5 Ways | How to Reset Disabled iPod Touch with/Without iTunes

Has it been a long time since you've used your old iPod Touch? Then, when you try to enter your password to access it, you realize you forgot it? If you have tried your password multiple times without success, you may be shown “iPod is disabled, try again in 60/15/2400000 minutes” or “iPod is disabled connect to iTunes”.

If your iPod Touch that's disabled, and you can't seem to unlock it, the only way out may be to restore your iPod Touch to its factory settings. Here in this guide, we will show you how to reset disabled iPod Touch in four ways with or without iTunes.

Before we get started, make sure you have a backup of your data, as resetting your iPod will erase all of its contents, including music, photos, videos, and other data. Or, backup iPod Touch before proceeding with any of the methods outlined below. Now, let's get started.

Part 1. How to reset disabled iPod Touch with iTunes

As mentioned in the very beginning, your disabled iPod Touch will remind you to connect to iTunes, Therefore, the most direct way to unlock and reset disabled iPod Touch is following the instructions below and restoring iPod Touch via iTunes.

Option 1. Restore disabled iPod Touch directly

If you once used iTunes to backup iPod Touch or manage iPod Touch media files, you can directly restore disable iPod Touch. Or, skip to Option 2.

Step 1. Connect your iPod Touch to your computer with a stable lightning cable > Launch the latest version of iTunes.

Step 2. Select your iPod Touch at the top of the screen > Click Back Up Now to create a new backup for

Step 3. Click Restore iPod to start resetting. It may take minutes to complete.

Option 2. Reset iPod Touch in recovery mode

If it is your first time to sync iPod Touch to iTunes, the iTunes will ask for a passcode. In this case, you can put your disabled iPod Touch into recovery mode to reset it.

Step 1. Put iPod Touch into recovery mode.

• iPod Touch (7th Gen): Turn off the iPod Touch > Hold the Volume Down key and connect your iPod to computer via USB at the same time > Release the key until you see the Recovery Mode screen shown as below.
• iPod Touch (6th Gen and earlier): Turn off the iPod Touch > Hold the Home button and connect your iPod to computer via USB at the same time > Release the key until you see the Recovery Mode screen.

Step 2. iTunes will pop a notification for you to update or restore your iPod Touch. Choose Restore and iTunes will reinstall the software on your iPod Touch. All data will be gone after the iPod is enabled.

Part 2. How to reset disabled iPod Touch without iTunes

The three ways below will show you how to reset disabled iPod Touch without iTunes. You can look through them one after another and choose one to assist you to reset disabled iPod Touch without iTunes.

Option 1. Via iCloud.com

If you have enabled Find My feature, you can rely on iCloud to reset your disabled iPod Touch. This feature helps track and find iOS devices, and reset them remotely.

Follow the steps below to know how to reset disabled iPod Touch without iTunes but via the website of iCloud.

Step 1. Open a web browser and go to www.icloud.com/find > Log in to your account with Apple ID and passcode.

Step 2. Click All Devices at the top of your screen > Select your iPod from the list.

Step 3. Click Erase iPod on the menu that pops up.

Following these three steps, iCloud will remotely erase your iPod. Remember to restore the data in your iPod once you can access it again.

Option 2. Via Find My app

If you have another iOS devices, you can make use of the Find My app to restore disabled iPod without iTunes. The Find My app, like iCloud, allows you to track and reset your iPhone remotely. Here is how to hard reset an iPod Touch that is disabled using Find My app.

Step 1. Open Find My app > If you are not already logged in, please do so.

Step 2. Tap Devices option on the bottom and it will show all your devices that use the same Apple ID.

Step 3. Set the disabled iPod > Tap Erase This Device > Tap Continue to confirm and it will start resetting the disabled iPod to factory settings.

Option 3. Via FoneTool

If you have a computer that has previously been trusted by your iPhone, you can use FoneTool to factory reset disabled iPod Touch.

FoneTool is a professional iOS data manager for users of Windows PCs. It provides a variety of functions to help users better manage their iOS devices, such as data backup and restore, data transfer, HEIC converter, Photo Deduplication, Erase iPhone/iPad/iPod, and so on. You can backup important data first, and then use the iPhone Eraser tool to quickly reset your iPod to factory settings.

Step 1. Download and launch FoneTool > Connect iPod to computer via a USB cable.

Step 2. Click Toolbox on the main interface > Select iPhone Eraser.

Step 3. Click the options as per your need.

Step 4. Click Erase Data.

Bonus tip: How to fully backup iPod before factory reset
The Full Backup function in FoneTool enables you to backup everything from your iPod to computer, including but not limited to music, videos, system settings, apps, etc.

Simply head to Phone Backup from the main interface of FoneTool > Choose Full Backup > Click Start Backup to make it.

Summary

That’s all for how to reset disabled iPod Touch in 5 ways. In general, you can follow the onscreen instruction on your iPod to reset iPod with the help of iTunes.

If it fails, you can try either iCloud service (which requires you to have the Find My function enabled in advance) or a third-party tool to reset your disabled iPod Touch. If this guide is helpful, please share it with others.