Cannot change screen time passcode!

[wetsignal]

Hello. I have forgotten my screen time passcode and need to reset it. When I try to follow the directions to reset it in settings>options I am not given a "forgot passcode" option in the dialog. How do I reset this?! All it does is move out the time to retry the passcode! Mac Mini running Catalina 10.15.7.

 

[tensixturtle]

@wetsignal according to this article, the Forgot Passcode option only shows up if you have an Apple ID associated with your Mac in Screen Time setup. Probably the best option is to restore from an old Time Machine backup before you set up Screen Time. However, it might be worth reading the article to see if anything else applies to you.

 

[wetsignal]

OK, thanks for that info. Luckily, I finally guessed it correctly (a VERY obscure personal number from 20 years ago--what was I thinking?)! Now, what do I need to do to get it the way it is in that article with the ID associated with it? I am logged into my Mac with my ID and have family sharing set up with a child account (the one in question). Do I need to disable it and then restart the screen time from scratch? I didn't have family sharing enabled when I started screen time initially so maybe that is it.

And are the settings global? If I disable on one device is it disabled on others? Or do I need to go to every device and disable and then re-add it? It is hard to know what is affected by a given change on a given device.

 

[tensixturtle]

I'm glad you were able to figure it out! It would be inconvenient to have to restore the computer from an old backup... I don't use Family Sharing but if you turn off the passcode and then re-enable it, maybe the option to put in the Apple ID will show up for you?

 

[Apple_Robert]

In the future, put your screen time passcode and other important passwords in a password manager. It will save you a lot of heartache.