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How to Change Your Screen Time Passcode

To change your Screen Time passcode, open Settings, tap Screen Time, tap Change Screen Time Passcode, and tap it again. Enter the current four-digit code, then the new one twice. Apple documents the passcode change separately from editing Downtime, App Limits, or Content & Privacy Restrictions.

Last updated 2026-08-21

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Where is the Change Screen Time Passcode setting?

Go to Settings, tap Screen Time, scroll down and tap Change Screen Time Passcode, then tap Change Screen Time Passcode again. Apple's current iPhone guide, retrieved 21 August 2026, documents that flow. Enter the current passcode, then enter the new four-digit passcode twice to confirm it.

What happens to my limits when I change the code?

Apple's documented steps replace the Screen Time passcode. They do not direct you to edit Downtime, App Limits, or Content & Privacy Restrictions during that flow. If one of those settings is important, review it afterward rather than relying on an unsourced promise about every iOS version.

What if I don't know the current code?

Apple's standard change flow asks for the current code. If you do not know it, use the recovery option with the Apple Account linked when the passcode was set. If that reset is rejected, Apple says to verify the recovery account and use the support suggestions in its forgotten-passcode guide.

Can I change it for someone else's device?

Within Family Sharing, a parent or guardian can manage a child's Screen Time from their own device. Open Settings, tap Screen Time, choose the child's name under Family, then use the passcode controls. Apple asks for the adult's device passcode when changing the child's Screen Time passcode.

Why might a self-set code be easy to change?

A self-set passcode leaves the same person holding both the limit and the key. That is a design trade-off, not evidence about anyone's discipline. If you want a different kind of boundary, compare what action reopens it and who can change that action.

MoveFirst opens on a counted action instead. A verified session is camera-counted on your phone, with video never recorded, stored, or sent; step and saved-place routes are the fixed 8,000-step target or a 30-minute saved-place dwell. One emergency unlock exists for the whole period, with the remaining count shown, for the day the other routes do not fit.

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The App Store link is being confirmed. See how MoveFirst works below.

Common questions

Is this the same as my iPhone passcode?
No. The Screen Time passcode and your iPhone's unlock passcode are two separate codes, and Apple's own instructions confirm they aren't interchangeable.
Do my App Limits reset when I change the code?
Apple documents changing the passcode as a separate action from editing App Limits. Its change flow does not tell you to reset or recreate those limits; review them afterward if they are important.
Can I use more than four digits?
Apple's own steps describe entering a four-digit passcode when you set, change or reset it — there's no option in Apple's instructions for a longer code.
Does changing it sign anyone out?
Apple's passcode-change steps do not include signing out of your Apple Account. They ask for the current Screen Time code, then the new four-digit code twice.
Why does the option not appear on my phone?
Apple documents it under Settings, Screen Time. If the control is absent, check whether the device is managed or whether a child account is controlled through Family Sharing, then use Apple's support suggestions rather than guessing.

Sources

Related guides

Launching soon

The App Store link is being confirmed. See how MoveFirst works below.

Launching soon

The App Store link is being confirmed. See how MoveFirst works below.