Locked notes after a new Mac or iPhone: why they won’t open and what you can do

By Kayabyte · Last updated 11 November 2026

Short answer: a locked note opens only with the password it was locked with, and Apple says it can’t help you get back in if you forget a custom password. Moving to a new Mac or iPhone doesn’t change that password. Try the password you used when you locked the note, your old Mac’s login password if you chose that option, and Touch ID. Don’t reset the Notes password as a first move, because Apple says notes that are already locked keep the old password. If the note can’t be opened, keep your old backups: they may still hold it, and nothing else can open it. This is general information from Apple’s own pages, checked 11 November 2026.

You set up a new Mac or iPhone, your notes arrived, and some of them are locked. The password you type is refused, or you can’t remember which one you used. Here is what Apple says, in the order it helps.

Step 1: Work out which kind of password locks the note

According to Apple’s page on locking notes on Mac (checked 11 November 2026), you can use the login password for your Mac to lock and unlock notes, or create a custom password. That gives you two things to try:

The Mac login password that was in use when you locked the note. On a new Mac, that may be a different password from the one you chose for the old Mac.
A custom password made just for locked notes. This is the one people forget.

Apple says that if your Mac or Magic Keyboard has Touch ID, you can choose to unlock notes with your fingerprint.

Step 2: Use the hint

Apple’s page on changing the password says the hint you added appears after two wrong passwords in a row (checked 11 November 2026). Type two wrong guesses on purpose, then read the hint. It is often a better memory aid than the fifth guess.

Step 3: Check the account and the device

Apple says locked notes work with iCloud notes and notes stored on your Mac. For iCloud notes, two-factor authentication must be on and iCloud Keychain must be turned on in System Settings.
Apple also says that additional devices must be using iOS 16 or later, or macOS 13 or later, so check an older iPhone or Mac before you blame the password.
If the note is in a Gmail or other mail account, check whether that account supports locking at all. Apple’s page doesn’t say it does, so we can’t say.

Step 4: Don’t reset yet

Apple’s page on changing the password describes a reset for a forgotten custom password, and then warns that it is highly recommended to change the password rather than reset it. It also says notes that are already locked still have the old password that was in effect when you locked them (checked 11 November 2026).

In plain words: a reset gives you a new password for notes you lock from now on. It does not open the notes you already locked. Apple’s lock page says Apple can’t help you regain access to those locked notes. So a reset doesn’t solve this problem, and it adds a second password to remember.

Step 5: Keep the old copies

If you can’t get in, the safest move is to leave things as they are:

Don’t delete the old Mac, the old iPhone or their backups until you have opened every locked note you care about.
Don’t empty the old Notes account or turn Notes off for it.
If you remember the password later, the old device or a backup is where you will use it.

What NoteRescue does with locked notes

NoteRescue, the Mac app we make, scans Time Machine and iPhone backups and lists notes that are missing or changed compared with today. For locked notes it does one thing: it counts them and lists them as Locked. It never opens them, and it does not try to get around the password. If you want to know whether a backup still holds notes that you locked, that is useful. To read them you still need the password, on a device where you know it.

It does not crack or bypass passwords, and it can’t recover a forgotten one. The scan is free and only reads your backups.

Steps with NoteRescue

Open NoteRescue, allow Full Disk Access and press Scan. It only reads your backups.
Open the Notes row. Locked notes are shown as Locked.
Recover the notes that are not locked by exporting them (Markdown, HTML, PDF or plain text, with attachments) or by adding them to Notes in a new Recovered folder.
Open the locked ones in Notes on a device where you know the password.

Notes is USD 24.99 once, or All apps USD 39.99 (USD 15 if you own NoteRescue 1). The free scan shows the first paragraph of each note. macOS 15 or later.

Download NoteRescue and scan for free

Questions

Can NoteRescue open my locked notes? No. It counts them and lists them as Locked, and never opens them.

Does resetting the Notes password unlock my old locked notes? No. Apple says notes that are already locked still have the old password that was in effect when you locked them.

Can Apple unlock a note if I forgot the password? Apple’s page says it can’t help you regain access to those locked notes.

Will my locked notes still be locked on the new Mac? Locked notes stay protected by their password. The password you type on the new device must be the one that was in effect when you locked the note.