How to reset a Motorola phone when locked - all models supported
Locked out of your Motorola phone because you forgot the password, PIN, or pattern? Don't worry; you can try several methods to reset a locked Motorola.
Alex Griffith Updated on Dec 31, 2024 6:20 PM
Forgot the PIN or password and need a way to quickly reset your Motorola phone when it's locked? You may try Android Unlocker. It does everything from unlocking PIN, password, pattern, to resetting facial recognition and fingerprint, to even bypassing Google verification lock.
Resetting a Motorola phone that's locked requires erase your phone, set it up again, and set a new screen lock.
If you're an Android Motorola user, then you know the value of PIN, password or pattern you set up for screen lock. You can't access your Motorola phone without it. But we need to acknowledge a fact that no matter how strong your memory is, it's likely you forget a password at some point.
Let's say you own a Motorola phone and are locked out because you have forgotten the PIN, passwords, or pattern for lock screen. Unlike online accounts that you can reset your password within a few links, it's not that easy if you want to reset Motorola phone when locked. But don't fret! There are a few different approaches you can use to reset your locked Motorola phone.
Depending on whether you've signed in to Google account in the Settings app, the road you take to reset a Motorola phone when locked could vary. If you don't link your Google account, it doesn't matter, as you can attempt an external factory reset on your Motorola phone with buttons (aka Recovery mode).
Table of contents
The instructions in this article apply for ThinkPhone, motorola Razr series, motorola Edge series, moto G family, moto E family, motorola ONE family, moto Z family, moto X family, Motorola tablets, and other devices.
Factory reset Motorola phone in Settings app
If you have access to Settings app, factory resetting Motorola phone is pretty straightforward:
1. Go to Settings > System.
2. Touch Reset options > Erase all data (factory reset).
3. Confirm your choice and enter your passwords or PINs.
4. Your Motorola device will reboot after the reset.
Also: How to factory reset locked iPhone
Things to know before resetting a locked Motorola phone
If your Motorola phone locks you out, you will need to perform a factory data reset so that you can access your device. A factory reset, sometimes called a hard reset, will erase all your personal information, data and settings from your Motorola phone, and brings it back to out-of-the-box condition. The data will be erased from Motorola includes following:
- Media files (music, photos, videos)
- System settings and data
- Downloaded apps
- Google account
- App settings and data (including contacts, text messages)
When you're ready and know what you're doing, let's see how to factory reset Motorola phone when locked, regardless of phone models.
How to reset Motorola phone when locked with Recovery mode
The first option you can take to reset a Motorola phone that's locked if you forgot PIN, password or pattern is erase the device with buttons. It has built an advanced Recovery mode tool into Android for this exact scenario.
Before resetting the locked Motorola phone
- You know your Google ID and password to set up the phone after the reset.
- You have a recent backup in Google account, or you won't recover any data after the reset.
How to reset a Motorola phone that is locked
Performing an external factory reset on Motorola phone when locked can take a few minutes, make sure charge the device battery at least 30%.
1. Turn off the phone.
2. Once your phone has completely shut down, press and hold the Volume Down button and the Power button at the same time until the phone turns on.
3. Press the Volume Down button until you see Recovery mode.
4. With your Motorola phone now in Recovery mode, press the Power button to restart.
5. If you see an Android robot with a red exclamation mark or "no command," press and hold the Power button and, while holding it down, press and release the Volume up button.
6. Use the Volume buttons to scroll to Wipe data/factory reset, then press the Power button to select it.
7. Use Volume buttons to scroll to Factory data reset, then press the Power button to select it.
8. Wait for Android to finish resetting your locked Motorola phone completely.
9. When it's done, use Volume buttons to scroll to Reboot system now, then press the Power button to select it.
10. After it restarts, your Motorola phone is reset without lock or PIN, password, or patter. You can now set it up again.
Also: What to do when iPad says Unavailable
Sign into your Google account to use Motorola phone again
While setting up, follow the on-screen prompts to set up your Motorola phone. On the "Verify your account" screen, you'll be asked to enter the same Google account that was previously set up on the phone to bypass FRP (Factory Reset Protection), which is a security feature implemented by Google to prevent anyone else from being able to reset your phone.
How to reset Motorola phone when locked with Android Unlocker
If you're unable to get your Motorola phone reset when locked through an external reset in Recovery mode, thankfully, there are a wealth of tools available to claim that can reset your Motorola phone to factory settings when it's locked
Android Unlocker is our favorite. This desktop-based application is reliable, lives up to its description, and offers an elegant and easy to navigate user interface that lets you quickly unlock any of your Android screen locks, including Motorola phones and tablets, and get it working properly again.
In addition to being able to reset your locked Motorola device, you can use its another built-in "Bypass Google FRP" feature to remove factory reset protection when your Android phone gets stuck on "Verify your account" screen after reset.
Android Unlocker is easy to install, runs well and has a good feature base. In this part, we're going to lay out all necessary steps you should take to factory reset a Motorola when locked without password.
Step 1. Launch Android Unlocker on your computer and then select "Remove Screen Password" from interface. The software support removal of all kinds of screen lock, such as PIN, password, pattern, Face ID, fingerprint.
Step 2. Next, specify your phone brand - Motorola.
Step 3. Connect your locked Motorola phone to your computer. It should display on the screen instantly once detected.
Doesn't appear? Click "The devices is connected but cannot be recognized?" link to fix it.
Step 4. Finally, click Remove Now.
That's it! You'll have a bit of a wait while the software takes care of the Motorola phone resetting process. Once's done, the screen lock is removed and you can use the device again.
Tip: The program also can unlock pattern on Android device, as well as remove Google verification lock while setting up a device.
How to factory reset a Motorola phone that's locked with Google account
"Factory Reset Device" is a practical feature in Google Find My Device, which enables you locate, lock and erase an Android device when something gets out of control. Find My Device is typically turned on during initial setup (unless you turn it off manually). The key here is that your Motorola phone has access to internet connection.
Here's how to use Factory Reset Device feature to reset a Motorola phone when locked in Google Find My Device.
1. Type in Find My Device website in any web browser tab on a computer, tablet, or phone.
2. Sign in with your Google account used to set up your Motorola phone.
3. Choose the locked Motorola phone you want to reset from the list of all the devices that are signed into your Google account on the left side of the screen. A map will appear with your phone's location.
4. Click Factory reset device option. As the name suggests, this will factory reset a Motorola phone when locked if you're going to proceed.
5. Again, enter your Google account password when prompted to confirm.
6. Select Reset.
7. Finally, click Erase.
If your phone has an active internet connection, it will be immediately reset to factory settings, even if the Motorola phone is locked without password. All files and data stored on it will be permanently deleted, too.
Conclusion
Any methods we outlined above give you options of regaining access to your locked Motorola phone by factory resetting it. Depending on your situation, choose one of them that's most suitable for you to solve the problem.
