How to Unlock a Tablet

This article will explain the different methods you can use for unlocking your tablet and what you can do to get it working again if you've forgotten the login credentials. These instructions should work on all brands of Android tablets, including Samsung, Huawei, and Google, along with Apple's iPads.

How Do You Unlock a Locked Tablet?

There are four key ways to lock a tablet:

• Pattern: You selected a pattern drawn by swiping between a grid of nine on-screen dots. To unlock the tablet, you'll need to swipe the same pattern.
• PIN: A pincode is a string of four or more numbers. To unlock a tablet with a pin, you'll need to select the same numbers in the same order they were when the tablet was originally set up.
• Password (Passcode on iPad): Instead of numbers, a password can contain four or more letters or numbers. This could be a memorable word, date, place, or person. To unlock a tablet with a password, you need to input the same password used to set up the device.
• Biometrics: Some tablets offer finger print or face recognition logins. To unlock the device, you'll need to use the same finger in the same orientation as it was when added, or show the same face as the person who set up the device.

To be able to unlock the tablet, you'll need to use the method used when setting up the device.

How Do I Unlock My Android Tablet If I Forgot the Pattern Lock?

If you have forgotten the pattern to unlock your Android tablet, your first port of call should be to try everything you can to remember it. If you have written it down somewhere, try to find it.

If you really can't remember the pattern on a Samsung tablet, you can use Samsung's Find My Mobile website, but you'll need to know your Samsung account details to login there.

Some older Android tablets can use password recovery functions, but if your tablet is only a few generations old, you'll have to factory reset it.

How Do You Unlock a Tablet Without the Password?

There is no effective way to unlock a tablet without a password. There are some third-party applications which purport to offer that ability, but you should treat any such claims with extreme caution as you risk giving access to your data to the software's developers.

Without the pattern or password, you'll need to factory reset the Android tablet.

When it's set back up again, you could always consider turning off Android's lock screen feature to avoid any problems like this again, but doing so is a severe security risk.