How to remember a password on Android

Your password does a great job of protecting your tablet and the data it holds, but if you forget it, it can stop you from accessing it. Here are some steps to take to try to get back in.

Maybe you lost access to your password manager or can't find the piece of paper your password is written on. It happens to the best of us, but there are a few things you can do to try to get it back.

These tips and tricks should work on most Android tablets, including Samsung, Google, and Huawei. Where necessary, specific steps have been provided for individual tablet brands.

Before we dive into troubleshooting, try hard to remember the password. While you shouldn't reuse any passwords, do try a couple of passwords you have routinely used in the past. If those don't work, follow the steps below in order.

1. Are you using Android Smart Lock? If so, travel to the trusted location, show the trusted face, or bring the Android tablet in contact with a trusted device to unlock it. Once you have, change the password to one you can remember.

2. If your tablet is a Samsung device, you can use Samsung's Find My Mobile service to reset the login credentials from there. You will need to know your Samsung account details to access it, though.

3. If you have biometric login enabled on your device, use that to log in to the Android tablet and then change the password to something you can remember.

   If you can't, then make a full backup of your tablet and then perform a factory reset.

4. Some older Android devices have a password recovery function built into them. To access it, input the wrong password five times and, when prompted, select Forgot Password and follow the on-screen instructions to reset your password.

   You will need your Google Account information to complete this step.

5. If you're using a custom login screen from a third-party app, you may be able to bypass it using Android Recovery Mode. You can access that by pressing and holding the volume down button and then pressing and holding the power button. Release the buttons when the Android logo appears on the screen, then select Recovery Mode from the list of options and press the power button.

6. If you still can't find a way to remember or reset the correct password, your only option is to reset your Android device using Google's Find My Device service.

Consider using a password manager to keep track of your passwords. There are simply too many passwords required nowadays to commit to memory, so a password manager is your best bet. Don't worry, password managers are safe.

FAQ

• How do I get into an iPad if I can't remember the password?

  If you don't have the passcode for your iPad, and you haven't set up Touch ID or Face ID, you won't be able to open the tablet. Go to iCloud.com and log in with your Apple ID, and then go to Find iPhone > All Devices > select your iPad > Erase. Once the iPad restarts, you can restore it from a backup.

• How do I remove the password on a tablet?

  You should secure your tablet with a password to keep your data safe. But you can remove it in Settings. For an Android tablet, go to Settings > Security > Lock Screen and turn off the option. On an iPad, go to Settings > Face/Touch ID & Passcode. In either case, you'll need to enter the existing security method to make changes or turn off the feature.

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Android normally secures your device by demanding a PIN, pattern, or full password. Your phone isn’t useless if you forget the unlock code — you can bypass it and get back in.

As Google tightens security, this has become more difficult on modern versions of Android. But there’s always a way to make your phone usable again, as long as you remember your Google account’s username and its password.

Modern Versions of Android (5.0 and Up)

Android used to have a way to bypass your PIN or password, but that feature was removed in Android 5.0.

Unfortunately, this means there’s no built-in way to simply reset your pattern, PIN, or password and gain access to your phone or tablet. This does help provide additional protection to your data, however — attackers have no way of bypassing the passcode unless they actually know it.

Update, 9/23/22: Android 13 was released in August 2022. Android 13 does not contain any features that are comparable to the recovery methods present in older versions of Android from before Android 5.0, either.

RELATED: Use Smart Lock in Android 5.0 and Never Unlock Your Phone at Home Again

Android’s Smart Lock feature may be able to save you. For example, let’s say you’ve set up Smart Lock on your Android phone and have it automatically log in when it’s on your home Wi-Fi. You can take your phone to that home Wi-FI network and it will automatically unlock for you, even if you can’t remember the normal unlock code.

You’re left using a few other tricks that might work. For example, on Samsung devices, if you’ve logged into the device with a Samsung account, you can go to the Samsung Find My Mobile website, log in with the same Samsung account, and use the “Unlock my screen” option to remotely remove your device’s lock screen. Other manufacturers might potentially offer similar features if they have a device-tracking website you’ve signed up for.

If you’ve already unlocked your bootloader and installed a custom recovery, you may be able to use that environment to remove the code. However, it probably won’t be possible to install a custom recovery without factory resetting your device if you haven’t already done so.

Android 4.4 and Below

RELATED: How to Bypass and Reset the Password on Every Operating System

Older versions of Android — Android 4.4 KitKat and older — have an integrated way to bypass your pattern, PIN, or other password if you forget it. To find this feature, first enter an incorrect pattern or PIN five times at the lock screen. You’ll see a “Forgot pattern,” “forgot PIN,” or “forgot password” button appear. Tap it. You’ll be prompted to enter the username and password of the Google account associated with your Android device.

When All Else Fails: Factory Reset Your Device

Assuming you don’t have the easy option to reset the device using one of the tricks above, you should probably give up on the data stored on your device. You can get your device into a usable state again, but that will involve performing a factory reset, wiping the device’s storage, and setting it up again from scratch.

This isn’t as bad as it sounds, as most data on a modern Android device should just sync online. Sign in with the same Google account and you’ll have access to your emails, contacts, apps, and practically everything else. You’ll then be able to set up a new unlock code.

If your device has a removable SD card, you’ll probably want to remove the SD card before performing the factory reset, just to ensure any files stored on there won’t be overwritten. It’s probably best to shut down your Android device, remove the SD card, and then continue.

RELATED: How to Find Your Lost or Stolen Android Phone

You can visit the Find My Device website and log in with the same Google account you use on that Android device. Select the device you’re locked out of and select “Erase” to remotely erase it. You’ll be able to set it up from scratch afterwards — the lock code will be removed, but the device will also be wiped.

If you’ve enabled another remote phone or tablet-tracking service, you can probably use its website to remotely wipe your device, too.

If you can’t reach your phone via the Find My Device page to perform a reset, don’t worry — you have other options. You can factory-reset your phone or tablet even if you can’t unlock it.

RELATED: How to Factory Reset Your Android Phone or Tablet When It Won't Boot

The exact way you’ll do this is different on different phones and tablets. You’ll need to boot into your device’s system recovery menu and wipe it from there. To do this, you’ll need to turn the device off and turn it on while holding the correct buttons. For example, on the Pixel 6, you have to press and hold the Volume Down and Power buttons at the same time, then, when you see “No Command,” quickly hold the Volume Up button and the Power button. Use the recovery menu to wipe the device.

Google offers a list of ways to access recovery mode on Pixel devices. You may have to perform a web search or check your device manufacturer’s support pages to find out how to reset it.

On devices running Android 5.1, you may have to enter the username and password of the Google account that was previously associated with the device after doing this. This prevents someone else from resetting and using your device. However, you won’t need the old unlock code to regain use of your hardware.

Modern Android devices work a lot more like Apple’s iPhones and iPads. If you forget the code, you’ll need to reset it to its factory default settings to regain access. This begins to make sense when you consider Google’s desire to automatically encrypt all Android devices out-of-the-box. The PIN or password is used as part of the key to decrypt the data stored on an encrypted Android device.