• You can unlock your Android phone even if you forgot the password, but usually you will need to factory reset the phone.
  • You can unlock most Android phones by performing a factory recovery or using the Find My Device website.
  • Here are the top five ways to unlock your Android phone if you no longer have the password.

The first rule of your phone password is to remember it, but every now and then the unthinkable happens and you completely forget your phone password. Maybe it’s an old phone you’ve never traded in that’s been living in a drawer since the pandemic began.

Whatever the reason, in most cases it is still possible to regain access to a phone without its password. Here are the top five ways to unlock Android phone without the passcode.

1. Unlock Android phone using your face or fingerprint

It might seem obvious to some, but the first thing you should try after charging your locked phone is to see if it has been configured with some sort of biometric security. The phone may have been configured to recognize your face or fingerprints (or those of another family member). If so, you can bypass the passcode and unlock your Android phone without any problem.

2. Unlock Android Phone Using Factory Recovery

If unlocking your phone with biometric security isn’t viable, your next best option may be to perform a standard factory reset, which requires pressing the power and a combination of other buttons. This solution has the merit of working on any phone: all Android phones support this type of factory reset. Unfortunately, this will return your phone to factory conditions, erasing all your apps and personal data, but as long as you’ve set your phone to take regular backups, you can restore everything from a Google backup after the reset.

The exact sequence of buttons varies depending on the phone model you have. To factory reset most Google Pixels, for example, press and hold Lower the volume button and Power button at the same time for 10-15 seconds (but no more, otherwise it will start normally). If you have a Samsung phone, press the key Turn up the sound, Houseand Power buttons instead. You may need to search online for the procedure to factory reset your phone.

Recovery mode on a Google Pixel.

Press the right button combination to restore your phone to factory settings.

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After successfully booting your phone to the recovery screen, use the Turn up the sound and Lower the volume buttons to select factory reset option and let your phone restore to factory condition – unlocked and without the password.

3. Unlock Android or Older Kitkat Using Google Recovery

If you want to try unlocking your Android without the inconvenience of doing a full factory reset (or maybe you don’t have a saved backup of data on the phone), you can try this method of recovery which, if it works, unlocks your phone without requiring a factory reset and will not cause you to lose any data.

However, the method will vary depending on the version of Android you are using. If you have older Android 4.4, just enter the wrong password five times in a row. After the fifth error, you will see an option appear at the bottom of the login screen saying Forgotten model. Tap it and you will be prompted to enter your Google account name and password. After unlocking, your phone will ask you to create a new password

4. Unlock an Android 5 or newer using Find My Device

Starting with Android 5, Google improved the security of phone recovery, requiring more than knowing your Google account information to access a locked phone. To unlock one of these new phones, you can use Find My Device.

Use another device, such as a computer or a second phone, to open the Find My Device website in a browser. Sign in with your Google Account information and choose your locked phone from the list (you may have multiple devices associated with your Google Account, in which case you’ll see them all here). Select the option to erase your device. Your phone will be factory reset and unlocked remotely, after which you can restore your data from a Google backup (assuming you backed up the phone).

The Google Find My Device website.

You can factory reset most modern Android phones from the Find My Device website.

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5. Unlock a Samsung phone using Samsung’s Find My Mobile

Samsung runs its own version of Google’s Find My Device, and if you have a Samsung phone, you should use that option. It’s especially handy because you can use it to unlock your phone remotely without performing a factory reset.

Use another computer or mobile device to open the Samsung Find My Mobile website and select your locked phone from the list on the left. In the device window on the right, choose Openthen choose Open in the final pop-up window. Your phone will unlock and your password will be reset.