Simple Ways to Lock and Unlock Your iPhone

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Use the physical Lock button to lock your iPhone or put it in Lost Mode with Apple's "Find My" tool

Co-authored by Christopher Batchelor and Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: June 21, 2023 References

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Locking the Screen

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Turning on Lost Mode

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Q&A

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Tips

To keep your iPhone safe from prying eyes, lock the screen by pressing the power button at the top of the device. If you have a passcode set, the screen will remain locked until you type it correctly. And, as long as you’ve enabled “Find My iPhone” on your device, you can lock your phone remotely if it’s lost or stolen. Learn how to lock (and unlock) your phone’s screen, as well as how to lock it remotely by turning on Lost Mode in iCloud.

Things You Should Know

There are two ways that you can lock your iPhone: using the Lock button or using the "Find My" website.
Find the Lock button on your phone, which could be the Side button or on the top of your iPhone.
If you're not near your phone, lock it remotely from Apple's "Find My" website.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Locking the Screen

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^{[1]
X
Research source}For those on iPhones without a home button, this button will be on the right side of your device - not the top.
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Press the power button once. Be sure not to hold the button down, as that action will turn off the phone.
- However, while you still won't want to hold down tha button, on Home-button-free devices, you'll receive a screen giving you options involved with your action (including turning the device off).
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3
Press the Home button just beneath the device screen to unlock. When you are ready to unlock your screen, start the process by tapping this button once. The screen will illuminate, and a slider with an arrow will appear.
- If you set up your phone to use Touch ID (fingerprint reading), leave your finger over the Home button (but don’t keep pressing it). This will unlock your iPhone.
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Tap and drag the slider arrow all the way to the right. If you don’t have a passcode, the screen will unlock, and the home screen will appear.
- If you do have a passcode, enter it when prompted to unlock the screen.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Turning on Lost Mode

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1
Open http://www.icloud.com/find in a web browser.^{[2]
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Research source} If your iPhone was lost or stolen, lock it remotely by turning on Lost Mode. You will do this in the “Find My iPhone” area of iCloud. Turning on Lost Mode will prevent potential data thieves from being able to use your iPhone unless they can enter your passcode.
- To use Lost Mode, you will need to have previously enabled Find My iPhone on your iPhone.
- If you’re not sure whether or not you have enabled Find My iPhone, continue with this method to find out.
^{[3]
X
Research source} If you don’t see your iPhone listed here, Lost My Phone was not configured on your device.
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Select “Lost Mode” or “Lock”. The name of this function will be different depending on your version of iOS.
- Turning on Lost Mode will also deactivate any credit or debit cards associated with Apple Pay. You will not be able to use them with your Apple account until you take your phone out of Lost Mode.
If you have already protected your iPhone with a passcode, you won’t be asked to enter a new one. Setting a passcode ensures that your iPhone is unusable until the correct code is entered.
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Enter a phone number where you can be reached (if prompted). This is helpful if you’ve lost your phone and hope someone will return it to you. The number will appear on the phone’s lock screen.
- You may also be prompted to enter a message. The principle is the same—anything you type into this area will appear on the lock screen.
- You can use Find My iPhone’s tracking features to locate your missing device.
If you forget the code, you will have to bring your iPhone to a repair shop.

Community Q&A

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Question

How do I set up a passcode?

Community Answer

Open the Settings app and tap "Touch ID & Passcode." Select "Turn Passcode On" and enter a new passcode when prompted.

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Tips

Set up an unlock passcode to keep your iPhone secure. In the Settings app, tap “Touch ID & Passcode” then “Turn Passcode On”.^{[4]
X
Research source} Enter your new passcode, then enter it again when prompted to confirm.

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The screen of your iPhone will automatically lock after being idle for a certain amount of time.^{[5]
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Research source} You can customize that amount of time in the Settings app by tapping “General,” then “Auto-lock,” and choosing your desired time from the list.

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