How to Unlock a Disabled iPhone without Losing Data

Q:"I want to unlock the iPhone X without deleting the data." - safaa81 from Apple Support Community

Like above-mentioned iPhone user, you may encounter similar situations where your device is disabled due to the accumulation of multiple incorrect passwocode inputs. The only thing you care about more than whether you can unlock it is your data. Not surprisingly, nearly all users wonder how to unlock disabled iPhone without losing data. Is this possible? If so, what solutions you can try? Here, follow us and learn some ways to remove screen lock from your disabled iPhone and avoid data loss.

• Part 1. Can You Unlock a Disabled iPhone without Losing Data?
• Part 2. How to Make a Backup for Disabled iPhone
• Part 3. 3 Ways to Unlock Disabled iPhone
• Method 1. Use iPhone Unlocker
• Method 2. Use iTunes in Recovery Mode
• Method 3. Use iCloud
• Part 4. How to Restore Backup for iPhone
• Method 1. Restore from iTunes Backup
• Method 2. Restore from iCloud Backup
• Part 5. Conclusion

Part 1. Can You Unlock a Disabled iPhone without Losing Data?

Yes. You can get your disabled iPhone unlocked without causing any data loss as long as you have backup files that you created before the device is locked. However, what you should keep in mind is that the process to unlocking a disabled iPhone inevitably leads to data loss. You have to reinstall the firmware package for resetting your device to factory settings, which as a result, erasing all content and data from your iPhone. To avoid data loss, you can only set up device and restore a previous backup.

The other solution to unlock an iPhone that's disabled with no data loss is to use Apple loophole - Siri. This method comes with extremely low success rate since it requires your device is running iOS 8 to iOS 10. If it is luckily suitable for you, then check how to bypass iPhone lock screen using Siri here.

Part 2. Back Up iPhone Data

In order to unlock your disabled iPhone without losing data, you have to make a backup of your iPhone before unlocking. Though, such operation presupposes that your iPhone was synced with iTunes before and you didn't reboot your device after last connection to iTunes. If so, follows the steps outlined below.

• Step 1: Connect your iPhone to a trusted computer with an Apple USB cable.
• Step 2: On a Windows computer, directly open iTunes. On Mac with macOS Catalina or later, please open "Finder".
• Step 3: When iTunes detects your iPhone, click the iPhone icon.
• Step 4: Click on "Summary" - choose "Back Up Now" on the right panel of this window - touch "Done" once finished.

If you make sure you have at least one backup of your disabled iPhone on iTunes or iCloud, you could skip this part. However, if you don't have and the afore-mentioned way cannot work for you to back up data, you can only unlock your iPhone and lose all data.

Part 3. How to Unlock a Disabled iPhone without Losing Data

After a successful backup, next come three often-used methods to unlock a disabled iPhone. Keep reading to learn how to get it done now.

Method 1. Use Professional Joyoshare iPasscode Unlocker

Joyoshare iPasscode Unlocker is the first suggestion for unlocking a disabled iPhone. It promises a 100% success rate and possesses the ability to deal with types of iOS screen lockes including 4-digit/6-digit passcodes, Touch ID, and even Face ID with no difficulty. You can remove locks from your device in a variety of cases like screen is unavailable, cannot remember passcode, Apple ID locked for security reasons, etc. What's more, it supports the recent iOS device model like iPhone 15 series and the newest iOS 17. The easy interface it provides make beginners operate it smoothly.

Key Features of Joyoshare iPasscode Unlocker

• Enable a disabled iPhone without passcode
• Solve all passcode-locked related problems
• Capable of unlocking all types of screen locks
• Unlock iPhone Apple ID, MDM and Screen Time passcode
• Support nearly all iOS device models and even iOS 17

Try It Free Try It Free

• Step 1 Launch Joyoshare iPasscode Unlocker

  First of all, please download and install the proper version of Joyoshare iPasscode Unlocker on your computer. Next, launch it and plug your disabled iPhone to the computer. Click on "Unlock iOS Screen" in the main interface and then continue with "Start".

  

• Step 2 Set Your iPhone into Recovery Mode

  You will get into an interface where you need to manually put your iPhone into recovery or DFU mode. Just follow the steps on the screen and when the right arrow turns bule, click it to proceed.

