Your Apple ID has been locked for security reasons: 3 Easy Ways to Fix it!
Your Apple ID has been locked for security reasons, how do you unlock it? Your Apple ID unlocks your entire iUniverse… from your iPhone to iCloud, it controls email, contacts, Apple store purchases, iTunes, and more. Getting locked out can put a severe hamper on your digital freedoms.
There are several reasons you may be locked out of your Apple ID:
- You typed in your password incorrectly too many times. We’ve all done it. You forget your password – usually because you haven’t used it in so long and get locked out after trying all 17 versions. It’s time to get a password keeper or start using iCloud Keychain.
- Someone entered your security questions (or other account information) too many times
- Your account has been compromised, and the hacker(s) changed your password.
Either way, if you enter too many wrong guesses, you will see alerts that say:
- “This Apple ID has been disabled for security reasons.”
- “You can’t sign in because your account was disabled for security reasons.”
- “This Apple ID has been locked for security reasons.”
HOW MANY PASSWORD GUESSES ARE TOO MANY?
How many failed attempts do users have before their account is locked? Apple’s official answer is “3 to 5,” although even that is not verified. The reason is for security, but of course, it’s a pain for people who are just trying to download some music from iTunes. If your Apple ID password is not working or you’ve forgotten it, never try to guess more than three times, or you could go to what we like to call “iJail.”
How to Unlock your Apple ID
Apple offers several alternatives to recovering your Apple ID if you get locked out. Unlocking your Apple ID usually means you have to reset your password. We’ve put several ways to do this below with all of the steps to make it easy for you. However there are some cases where you will be locked out for a period of time. In this case there isn’t much you can do but wait it out. You will know if you have been locked out for a specific time period because you will see it on the alert that says you are locked out. In this case it is best to wait it out. Apple usually will unlock your account automatically after a short period of time.
Here are some surefire ways on how to unlock Apple ID:
Method 1: Reset your Password on your iPhone or Mac
The easiest way to unlock your Apple ID is to reset your password through your settings. There are several ways to do this depending on the device you are using.
- On your iphone: Go to Settings > Click on your NAME (Apple ID) > Sign-In & Security > Change Password
- On your Mac: Open the SETTINGS application or click on the APPLE LOGO in the top left corner of your screen and click “System Settings”. From there Click on your NAME (Apple ID) > Password & Security > Change Password
Then simply follow the prompts to change your password. If you don’t have your Apple device, maybe it was lost or stolen, then you can always reset your password from a new device when you are setting it up, use a friends device or even go to the Apple Store and use one of theirs.
Method 2: Reset your password on the web at iforgot.apple.com
With iforgot you can use your emai address or phon number to reset your password. Using a secure browser (not a public computer) go to iforgot.apple.com and follow the prompts.
It is easier to change/recover your password BEFORE you get to this point, but that doesn’t mean you’re free to go. Remember that once you have changed your password you will need to update it on all of your Apple devices and any Apple services that you sign into with your Apple ID.
Method 3: Contact Apple Support
If all else fails then it is time to contact Apple Support. Go to their contact page and choose the phone number in your region and one of their reps will help you. Be ready to verify your identity through one of your security methods.
What happens if you enter the wrong password too many times on a Mac: Apple’s Harsh Sentencing Practices:
If you get locked out and remember your password later, you can try logging in again after 8 hours. Otherwise, follow instructions for password recovery/reset found at iforgot.apple.com. But you’re not ready to pass “Go” just yet… According to Apple, “After multiple unsuccessful attempts to unlock your account, your Apple ID will remain locked, and you can try the next day again.” In other words, you get to enjoy a 24-hour stint in Apple jail. We’ve seen a client get locked out of their account for 20 days!
It gets complicated if you have trouble verifying your account during the password recovery process. In theory, as long as you have the answers to your security questions or access to your primary or recovery emails, you should be okay, but not necessarily. Clients have experienced lockouts even while accessing their email and verifying their identity on the phone with Apple support. In some cases, Apple has incarcerated users behind virtual bars for up to two weeks! Since hackers’ goals are primarily to disrupt and steal, some may feel that Apple is essentially rewarding hackers by not allowing an immediate route for their paying customers to reactivate their accounts. That is why it is so important to set up alternative ways to recover your Apple ID. In today’s world of constant cyber attacks, it may mean the difference between losing your Apple ID and everything in your iCloud, and saving you from a lot of hassle and anxiety.
