How to Access Your Locked Android Device

Knowing how to unlock your Android if you don’t know the access code or the lock screen pattern is not complicated. There are a few ways to do this, ranging from using Find My Device to unlock your Android to factory resetting your Android.

Note that you will need to know your Google account email address and password to be able to log back into your Android if you factory reset it. We will teach you how to enter your locked Android device.

How to enter your locked Android device: Find my device

• Open the Find My Device website. Go to https://www.google.com/android/find in your computer’s web browser.
• If you have a Samsung phone or tablet, you will need to use the Samsung website instead.
• Log into your Google account. When prompted, enter your Gmail address, click NEXT, enter your password, and click NEXT.
• If you don’t know your Google account password , you’ll need to retrieve it before continuing.
• Select your Android. If your Android is not currently selected when you open Find My Device , click it in the menu on the left.
• Click Block. It’s on the left side of the page, just below the name of your Android. Doing so will open a pop-up window.
• Please enter a new password . Type a new password in the top text field, then repeat the password in the next text field.
• Click Block. It’s at the bottom of the page. This will replace the Android lock screen password with your new password.
• Unlock your Android with the new password. Open your Android, then type the password you just set. Doing so should cause your Android to unlock.

Using Samsung’s Find My Mobile Tool

• Understand when this method will work. If you have a Samsung Galaxy (or other Samsung Android) that you have registered with Samsung, you can use the Samsung version of Find My Device to unlock your Android.
• If you don’t have a Samsung Android or haven’t registered your Android with Samsung, you can’t use this method.
• Open Samsung’s “Find My Mobile” site. Go to https://findmymobile.samsung.com/ in your computer’s web browser.
• Log into your Samsung account. If you are prompted to sign in, click SIGN IN, then enter your email (or phone number) and password and click SIGN IN.
• Click Unlock my device . It’s on the left side of the page.
• If you have more than one Samsung Galaxy item, you may need to select the correct one by clicking the item name in the upper left corner of the page and then selecting the correct one from the drop-down menu.
• Re-enter your Samsung password if prompted. If prompted, you will need to retype the password for your Samsung account. This should unlock your Samsung Galaxy , although you may need to wait a few seconds before the item recognizes the unlock.
• Once the screen is unlocked, you should be able to set a new password from the Settings menu.

Using a factory reset

• Learn what this method entails. Factory resetting your Android will remove all settings , including the lock screen password, along with any contact and app information from your Android.
• Unfortunately, if your data is not backed up, you will not be able to recover the information deleted by the factory reset.
• Find the combination “Recovery” of your Android. Each Android has its own combination of buttons that must be pressed to open the recovery menu ; Checking your Android manual or online documentation should help you find this combination.
• For example, Samsung users will typically use the Power, Home, and one of the Volume buttons to access the recovery menu.
• Turn off your Android. Press and hold the Power button , then tap Power off when prompted. This will cause your Android to shut down.
• Press and hold the “Recovery” combination. If you press and hold the recovery keys on your Android, your Android will start to boot into the recovery console.
• If you see a “No command” error message on the screen, press and hold the recovery combination for another 15-20 seconds.
• Select the recovery mode. Once the recovery menu appears, use the Volume Down button to scroll down to the Recovery Mode option, then press the Power button to select it.
• If you don’t see recovery mode, skip this step.
• See the next step if instead you encounter a “No command” screen.
• Skip the “No command” screen. If you have an Android Pixel, press and hold the Power and Volume Up buttons at the same time until the recovery screen opens.
• Select Wipe data / factory reset. Scroll down to highlight this option, then press the Power button.
• Select Yes: delete all user data. It’s in the middle of the screen. Doing so will start your Android factory reset.
• Wait for your Android to finish cleaning. Your Android should take less than 10 minutes to erase completely.
• Configure your Android. Once your Android finishes rebooting, you can set it up like a new phone or tablet.
• Typically this will include selecting a language and a Wi-Fi network.
• Log into your Google account. When prompted, enter the email address and password of the Google account you previously signed in with on your Android.
• If you don’t know your Google account password, use a computer to retrieve it before continuing.
• Complete your Android setup . After logging into your Google account, you can continue with the setup of the rest of your Android.

