How to change your iPhone or iPad passcode back to 4 digits

By default, iOS asks you to set a six-digit passcode when you set up your new iPhone or later visit the screen passcode option in settings. While longer and alphanumeric passcode undoubtedly makes your devices more secure, some people prefer to use the shorter passcode option for various reasons.

If you want to use a mini four-digit passcode, we will show you how to change your iPad or iPhone passcode back to 4 digits.

Four digit passcode on iPhone

When it comes to passcodes, longer is better

Clearly, there is a reason why Apple made the default passcode option longer in 2015 with iOS 9. It’s because longer passwords like custom alphanumeric code or extended custom numeric code are incredibly more secure and almost impossible to guess.

Although the odds someone might figure out your 4-digit passcode are pretty slim, these odds are still better for the thief than if you used a 6-digit passcode.

That said, we do not recommend going back to a passcode containing only four digits for security reasons. Plus, never turn the passcode off on any device you own.

However, a 4-digit passcode might be a better option for some people. For instance, iOS users with motor handicaps might find it easier to unlock their devices by punching in 4 numbers instead of 6. In this case, a 4-digit passcode is a necessity.

How to use a 4-digit passcode on iPhone or iPad

  1. Open the Settings app, and go to Face ID & Passcode or Touch ID & Passcode. Enter your current 6-digit device passcode.
  2. Scroll down and tap Change Passcode. Enter your current passcode again and hit Next.
  3. You’ll now be asked to enter your new passcode. Right above the keypad, you will notice the Passcode Options. Tap that and then select 4-Digit Numeric Code.
  4. Enter your new 4-digit numeric code, and type it one more time to verify the passcode.
4-Digit Numeric Code in iPhone passcode settings

Your phone or iPad will take a few seconds to register that new passcode. Stay on this screen until that happens. And after that, you’re all set!

After changing the iPhone or iPad passcode from a six-digit combination to something else, you may be prompted to enter your Apple ID password on this device and other devices with the same Apple account. If you see an alert, follow that, but with proper precautions in mind!

If you’re changing the numeric passcode to something completely new, you might want to write it down on paper and put it in a drawer somewhere, just in case you forget that new passcode. If you don’t remember it, you’ll have to restore the iPhone using Finder or iTunes on Mac or PC. Besides that, you can also reset your iPhone without iTunes or a computer using the Security Lockout feature.

Finally, the steps are the same if you ever want to go back to using 6-digit Lock Screen passcodes.

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