Punish criminals, not customers. Security is not Secure when Users can’t Use.
8 Tips to Avoid your Apple ID has been locked for security reasons
Securing your Mac before a problem happens is the easiest way to avoid getting locked out of your Apple ID. These security tips will help ensure you can recover your account if it does happen. Using several of these methods is recommended, but even one could make all the difference. Please note that the steps below are written for iPhone users. If you are going to the settings on a Mac, then where you see “Sign-In & Security,” look for “Password & Security” instead.
- Use a secure password: Make sure criminals can’t access your account in the first place by using a secure password.
- Set up Two-Factor Authentication: Use two-factor authentication whenever possible. To do this, go to Settings > Click your NAME (Apple ID) > Sign-In & Security > Two-Factor Authentication.
- Passkeys: Set up Passkeys and use a physical security key like Yubico.
- Set up a Recovery Key: You can set up a Recovery Key in Settings > Click on your NAME (Apple ID) > Sign-In & Security > Account Recovery > Recovery Key. Make sure to PRINT it out and store a hard copy somewhere safe. Do NOT save it in your Notes app.
- Recovery Contacts: This is simply someone that you trust who can help you recover your Apple ID if you are ever locked out or hacked. To add an Account Recovery person, open your Settings > Click on your NAME (Apple ID) > Sign-In & Security > Account Recovery > Add Recovery Contact.
- Add a trusted phone number: To add a trusted phone number, go to the settings on a Mac (if you have an iPhone, your phone number should already be there, and you can skip this). On your Mac, open the SETTINGS application or click on the APPLE LOGO in the top left corner of your screen and click “System Settings.” From there, click on your NAME (Apple ID) > Password & Security > Trusted Phone Numbers. Click the “+” symbol at the bottom of the box and add the phone number. Apple will send you a verification code to your phone to verify the number is yours.
- Know your Security Questions: Know all your security questions. Keep a secure paper file with all your pertinent information. If you elect to keep a hard paper copy, treat it like cash and keep it in a fireproof safety security lockbox.
- Watch out for Hackers: One of the easiest ways (besides an insecure password – see #1 above) to get locked out of your Apple ID is through phishing scams and suspicious emails. Beware of emails that employ a sense of urgency to click a link. Always double-check the FROM email to make sure it is from the actual company it claims to be from. Download with caution. Do not discount phone scams. We know someone who was supposedly ‘called’ by a social media site (whose name we can’t say but ends with ‘book’) claiming their account was hacked and then convinced our friend to hand over complete remote control of his iPhone. In case you are wondering – that social media site would NEVER call you. Ever.
Doing these simple things will save you a ton of hassle from being put in ‘iJail’ in the future. In terms of digital security, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Looking for Mac IT Support in Nashville TN?
We hope this information has helped you to understand what happens when your Apple ID has been locked for security reasons and avoid getting locked out. At MacHelpNashville, we understand how frustrating it can be to navigate today’s ever-changing world of technology. That’s why we offer IT support specifically for Mac users. If you need help unlocking your Apple ID, sync issues, new device setup, server or network serup, WiFi support, backup or recovery, speed & optimization, cybersecurity, or pretty much anything Apple-related, chat with our experts today. Mac Help Nashville provides remote, in-home tech support, and on-site IT services to get your tech running smoothly and make your tech problems disappear!
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Did you know there is a right way and a wrong way to safely eject a USB stick from your Mac?
Check out our article: Top 6 Best Ways to Safely Eject USB on Mac (Step-by-Step Guide)
It’s disgusting that such a big, favored computer company could become so petty, pedantic, arrogant, frustrating, willfully incompetent, unprofessional, and oblivious to the pain in the neck they are bringing upon their millions of customers who pay their paychecks.
At this point every excuse they could possibly proffer would be irritating and regarded dismissive and ignorant of the importance of looking for a better solution. Oblivious to the obvious fact that you do not punish your customers if you wish to keep your customers. They will HATE you for it every time.
