Reset forgotten Restrictions Passcode for any Apple device
Update: Here’s a link to a guide that helps you recover iOS 9 Restrictions pincode for iPhone 6S
Can’t remember your restriction passcode for some of the apps installed? Want to access the App Store and forgot your restrictions pin?. Do you want to avoid a factory reset to your iPhone or iPad?
We have found a way of resetting your forgotten restrictions passcode that will work nicely on your iOS 9 or older iTunes backup. With the iPhone Backup Extractor, you can also recover your restrictions passcode from older iTunes or iCloud backups.

In this article we will walk you through the steps needed to retrieve your restrictions PIN.
Warning: These instructions are complicated and can be overwhelming if you are a non-tech person. We can't be held responsible for any loss or damage that may result if you make a mistake during the process. If you are looking for a simple way to recover your restrictions passcode from your iOS 9 or 10 iTunes backup, please read our detailed guides:
- Recover restrictions pincode for iOS 9 on iPhone 6s
- Recover restrictions passcode for iOS 9 or 10
- Reset restrictions passcode for iOS 5 or 6
- Recover iOS 7 or 8 restrictions passcode
or check our video tutorial:
Recovering your restrictions password for older iOS backups
For iTunes backups lower than iOS 5 you can extract the Restrictions Passcode with iPhone Backup Extractor by looking for the "com.apple.springboard.plist file" following Home Domain\Library\Preferences\com.apple.springboard.plist and searching for the SBParentalControlsPIN value in the file.
How to reset restrictions PIN from an iOS 9 or lower iTunes backup in 17 steps
The process of resetting the SBParentalControlsPIN only applies to a non-encrypted iTunes backup. Use the instructions below to reset the Restrictions PIN to '1234' on either an iPad or an iPhone running iOS 9 or lower.
If you decided to reset your passcode using this method, these are the steps you need to follow:
- Create a backup in iTunes while your restrictions passcode is enabled - ensure it's not encrypted
- Browse to the backup folder (usually
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\</username>). Check the default iTunes backup location for Windows and Mac computers. You could also run iPhone Backup Extractor, load backup and click on the blue number next to "Folder" section, as it will direct you automatically to the backup location. - Take a safety copy of the file
662bc19b13aecef58a7e855d0316e4cf61e2642bas this is the one we'll be editing and you want a backup copy in case anything goes wrong. - Use an online SHA-1 hash generator to take a hash of the file
662bc19b13aecef58a7e855d0316e4cf61e2642b- make a note of this hash (it will be something likea6533d4dc9ac9f8af7ba65cb955187f025cfde8band it will be different for each backup). - Open the file
662bc19b13aecef58a7e855d0316e4cf61e2642bin a plist editor. Run iPhone Backup Extractor, click on 'View/edit PList' from the File menu and browse for your .plist file to open. - Search in the file to make sure there isn't already a line with the text <key>SBParentalControlsPIN</key>. If there is, then the line beneath it (which will read something like <string>1234</string>) contains the PIN.
- If the line doesn't exist (which it shouldn't on iOS5 or 6 backups) then search for the line <key>SBParentalControlsEnabled</key>. Below that will be a line saying <true/> which indicates that parental controls are turned on. If the line is missing or says <false/> then parental controls are not enabled and changing the PIN won't help.
- Assuming the SBParentalControlsEnabled key is true,click on Edit and add the following two lines just below the <true/> line:
- Save the amended
662bc19b13aecef58a7e855d0316e4cf61e2642bfile, overwriting the old one. - Use the SHA-1 hash generator to make another hash of the
662bc19b13aecef58a7e855d0316e4cf61e2642bfile and make a note of this. - Take a safety copy of the
manifest.mbdbfile as we will now be editing this file. - Open
manifest.mbdbin a hex editor (or Textpad running in hex mode). - Search for the original SHA1 hash you took in step 4 (make sure you're searching in hex mode and not text mode). It’s saying "com.apple.springboard.plist" or similar - that’s the right bit of text you’re looking for.
- Now the tricky bit - you need to overwrite the old hex value with the new one (that you discovered in step 10). In most hex editors you do this by typing over the old value.
- Save the edited
manifest.mbdbfile. - Restore the backup to the iPhone using iTunes - make sure you replace the
manifest.mbdband662bc19b13aecef58a7e855d0316e4cf61e2642bfiles with the modified ones in the default iTunes backup location before restoring if you didn't save them directly into the backup folder after editing them. - Once the phone has restarted at the end of the restore you can now use the PIN '1234' to access the parental controls.
<key>SBParentalControlsPIN</key>
<string>1234</string>
So that the text in the file will read something like this:
<key>SBParentalControlsEnabled</key>
<true/>
<key>SBParentalControlsPIN</key>
<string>1234</string>
...other lines...

