Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Unlock Android 4.4 and older tablets
• Method 2 of 3: Unlock a Samsung device
• Method 3 of 3: Return to factory settings
• Tips

This article will teach you how to unlock an Android tablet when you can't remember the lock screen PIN or pattern.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Unlock Android 4.4 and older tablets

1. Enter an incorrect PIN or pattern 5 times. If you're using a tablet running Android 4.4 or older, you can use a built-in mechanism to bypass this and unlock your tablet. This feature was removed from Android 5.0 (Lollipop).
   • This method requires your tablet to be currently connected to a wireless network.
2. Press the Forgot PIN / Pattern / Password button. Your device does not support this function if this button does not appear after 5 incorrect attempts.
3. Enter your Google email address and password. Make sure this is the same Google account you use to sign in to your tablet.
4. Press Log in.
5. Open Gmail on another computer or device. You will receive an email to reset the password.
6. Open the message you received from Google. This can be in the Updates tab.
7. Click on the link in the email. This will take you to a form to create a new unlock code.
8. Create a new PIN, password or pattern. This will be your new temporary unlock sequence.
9. Use your new pattern to unlock your device. It may take a few minutes for the tablet to be unlocked using the new unlock method.
10. Set a new PIN. Once you have unlocked the device, you will need to set a new code or pattern in the Settings app in the Screen lock menu.

Method 2 of 3: Unlock a Samsung device

1. Open a browser on another computer or device. If you have a Samsung tablet that is signed into your Samsung account, you can use the Find My Mobile online tool to unlock your screen.
2. Go to Find My Mobile website.
3. Log in to your Samsung account. You must be signed in to your tablet with a Samsung account. You had to create this account when you set up the tablet.
   • If you don't have a Samsung account, you should try one of the other methods in this article.
4. Click on Unlock my screen. This is located on the left side of the Find My Mobile website.
5. Click on Unlock.
6. Wait for the screen to unlock. It may take a few minutes for the signal to unlock to reach your tablet.

Method 3 of 3: Return to factory settings

1. Press and hold the tablet's power button. If you cannot unlock your device, your only option is to return to factory settings. This will delete the password, but you will also lose all data on your tablet. You will be able to restore all your emails, purchases, app downloads and settings by logging in once you have reset everything.
2. Press Disable. This will turn off your Android device.
3. While the tablet is turned off, press and hold the "Volume Down" button. You will now enter Recovery mode. The button combination to enter this mode may differ depending on the specific device.
4. Press and hold the power button while holding the volume down button. This will initiate Recovery Mode on many devices.
5. Hold down both buttons until the Start menu appears. If the start menu does not appear and your device reboots normally, you may need to use a different button combination to enter Recovery mode. Search online for "recovery mode" + the model of your Android device.
6. Press the Volume Down button until Recovery Mode appears. You can scroll through the options of the menu using the Increase and Decrease volume buttons.
7. Press the power button to select Recovery mode. The power button will select the highlighted option in the menu.
8. Select Wipe data / factory reset. Use the Volume Down button to highlight it and the Power button to select it.
9. Select Yes. This will start the reset process. All your data will be erased.
10. Wait for your device to reset. This can take 20-30 minutes.
11. Restart the device after resetting. Once the tablet has finished resetting, you will have to go through the setup process again, just like after purchasing the device. During this process you will be able to log in to your Google account and restore your purchases and settings.

Tips

• With many Android devices, there is no simple way to access the device if the screen lock PIN or pattern has been forgotten, at least not without erasing all data. This is a security measure to prevent your personal information from being stolen when your device is stolen.