I went through resetting my applieid password because it wouldn’t let me in with my old password. I wanted to upgrade my old mac-minis from Yosemite to Mojave. That should be simple enough. Get the OK. Done. Run it. It requires RAR. Ok. I’m in the Apple store, and I’m logged in to my apple id. The account and password works as far as that is concerned. I go to the Apple Store and select an RAR program. It says I have to log into my apple id. WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Fine. I enter the userid which is the email I used for logging in earlier. I use the password I used earlier which was accepted earlier by Apple both during the resetting and after, during the logging in. And it says “Wrong account or password”. Bloody stupid liar. Try again. Rejected. Would you like to reset? Fine. I’ll reset the bloody thing. I try. But I’d really like to use the same password that I think it should be, if Apple should DEIGN to let me do anything I would like to do with MY computer. Not accepted. I have to use a password I haven’t used before. And my passwords at this time pretty much all seem to be wrapped around something like “Stupid password nazi 1234” or “super stupid password nazi123123” or you get the idea. I write them down and cross out the old one in my password book. I accept when the system wants to store the password. All that. Now, I have a new password. And I SWEAR TO GOD on a thousand Bibles that if there is a God and a Universe and if there is any good in the universe, I know that I know that I know what the password is. And I go back to enter it, as Apple’s program itself said I entered it correctly. It says it’s incorrect again and I must reset. Ok. It sends my phone a text with a six digit code all over again. If that wasn’t enough of a pain in the butt, it sends another code to my email. Heaven forbid my phone should run out of a charge as it did several times locking me out.
Can someone, anyone, get Apple to understand that their goal should not be to irritate and punish the legitimate, paying owners of their systems, but rather to keep the hackers out? We don’t need pedantic and pathetic excuses. We don’t need to be told whether something is easy or hard. We can see that for ourselves. We don’t need to be punished. We don’t need to be called idiots. And we don’t need to be made to feel like idiots. We don’t need to be locked out of our systems and prevented from getting our work done. And we don’t need some bully to come tattling to our managers that we expressed frustration or anger in situations like this.
We need someone to help fix these problems kindly and competently the best way possible.
Capische? Grrrrrrrr.
Yeah. I seem to be locked out. Sorry to gripe so grouchilly.
I feel your pain! I’m locked out for 8 days…down from 12! I just dont understand how they can do this!?! And get away with it!! I talked to a Senior no help. Plus..apparently Apple has a fraud alert..which shutdown my ONLY credit card.
My Tagged password is locked, how do I unlock it easily
Locked out for 7 days- not acceptable- yes customer service just says nothing we can do you have to wait the time. I’m not buying apple products next time! I just bought a new phone and can’t transfer files because my apple account is locked for security. So angry!
I’m there right now. I’ll see your grrrowl and raise you 5 roars and1 harrumph! I got in twice today but after 2 full days wasted (this time) I’m back in jail. I was just in jail for two weeks. Today I celebrated because I was back in. Twice. Now I’m out. This is my 3rd mac to essentially fold taking all my info with it. I feel as tho I would be stupid to buy yet another Mac. I’m really disgusted and way behind on bill payments. UGH. G’nite all.
You are absolutely right they intend to
Mock at us and the most painful thing is their password they should make more amendments I can’t login to my account because i lost my trusted number and it seems like I don’t own the phone again it belongs to “Apple’
i am beside myself locked out since 4-11-24. sent me a recovery email 24 hours later basically telling me i would receive a call at 5:11 am this morning. Went the whole weekend with no access to ANYTHING ON MY PHONE OR IN MY CLOUD. NO PHONE CALL CAME! NO TEXT, NO EMAIL, NOTHING. I GET ONTO THE APPLE SIGHT & THE SOONEST PHONE APPT IS TONIGHT AT 5:00 PM. I AM LOCKED OUT DUE TO THE LAST UPGRADE THAT FROZE MY PHONE OUT & THE GIRL I WORK WITH WHO IS a former (almost apple genius) reset it to factory settings. Guess what my apple id is saved under my notes (my fault) & i cant guess it in the first 3 times so i’M locked out. can’t access my bank accounts, cant get my contacts, CAN’T DO ANYTHING, I AM A PRISONER TO APPLE ( MY FAULT)
HAS THIS HAPPENED TO MANY PEOPLE??
How do you know how long you are locked out for? I don’t see it when I try to login.
