How to Find Out Your Screen Time Password (And What to Do When You Can't)

Screen Time passwords are easy to forget — especially when they were set months ago during a quick parental controls setup or a productivity experiment. Before assuming you're locked out permanently, it helps to understand exactly how Screen Time passwords work, where they live, and what your real options are depending on your platform and situation.

What Is a Screen Time Password?

A Screen Time password (called a Screen Time passcode on iOS/iPadOS) is a separate four-digit code that locks the Screen Time settings themselves. It's distinct from your device unlock PIN or your Apple ID password.

Its purpose: prevent kids — or your future self — from simply turning off time limits or adjusting app restrictions. Once set, you need it to change any Screen Time settings, extend app limits, or disable the feature entirely.

On Android, the equivalent lives inside Digital Wellbeing or parental control apps like Google Family Link, where a PIN or your Google account credentials protect the settings.

Can You Actually "Find" a Screen Time Password?

Technically, no — not in the way you'd find a saved Wi-Fi password in your settings. Screen Time passcodes are not stored in a readable location on the device. There's no menu that displays it back to you.

What you can do:

• Recover it through Apple ID (iPhone/iPad)
• Reset it via device management if the device is enrolled in MDM (managed by a school or employer)
• Bypass it through a device reset as a last resort
• Recover it through your Google or Family Link account (Android)

The path that's available to you depends heavily on which platform you're on, how Screen Time was configured, and whether the Apple ID or Google account tied to it is accessible.

iPhone and iPad: Your Recovery Options 🔐

Option 1 — Use Your Apple ID to Reset It

Apple added this option in iOS 13.4 and later. If the Screen Time passcode was set on a device signed into an Apple ID:

1. Go to Settings → Screen Time
2. Tap Change Screen Time Passcode
3. Choose Forgot Passcode?
4. Authenticate with your Apple ID credentials
5. Set a new passcode

This only works if the passcode was set by the Apple ID currently signed in to the device. If a parent set it using a different Apple ID (common in Family Sharing setups), you'll need those credentials instead.

Option 2 — Family Sharing and Child Accounts

If Screen Time was configured through Screen Time on a child's device via Family Sharing, the controlling parent manages it from their own device:

• Parent's iPhone → Settings → [Your Name] → Family Sharing → [Child's Name] → Screen Time

The passcode isn't shown here either, but the parent can change or turn off Screen Time from this panel without needing to know the original code.

Option 3 — MDM or School/Work Devices

If the device is managed by an institution, the Screen Time or restriction settings may be pushed by an MDM profile. In this case, no consumer-facing reset option will work — the IT administrator controls those settings entirely. You'd need to contact whoever manages the device.

Option 4 — Factory Reset (Last Resort)

If none of the above apply — you've forgotten the passcode, don't have the Apple ID, and aren't on a managed device — a factory restore via iTunes or Finder will erase Screen Time settings along with everything else. This is a full data wipe, so it only makes sense if you have a backup or there's nothing critical to preserve.

Android: How Screen Time Passwords Work Differently

Android doesn't have a single unified Screen Time system. The experience varies by:

On stock Android, Digital Wellbeing doesn't typically use a standalone PIN — it's protected at the account level, meaning your Google login is the recovery path. Third-party apps are a different story and vary significantly.

Factors That Change What's Possible

Several variables determine which recovery method is actually available to you:

• iOS version — The Apple ID recovery option requires iOS 13.4 or later. Older devices on older software may not have it.
• Who set the passcode — Whether it was set by the current Apple ID holder, a different family member, or an institution changes the path completely.
• Family Sharing enrollment — Child accounts under Family Sharing are managed differently than individual adult accounts.
• Device management status — MDM-enrolled devices operate outside standard consumer recovery flows.
• Third-party parental control apps — These have their own account systems, independent of Apple ID or Google.

What Isn't Possible 🚫

It's worth being clear: there is no tool, shortcut, or hidden menu that reveals an existing Screen Time passcode as plain text. Anyone claiming otherwise — particularly apps or services claiming to "extract" or "crack" Screen Time passwords — are either ineffective, potentially harmful to your device, or both. The legitimate recovery options are the ones documented by Apple and Google directly.

The right recovery path depends entirely on who set up Screen Time, which Apple ID or Google account was used, whether Family Sharing is involved, and what version of iOS or Android the device is running. Those details narrow down the options considerably — and they're the piece of the puzzle only you can see from where you're sitting.