While it might seem like a catastrophic event in the moment, forgetting your Apple ID or password isn't that big of a deal.
As long as you have an Apple device that has been previously connected to your Apple iCloud account, you can easily find your Apple ID and set a new password in just a few seconds.
You can find your Apple ID under the settings menu. Your Apple ID is the email address you used when you created your Apple account.
To reset your Apple ID password, open the settings app on your iPhone (or settings menu on a computer), tap your account, tap "Sign-In & Security," then hit "Change Password" and follow the steps as shown.
How to use Apple's iForgot site
If you are locked out of all of your devices and can't recall which password is associated with your Apple ID, then you have a slightly larger problem, but there is a solution: use Apple's iForgot site to reset your Apple ID password online.
Go to iforgot.apple.com. Ideally, you will be doing this on a Mac associated with your account. If you can't do that, make sure an iPhone associated with your account is on hand.
On the iForgot site, enter the mobile phone number associated with your Apple account along with the captcha displayed on the screen. Then click "Continue" and follow the prompt on the next page to enter your Apple ID email.
When you click "Continue," prompts will automatically be sent to your phone and computer asking if it's OK to use one of those devices to reset your password. Click or tap to give permission, then follow the prompts to reset your Apple ID password, which will end, for now, with you waiting for an account recovery email from Apple.
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How do I check my iForgot Apple status?
Submitting a password change request via Apple's iForgot site isn't all that complicated, but it's also not quite as rapid-fire as you may be used to in our digital world. In fact, per Apple, it may take up to 72 hours for your account recovery email to be sent after your request. (And some people have reported waiting nearly two weeks for the email.)
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While you suffer through the interminable wait, at least you can check on the status of your recovery process. Go to the iForgot site, enter your Apple ID, and click through to see where you are in the process.
How does Apple recover your Apple ID?
To be clear, the Apple ID recovery process could take seconds, not days; Apple has all of your information securely stored and can share with you the option to create a new password and resume normal use of your account right away.
The 72-hour delay is a security feature — it's a deterrent that makes using the recovery process to steal someone else's account credentials less alluring to cybercriminals.
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Why am I getting a text to reset my Apple ID password?
If you are getting a text to reset your Apple ID password, you are being scammed. In almost all cases it's safe to assume that text messages asking you to reset a password are phishing attempts to steal your information.
Note that this is not the case when you get a text on a trusted device sharing a code as part of two-step verification. That process is legitimate, assuming it was you who requested the login code.
Does recovery mode delete everything?
Recovering your Apple ID and password is different than using recovery mode on an iPhone. Very different, in fact. Whereas the former simply allows you to begin using your Apple account as usual again, the latter will delete all of the data stored on a device.
Using recovery mode to get back into an iPhone (or iPad) from which you have been locked out wipes that device clean of photos, apps, games, and more, restoring it to factory settings.