If you follow the apple recovery instructions you will get notice of the timeline.
Same
same I been locked for more than a month keeps showing same stupid message
The recovery password for apple is a nightmare. They will call you in 2 weeks but if you miss that call you will have to reset once again. Like why?? I work!! I can’t be at the phone 24/7. I dislike apple so much.
I hate this. I don’t have time to be locked out for hours. Is there a way, once I am “allowed” back in, to lessen this darn locked out time
Yes. Make sure that a text-enabled phone number is on your Apple ID, and make sure that a reachable email address is added to your Apple ID also.
Using a password manager like 1password can also help you save logins like this Apple ID.
My account has been locked for some days now
I guess I am joining the locked out crowd. This is new to me, I guess I will wait it out. It looks like no one has an answer to this dilemma. Iam now a full fledged IMac owner. I guess no one can tell me how long this will take? I just know I will start to get angrier the more I wait this out. I don’t suppose anyone knows how to stop this from happening.
I AGREE WITH ALL OF THIS! I lost my iphone which stored ALL of my passwords! I have been locked out for 5 days. I requested that Apple call me yesterday at 2:00pm. I received a call from a 1-888 number and when I answered my new phone it was a recorded message. I am so frustrated with this! I have been trying to access my account for days and I need to be able to get into it for passwords as my school classes will be starting soon and all of those passwords are in the “cloud” that I do not have access to. I will NO LONGER store anything valuable in ANY Apple devices. Because this is unacceptable.
I agree completely! After having my laptop hacked everyone encouraged me to get a Mac because they are harder to hack. I so regret my Microsoft laptop even though it got hacked. Apple tells me they will unlock my Apple ID in 7-10 days.Totally unacceptable !!!. I’ve only had my miniMac for a week along with a new iPhone, neither of which I can easily use. I’m ready to trash everything Apple related! Vive MaBell, landlines, tape and pencil and the good old yellow and white pages!
I can’t unlock Apple ID because I’m told password is wrong. Not. But when I try to reset password, I get the little box that says enter password, yet tells me I’m wrong every time. So can’t reset password, can’t access cloud or anything else connected to Apple ID. So frigging frustrated.
I am locked out for 18 days down to 6,I went to apple store in Pittsburgh pa with proof of purchase,box and all serial number and ineid etc and apple support couldn’t do anything to unlock the iphone said I’d have to wait it out
I have a iPhone SE 2020. Perfectly Good phone not stolen or black listed. but as I can’t remember password or supply paperwork to prove it’s mine. It’s useless. Why can’t Apple re set the activation on the phone if it’s not reported stolen or black listed. Utter madness. This issue needs addressing.
I have been trying to reactivate my Apple ID as a result I have now lost access to all my important documents all my memories and photos after calling the apple support three times the best they could give me was that after 24 hours my account will be gone forever if it doesn’t just start suddenly working. I have over 10,000 photos from travelling on my I cloud And I can’t Phaethon having them lost. This is probably the worst service I have gotten and makes no sense to me at all. This is really making me consider to never go apple again. I’m so disappointed
Same here. My boyfriend is locked out of his ID because of too many attempts I guess. After getting the code sent to his phone and his email it still said he has to wait for Apple to verify his account and that no one at Apple will be able to speed up the process. We are waiting for an email telling him what to do next or how long his wait is. Fortunately he is able to use his phone, but without being signed into his Apple ID he has no access to any of his contacts and can’t download the app for his Facebook or messenger. At least his laptop isn’t an Apple product. He is stuck with this phone for another 9 months but at that time I think we will change carriers and get him an android phone.
I got locked out, waited the time, just to get to the rest to ask for my old password that I clearly do not know so now I am locked out again. Complete BS Apple I am done
My boyfriend has been locked out 11 months! Multiple calls to/from Apple and NOTHING resolved! Apple – last time he will ever own anything of yours and I’m leaving too! Put your products where the sun won’t shine!
Have been locked out just one day and seeing all this messages just keeps me in tears I thy know I won’t have gotten an iPhone 😭😭😭 now I believe when my friends said iPhone is a very strict phone I don’t think I will ever use an iPhone in my next life now am not even sure how many weeks I will be locked in this ijail let them free my appleid let me go and sell this phone joor 😭😭
Have you been unlocked?