For example, you may see something like this:
72 64 2E 70 6C 69 73 74 FF FF 00 14 38 F1 2D 84 14 0D 32 E3 6E DF D7 62 3F D1 7A 10 11 66 14 70
Let's assume the hex you are wanting to change is 38F12D84140D32E36EDF and you're needing to change it to 1234567890abcdef1234. The first thing you'd do is find the beginning of the old hex string and then you'd type over the old hex code to end up with something like this:
72 64 2E 70 6C 69 73 74 FF FF 00 14 12 34 56 78 90 AB CD EF 12 34 D7 62 3F D1 7A 10 11 66 14 70
Side Note:rom now on, if you back up the phone, the SBParentalControlsPIN is actually present in the backup (unless you disable and re-enable Restrictions, at which point it disappears from the backup again).
Reset Restrictions PIN with 2 clicks!
If the above method is too complicated and you want to complete all these steps in just a few clicks, try the latest iPhone Backup Extractor with a brand new Restriction Passcode reset feature. Simply install the iPhone Backup Extractor, open it and load your iTunes backup. To reset your PIN for your iOS 5 or 6 backup, click on the top menu 'Utilities' and then on 'Reset Restrictions PIN'. If you have an iOS 7 or 8 iTunes backup, from the 'Utilities' menu, select 'Recover Restrictions PIN'.
Note: After you reset the Restrictions PIN code to 1234 for iOS 5 or 6 backups, you will need to complete the process by restoring backup to your iOS Device. WARNING! You may lose any data added or changed on your iOS device since the backup was last taken! We recommend you to create a safe copy of your backup.
Update! Recover iOS 9 Restrictions code from iCloud or iTunes backup
You'd follow the same procedure as mentioned above. Load your backup (be it iCloud or iTunes) with iPhone Backup Extractor > Utilities (on the navigation menu) > Recover Restrictions PIN. As simple as that.:) Check our most recent guide on recovering iOS 9 Restrictions (parental control) PIN code.
Important: the automatic Restriction PIN Reset or Recover feature is only available using the Home or Pro version of the software and works on all iOS iTunes and iCloud backups. See our pricing plans.
You could drop by below if you found this post useful and say hello. Or, if you found other easier ways of resetting your Restrictions Passcode or want to share your Restrictions Passcode story why not share them below?:) Registered users can contact us for further help if they have a hard time in getting along with the above steps.
Happy Restrictions PIN resetting!:)
Post a comment
Thank you so much. Unbelievable that I was incapable of remember 4 numbers, lol. Thank you, very straight forward and easy to do.
Nelson 26/04/2013I'm no computer wizard, and even I could follow your wonderful directions to reset a forgotten 'Restrictions Passcode' in my iPad. THANK YOU. The blogs and forums and Apple Support Communities are still not able to figure this out! Many thanks, Nelson
Olaf 04/05/2013Great piece of work! Thank you for sharing it to us folks who forget their passwords and don't have all that technical knowledge. Good that you are there!
Amanda 07/05/2013Worked like a charm. THANK YOU!
John 09/05/2013Many thanks ! It is working perfectly !
Jules 17/05/2013THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! This post is a lifesaver!!:D :D :D
Brett 18/05/2013After 27 failed attempts at trying to guess a code I don't remember setting, I found (and have bookmarked) this solution. Worked with no issues.
Tommy 20/05/2013Nice job. Got it on the first try.
John C 21/05/2013Just did this stuff, totally thought it wouldnt work, worked without a hitch, if when your doing it the part where your writing stuff underSBParentalControlsEnabled and it says you have unsuccesful attempts at unlocking it, just write in where he says to and it works fine.
Peter 27/05/2013On a first try I used WinVi32 as a hex editor and it didn't work: Couldn't restore the backup file (iTunes said it was damaged). Using Hex-Editor MX it worked well. :) Thank you very much for this great tutorial!
Serge 29/05/2013Thank you, worked perfectly!
JC 29/05/2013BIG TIME with this tutorial. Works more than well. Thanks a lot you guys. Windows 8 & Surface Pro.
mohit MAX 31/05/2013IT's just amazing ,i cant believe that it's working prefect ,i was so worried ,even i'm not good programmer to understand these but still i did it and working well ..... Really appreciate ,Thank you
Bob 02/06/2013Thanks perfect
Anders 05/06/2013I was also succesful! I did in on a Mac (with Mountain Lion), and since I could not use the Mono framework to run the iPhone Backup Extractor, I needed to use some other tools. These were PlistEditPro and Hex Fiend. With those tools and your instruction, it worked on the first attempt! Thanks a lot!
Andrea 07/06/2013so after i did the "'Extract>Restrictions PIN' and reset your parental controls PIN", do i restore my iphone to that backup? or just unplug the phone and the PIN will be 1234?
