- To pick a different type of code, tap Passcode Options and choose one. Skip this to keep a six-digit code.
- Enter your new passcode.
- Enter it again to confirm. The screen returns to Face ID & Passcode, and the new code is active straight away.
Your Face ID or Touch ID keeps working after the change, and your Apple Pay cards stay in Wallet. The next time you restart the phone, it will ask for the new code.
Which passcode type should you choose?
Apple’s passcode support page lists the same four choices on every current iPhone:
| Option | What you type | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Six-digit code (default) | 6 numbers | A sensible balance of speed and security. |
| 4-Digit Numeric Code | 4 numbers | Quickest to enter, easiest to guess or watch over your shoulder. |
| Custom Numeric Code | Any number of digits | Longer codes are harder to guess but take longer to type. |
| Custom Alphanumeric Code | Letters, numbers and symbols | The strongest option; the Lock Screen shows a full keyboard. |
With Face ID or Touch ID set up, you’ll rarely type the code, so a longer one costs you very little. Avoid obvious patterns like 123456, 000000 or a birth year.
Why iPhone makes you wait an hour
If you see a Security Delay In Progress message, Stolen Device Protection is doing its job. Apple’s Stolen Device Protection guide says changing your passcode away from familiar locations needs Face ID or Touch ID, then a one-hour wait, then Face ID or Touch ID again. That stops a thief who has seen your code from locking you out.
- Tap Start Security Delay (or follow the on-screen prompt) and scan your face or finger.
- Wait for the notification that the delay has ended.
- Go back to Face ID & Passcode, authenticate again, and finish changing the code.
At a place your iPhone knows as home or work, there’s no delay.
Forgot the new passcode right after changing it?
For 72 hours after a change, iOS 17 and later let you unlock with your previous passcode. On the Lock Screen, enter a wrong code until Forgot Passcode? appears at the bottom, tap it, then choose to enter your previous passcode and set a new one.
If you’re sure no one else knows your old code and you don’t want that fallback, go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode and tap Expire Previous Passcode Now.
After 72 hours, or if you can’t remember either code, the only route is erasing and restoring the phone. Our guide to resetting a forgotten iPhone passcode covers it.
How to change your Apple Account password
Your passcode unlocks one iPhone. Your Apple Account password (once called Apple ID) protects iCloud, the App Store, Find My and every Apple device you own. To change it on your iPhone:
- Open Settings and tap your name at the top.
- Tap Sign-In & Security.
- Tap Change Password.
- Enter your iPhone passcode, then type the new password twice.
- Choose Remove Other Devices to sign out everywhere else, or Keep All Devices Signed In.
This one is also covered by Stolen Device Protection, so you may see the same one-hour delay when you’re away from home. The steps come from Apple’s password-change article. For a deeper walkthrough, including resetting a forgotten Apple Account password, see how to reset your password on iPhone.
Common questions
Change Passcode is grayed out. Why?
A work or school profile, or a Screen Time restriction, can lock passcode changes. Check Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Passcode Changes, or ask your IT department.
Can I remove the passcode instead of changing it?
Yes, with Turn Passcode Off on the same screen, but you lose Face ID, Apple Pay and Stolen Device Protection. Read what happens when you turn off the passcode first.
Does the new passcode change on my iPad or Mac too?
No. Each device has its own passcode. Only your Apple Account password is shared across devices.
Matthew Roberts is the founder and editor of ARS Digitech. He started the site to answer the iPhone questions his friends and family kept asking him, and it has grown into a library of iPhone and iOS how-to guides. Matthew writes and maintains every tutorial on the site, checking steps and menu names against Apple’s official support documentation and updating guides when an iOS release moves a setting.