How did you go about it please?
I just got into this mess too
I can’t imagine why anyone would dislike this,this is very clear and very helpful nyx_cybersleuth on Instagram you got a new shout out and recommended from me thank you very much. nyx.consultant @ gmail.com.
I bought my Apple laptop in 2013 and have the 2 factor authorization on it. This is my first time Ive been put in jail.
I agree with all of the others that you should not be allowed to close our computers down. I have never received any alerts about too many passwords and you shut me down while I was using it. I do not have any other device to use to unlock my account. Very disapointed and I intend to get to the bottom of this. Thank the Lord I do not do any banking on it.
Je viens d’acheter un Mac en mars 2024 … Je ne l’ai plus utilisé depuis 4 mois et maintenant que je veux l’utiliser ( début aout 2024 ) il m’a refusé l’accès et ma verrouiller ma session et depuis impossible de le déverrouiller avec mon mot de passe ( plus de 10 jours maintenant ) . Prix de l’achat du Mac : 1600.- … Une vrai merde ce portable … Apple m’a bien eu … Je vais le revendre je pense pour 1000.- ( il est neuf ) et je pars sur un ordi portable standard comme j’avais auparavant avec un bon antivirus et le tour sera joué ( le tout pour 650.- ).. Apple , vous vous foutez de la gueule des gens …
Here’s one for y’all. A real wing dinger 🙄
I had the extra security option enabled, 2 factor authentication, and 28 digit recovery key all setup. Life was great for almost 15yrs. I had all the information I needed to recover my account in the event of something dumb happening.
I took screenshots of all my recovery information, recovery keys and passwords, and had them stored safely in multiple locations on my devices hard drives, files app, Google drive etc etc… (on my iPhone/on my Mac, not synching to the cloud) as well as in the cloud.
Over the years I got complacent and lazy not wanting to do all the work every time I was forced to change my password of updating my password and then going to all the different places I had them saved to update those as well. I mean why should it have mattered? I have my 28 digit recovery key and that’s all I need, right?.. Wrong!! 😑
Everything was glorious until I woke up one morning to find that I had been signed out of all my devices associated with my Apple ID. Of course we all know that is the A number 1 no-no when it comes to Apple products.
No worries though, I have my recovery key so I’m good to go, no panic 🫨!! Well, after I entered my recovery key the system sent me an error message stating that my “recovery key is invalid.” I mean how can that be? The system generated it, I saved it directly through the system, and made sure I had the application name, finder window, date my name and etc etc… all in plain view of the snapshots I took.
How could the 28 digit recovery key be invalid? Now panicking like I’m being chased by some 70’s-80’s serial killer wielding a butcher knife, I call Apple support and explain my situation. The Apple rep (whose name I won’t reveal) after hours of troubleshooting and her exhausting all of her resources finally came to the conclusion that I “must have experienced some rare phenomenon within their system”… “A glitch!” But not just one, but two glitches, two rare phenomena happening all within about a 12hr span.
Glitch 1) Auto-signed out of all my devices on my account, no fault of my own.
Glitch 2) The system generated a “FireVault” recovery code vs a password/account recovery code by mistake.
Now I have no options, I’m completely screwed. Even after bringing notarized documents clearly showing I am who I say I am along with all the information in the iCloud matches the notarized documents. Apple tells me there’s nothing they can do (cough cough… not willing, to more like it) to help me recover my account.
They will not budge or escalate this to the corporate “bean counters” and technical/server support to substantiate the glitches and gain approval to unlock my account. I’ve now been locked out for more than 90 days and I’ve lost over 2.5tb’s of data as well as $500+ of Apple Cash 💰 having to start over…
Ready for the kicker or should I say the kick to the groins?.. Well, because I created another account and another ID using the same devices and a lot of the same information. One day, out of the blue, I started getting error messages on my devices and in my emails stating that I can only have one Apple Pay account associated with my devices.Now because the system recognized that I now have two, it locked me out of the first one, rendering it inactive and set for deletion, giving me 30 days to resolve the issue before the old account is permanently closed.
Now y’all tell me… How is that not still verification enough that I am who I say I am and they need to help me unlock that other account but of course they won’t??..
Signed,
Beside My Self 🥴🤮