Livia @iPhoneBackupExtractor 10/06/2013@Andrea: Hi, the last step is to restore the modified backup to your iPhone. The data from that backup restored means your PIN will be reset to "1234". Don't forget to keep a copy of your original backup in case something goes wrong! Good luck!
lee o shea 10/06/2013forgot my code
Paul 11/06/2013After trying all the steps i can not restore the phone to the modified backup, itunes says the restore cant be made because there is not enough space free on the iphone.
Livia @iPhoneBackup Extractor 11/06/2013@Paul: Hi, photos and videos take up the most space in the backup and on your phone. You can import media files from the device to your computer from time to time to save space and make your backup smaller. Photos and videos imported this way can always be synced back to the device. Good luck!
Ashok Behera 15/06/2013Thanks yaar!!!hv a grt day!!just reset my restction passcode, its amazing!!!
soda 18/06/2013way a go, just follow the tutorial above and it works!!!
MAHESH 21/06/2013Thanks a lot.I had enabled the restrictions on while i installed iphone finder.The app suggests to enable it, so iphone finder can`t be uninstalled by other people.
Chetan 26/06/2013This is awesome and it works . It took 20 minutes of time. I will Recommend these steps to everyone .
INeedHelp 26/06/2013I need help every time I try to spring bored it won't change on the jailbreak plz help
David 02/07/2013Worked great for me! Thanks!
LouiS 07/07/2013wow working good.. thank u very much.
brooke 08/07/2013this is amazing service, I am very pleased. thanks greatly brooke
braxton 12/07/2013did any of you loose any data
Su 26/07/2013This post made my day. Kudos!
Ali NAZARI 07/08/2013Thank u
Alma Green 17/08/2013For pass code
Joseph Anderson 26/08/2013Ohh yeahh!!! After hours of searching! It worked!!! Thank you very much :D It's a good thing I didn't spent Php 800.00 just to retrieve my passcode. Thanks again, dude!
Sarah Schachter 29/08/2013THank you thank you SO MUCH! You're a lifesaver!! Thanks! WORKED LIKE A CHARM!
IOS7?? 19/09/2013Have you managed to figure out a workaround for IOS7 yet? Thanks in advance!
David 19/09/2013Thank you. Works great with iOS 7 as well!
Kyle 20/09/2013Amazing.. Worked like a charm. Did this from a Windows 7 box with the same tools for Windows. You did a fabulous job with this guide. My hat is off!
daweedian 23/09/2013Thanks a lot for the instruction. Worked perfectly on my iPhone 4S with brand new IOS7. PS: I don't get why step 14 should be that tricky? just prepare the HEX-hash with blanks, copy and paste.
Julia 25/09/2013Great! Follow the steps and it's fixed forever. Thank you very much!
Mohamed Althaf 27/09/2013Thank you soooooooooooooooooo much!!!!
Aung Kadae 10/10/2013Thank you soooo much!!! It perfectly works on my iPhone 5 with iOS 7.0.2. Thanks for sharing this precious method.
Isaak Estrada 11/10/2013Holy crap, i am so amazed that this worked, even on ios 7.0.2, thank you very much, now i can download apps without my brother spending money again
Harrie 19/11/2013THANKS!! Works also with IOS 7.03
Taylor 21/01/2014Took a bit of fiddling, but got it to work with IOS6 on an iPod Touch. Three things I encountered... 1. My iTunes was set to automatically back up when I plug in the device, so I ended up editing the files and then needing to do it all again after iTunes immediately overwrote the backup before I could restore from it. After disabling the auto-sync in the iTunes preferences, I was able to restore. 2. While I've used TextPad for many years and have a full paid license, I could not get it to actually *edit* the manifest.mbdb file. TextPad kept complaining that the file was Read-Only, even though Windows Explorer did not agree. In the end, HxD-Hexeditor did the trick for me. 3. Also, the SHA-1 hash generation site above kept giving me 503 errors. (1/20/2014) In the end, I used onlinemd5.com instead, and things were just fine. Thanks for the help!
AB 28/01/2014This worked without issues. It took about 30 minutes. Thanks for the help. iPhone 5S ver.6.1.4 Firmware 3.04.25
William 12/06/2014Perfect!
mario 03/07/2014thank you so much this was very helpful
Jo Parish 24/08/2014It worked ! (On an 3GS running iOS 6.1.6) Fantastic! Well done and thank you for providing such clear, bomb-proof instructions.
Gil 03/10/2014Obrigada!!!!!!!!! Paguei pelo programa mas valeu. Congui a senha de restrições!
Nick 11/06/2015Dude thank you!!! I was skeptical about tweaking code and stuff, but this worked like a charm! It reset the restrictions pass to 1234 and now I can turn them off! I am using Windows 8 btw and I found those files.