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Google Pixel • Accounts • 20–45 minutes

I forgot my Pixel passcode — Google Pixel

Read this firstThere is NO way to unlock a Pixel without erasing it when the passcode is forgotten. Google cannot do it, your carrier cannot do it, and paid unlock services cannot do it either. Anyone who offers to unlock it for money is running a scam: never pay them, and never type your Google password into a website that is not google.com.
A Pixel cannot be unlocked when its passcode, PIN, or pattern is forgotten. The way back in is to erase it, set it up again, and restore your Google backup. There are two ways to do the erase.

  1. Erase it from Find My Device

    Why: If the Pixel is signed in to your Google Account, you can erase it from the web, with no buttons to press on the phone itself.

    What to do: On a computer or another phone, open a browser and type google.com/android/find yourself. Sign in with the Google account that is on the locked Pixel. Choose your Pixel from the list, then choose Erase device and confirm.

    What to look for: The Pixel erases the next time it connects to Wi‑Fi or mobile data, then restarts to the setup screen.

  2. Or factory reset it with the buttons

    Why: If Find My Device cannot reach the Pixel, the buttons on the phone can erase it instead.

    What to do: Turn the Pixel off. Hold Power and Volume Down together until a start screen with an arrow appears. Press Volume Down until Recovery mode shows, then press Power. When you see a robot with No command, hold Power and tap Volume Up once. On the recovery menu, choose Wipe data/factory reset, then Factory data reset, and when it finishes choose Reboot system now.

    What to look for: The Pixel erases and restarts to the setup screen.

  3. Set the Pixel up again and restore your backup

    Why: Your Google backup is how your photos, messages, and apps come back after the erase.

    What to do: Follow the setup screens and sign in with the same Google account that was on the Pixel; Google asks for it to prove the phone is yours. Choose to restore your backup when offered. Then set a new PIN, pattern, or password you will remember, and write it down somewhere safe at home.

    What to look for: Your apps and photos return as they download. Anything that was not backed up to Google cannot come back.

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