Use a custom recovery

• Know when to use this method. If you have a custom recovery like CWM or TWRP already installed on your Android, you may be able to use the custom recovery file manager to remove the files that hold the Android lock screen , thus removing the password in the process.
• You can’t use this method if your Android doesn’t already have a custom recovery installed.
• Turn off your Android. Press and hold the Power button, then tap Power off in the pop-up menu.
• Press and hold the “Recovery” combination . This button combination will vary from Android to Android, but will generally involve holding down some combination of the Power button, the Home button, and / or the Volume buttons.
• Check your phone’s documentation for the appropriate recovery combination if you don’t know it.
• Open the Mount menu . You will find it on the main custom recovery page.
• Enable all locations. Check the box next to the location of any folder on your Android.
• Do not enable the “Mount system partition read-only” option if it is available.

Download and transfer the AROMA file manager. Tap the “Back” button and then do the following on a computer:

• Click on the AROMA download link.
• Wait for the ZIP folder to download.
• Connect your Android to your computer via a USB cable.
• If you’re on a Mac, you’ll need to install Android File Transfer first.
• Place the ZIP folder in the “Download” folder on your Android.

Install the AROMA file manager. This file manager will allow you to delete files from the system:

• Open the Install menu.
• Open the download folder.
• Select the ZIP folder of the AROMA file manager.
• Swipe the “Install” slider to the right or select the Install option, then wait for a confirmation.
• Navigate to the location of your lock screen files. To do it:
• Open the data folder.
• Open the system folder .
• Scroll down to see the system files below the folder list.

Delete files from the lock screen. Any files that start with “gatekeeper”, “locksettings” and / or “lockscreen” belong to your Android’s lock screen and should therefore be removed:

• Long-press on a filename to select it.
• Repeat with other lock screen filenames.
• Press the Menu button.
• Tap Delete.
• Confirm your choice if requested.
• Restart your Android. Return to the main custom recovery screen , then select the Restart option. Once your Android finishes rebooting, you should be able to open your Android without entering a password.

Remove a third-party lock screen

• Understand when to use this method. If you know your Android’s usual passcode, but can’t unlock it due to a third-party lock screen app, you can use Safe Mode to remove the app from the lock screen.
• Some apps will install malware apps that password protect the lock screen. Using safe mode will allow you to remove these applications .
• Note that you will need to know your Android’s usual lock screen combination or passcode to complete this method.
• Press and hold the “Power” button on your Android. It is usually on the right side of the Android case. A menu will appear.
• Press and hold the off button . Doing so will bring up another pop-up menu after a few seconds.
• On a Samsung Galaxy, you’ll instead tap Restart, then press and hold the volume down button while the Android restarts. You can skip the next two steps.
• Check the “Restart” box. It should be at the top of the menu.
• Tap Accept. It’s at the bottom of the menu. Doing so will cause your Android to restart.
• Wait for your Android to restart. Once your Android finishes rebooting, you should see “Safe Mode” in the lower left corner of the screen.
• For Samsung Galaxy Android, remember to hold the volume down button while restarting to open Safe Mode.
• Unlock your Android. Your third-party lock screen app won’t load, so you only need to know the usual Android lock screen passcode or password .
• Open configuration. Swipe down from the top of the screen (you may need to use two fingers), then tap the Gear-shaped Settings Image icon titled Android7settings.png from the drop-down menu.
• Tap Apps. It’s near the middle of the screen.
• Select your third-party lock screen app. Scroll through the list of apps on your Android until you find the app that was blocking your screen, then tap on the app in question.
• Tap UNINSTALL. It should be near the top of the screen.
• Touch Accept when prompted. This will cause the application to uninstall without requiring a passcode.
• You can restart your Android back to normal mode by holding the Power button and tapping Restart (or tapping Power off and then pressing the Power button again).