  

• Step 3 Download and Verify the Firmware Package

  Now, the program will display all info of your iPhone on the window. What you have to do is checking it and making sure there is nothing wrong. Subsequently, click on "Download" to download and verify the latest firmware package.

  

• Step 4 Unlock a Disabled iPhone

  Hit on "Unlock" to unzip the verified firmware package. Once completed, Joyoshare iPasscode Unlocker is going to unlock your disabled iPhone. After unlocking, your device will be reset with no screen lock and you can now recover data from iTunes/iCloud backups.

  

Method 2. Use iTunes in Recovery Mode

Restoring iPhone using iTunes in recovery mode is another method that you can adopt to unlock a disabled iPhone. How to boot your disabled iPhone into recovery mode? Ways to do it are different on different iPhone models.

On iPhone 6s or earlier: hold down both the "Home" and "Lock" buttons at the same time for 10 seconds. Then, release the "Lock" button and keep holding the "Home" button until iTunes logo appears after connecting to iTunes.

On iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus: press and hold the "Volume Down" and "Power" butttons for about 10 seconds. Next, please release the "Power" button and continue to hold down the "Volume Down" button until iTunes logo shows.

On iPhone 8 or later: quickly press and release "Volume Up" button, then same operation for "Volume Down" button. After that, hold the Power" button until you see the iTunes logo.

When your iPhone gets into recovery mode, please launch iTunes on your computer. After iTunes detects that your connected device, it will pop up a window, in which you have to choose "Restore" to make your disabled iPhone unlocked. Such a method is wildly used in the situation where the iPhone has not been synced with iTunes. If you have done it, directly connect the iPhone to iTunes - click iPhone icon - tap on "Summary" - "Restore iPhone...", with no need to get into recovery mode.

Method 3. Use iCloud - Find My iPhone

The last approach to unlock a disabled iPhone is by means of iCloud service. Such a way works fine for hacking a disabled iPhone, but it has limitations. Make sure that Find My iPhone is turned on before your device is locked and it is connected with a Wi-Fi network. If your iPhone meets the requirements, do the following.

• Step 1: Access iCloud official website and sign in your iCloud account with Apple ID linked with the disabled iPhone.
• Step 2: Afterward, locate "Find My iPhone" and then to "All Devices".
• Step 3: Then, there is a need for you to select the disabled iPhone from a list of iDevices associated with this Apple ID.
• Step 4: Click on "Erase iPhone" to unlock your disabled iPhone. After the whole process, do not forget to recover iPhone backup.

Part 4. Restore iPhone Backup after Unlocking

Work with the above methods, your disabled iPhone must have been unlocked now. Then you just recover the backed-up data to your iPhone with iTunes so that you are able to unlock disabled iPhone without losing data.

Method 1. Restore iPhone from iTunes Backup

• Step 1: Double-click iTunes icon to run it on your Windows computer or open "Finder" on your Mac running macOS Catalina and later.
• Step 2: Afterwards, use an original USB to connect your iPhone with a computer.
• Step 3: Once your iPhone is detected successfully, click its icon to continue.
• Step 4: Choose "Summary" and click on "Restore Backup..." to get the backup back to your iPhone.

Method 2. Restore iPhone from iCloud Backup

• Step 1: Set up your iPhone after unlocking by following on-screen prompts.
• Step 2: Under "Apps & Data" screen, tap on "Restore from iCloud Backup".
• Step 3: Sign in your iCloud account and select a backup file.
• Step 4: Wait for the completion of restoration process and data will come back to iPhone.

Note: Supposing that iTunes or iCloud cannot recognize your iPhone when recovering backup from them, you can try a professional recovery program called Joyoshare iPhone Data Recovery. It offers 3 recovery modes (Recover from iDevice/iTunes/iCloud) to restore any lost data perfectly. More powerfully, such a iPhone data reocvery software allows you to preview the backed-up data before recovering. In this way, you can selectively get important and useful data back to your iPhone.

Part 5. Conclusion

After checking this article, you must have learned how to unlock disabled iPhone without losing data. The most important thing for you to do is make a backup in advance. If not, there's almost no chance you won't lose data. So, just follow what we introduced here one by one and bypass screen lock of your disabled iPhone now.