Forgot the lock screen password or unable to unlock the phone/tablet using the lock screen password
| Forgot the lock screen password or unable to unlock the phone/tablet using the lock screen password |
Try using Face or Fingerprint unlock to unlock your phone/tablet. If your device can only be unlocked using a password, perform the following steps:
1 Check whether the password has been changed
It is recommended that you confirm whether you or someone else has changed the password. If your password contains different types of characters, make sure that you have entered the correct password, including correct capitalization and symbols such as underscores.
2 Check whether PrivateSpace has been enabled
If you find that the required password length or type on the lock screen has changed or the screen is locked when you have not set any password, chances are that PrivateSpace has been enabled. Try the PrivateSpace password to access your device. If you forgot the password, please refer to Forgot the PrivateSpace password. Alternatively, restart your phone/tablet. Your phone/tablet will automatically access MainSpace after being restarted.
3 Check whether Multi-user mode has been enabled
If you have logged in to a user account, you cannot use the owner password to unlock the lock screen. Switch back to the owner account and try unlocking again. To switch between accounts, touch the profile pictures (as shown in the following figure) or restart your phone/tablet. Your phone/tablet will automatically access MainSpace after being restarted.
4 Restore your device to its factory settings
If you have forgotten your phone/tablet password and want to unlock it, you will have to restore your device to its factory settings. However, all data on your phone/tablet will be erased and cannot be restored. If you have enabled the Find Device feature, you'll need to enter your HUAWEI ID password to access your device. It is recommended that you confirm whether you have backed up your phone/tablet data on the cloud or by other means. It is also recommended that you confirm whether you or someone else has changed the password. If you still cannot recall the password, perform the following to restore your device to its factory settings:
- Power off your phone/tablet and remove the USB cable if there is one connected. Press and hold the Power and Volume up buttons. After your phone/tablet vibrates, keep holding the buttons for 5 seconds until your phone/tablet enters Recovery mode.
You can also try the following methods:
- Press and hold the Power button for about 5 seconds until the device vibrates, and then press and hold the Volume up button together for about 2 seconds. The screen will display a black screen for about 10 seconds and then enter Recovery mode.
- If you are using HUAWEI MatePad Paper, press and hold the Power and Volume up buttons, and wait until HUAWEI is displayed on the screen.
- If you are using models without physical volume buttons (such as Mate 30 Pro), press the Power button five times consecutively to enter Recovery mode after the phone is powered on and vibrates.
The path may vary depending on the system version. You can also try other methods.
- Press the Volume up and down buttons to select the option to clear data, then press the Power button to confirm. (For products that support touchscreen operations in Recovery mode, you can touch the screen to perform these steps.)
This step is not applicable to certain models. You can directly go to the next step.
- Press the Volume up or down buttons to select the option to restore your device to its factory settings, and press the Power button to confirm.
For some device models, you are required to enter "yes" to re-confirm before restoring your device to its factory settings. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process.
- After your device is restored to its factory settings, it will go back to the Recovery screen. Touch the corresponding button to restart your device.
- If the activation screen is displayed after restarting your device, it means that you have enabled Find Device. You can access the system by entering your HUAWEI ID password. If you have forgotten your password, touch Reset Password.
- If you have logged in to your Google account, you will be asked to verify your account password when you restart you device after restoring it to factory settings. Enter the password to access your device. If you have forgotten your Google account password, follow the onscreen instructions to restore your Google account information.
5 If the issue persists
Data on Huawei phones/tablets is encrypted by the lock screen password using irreversible algorithms to ensure the security of your privacy. Once a password has been set for your phone/tablet, all data on it will be encrypted for protection. Huawei phones/tablets do not come with any automatic password setting or changing function. To protect user privacy and information security, Huawei, even as the device vendor, cannot and will not decrypt user passwords in any way. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
If the issue persists, call the Huawei customer service hotline.