If you haven’t upgraded your Apple ID to two-factor authentication, your account uses security questions to keep it secure. Follow these steps to change Apple ID security questions.
About Apple ID security questions
Two-factor authentication is the most secure way to protect your Apple ID. If you haven’t set up two-factor authentication for your account, Apple uses security questions as a secondary method for you to prove your identity online. Security questions are designed to be easy for the user to remember and hard for others to guess. When used in conjunction with other identifying information, security questions help verify if you are the person requesting access to your account.
You may be required to answer one or more security questions before you can change your password or other account information, view your device details, or make an iTunes or App Store purchase from a new device. If you don’t want security questions or are afraid you’ll forget the answers, you can set up two-factor authentication. Learn about two-factor authentication.
Change security questions
- Sign in at appleid.apple.com.
- In the Login & Security section, click Account Security.
- Under Security questions, select Change security questions.
- Choose your new security questions and answers, then select Update.
- Enter the Apple ID password and select done.
To prevent your account from being lock out, it is very important that you remember the answers to the security questions. And make sure to add and verify the recovery email address. If you forget the answers to your security questions, you’ll need a rescue email address to reset them. Learn what to do if you forgot the answers to your security questions.
Manage two-factor authentication for Apple ID on iPhone
Two-factor authentication helps prevent others from accessing your Apple ID account, even if they know your password. Two-factor authentication for Apple ID is built into iOS 9, iPadOS 13, OS X 10.11 or later.
Some features of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS require the security of two-factor authentication, which is design to protect your information. If you create an Apple ID on a device running iOS 13.4, iPadOS 13.4, macOS 10.15.4, or later, your account automatically uses two-factor authentication. If you previously created without two-factor authentication, you can turn on this extra layer of security at any time.
Note: Some account types may not be eligible for two-factor authentication at Apple’s discretion. Two-factor authentication is not available in all countries or regions. See the Apple Support article “Availability of Two-Factor Authentication for Apple ID.”
For information on how two-factor authentication works, see the Apple Support article “Two-Factor Authentication for Apple ID.”
Activate two-factor authentication
- If you don’t already use two-factor authentication for your Apple ID account, go to Settings > [your name] > Password & Security.
- Tap “Turn on two-factor authentication” and choose Continue.
- Enter a trusted phone number, which is the number where you want to receive verification codes for two-factor authentication (this can be your iPhone number). You can choose to receive the codes by text message or by automated phone call.
- Select Next.
- Enter the verification code that was send to your trust phone number. To send or resend the verification code, choose “Didn’t receive a verification code?”. You won’t be prompt for a verification code again on iPhone unless you sign out completely, erase iPhone, sign in to your Apple ID account page in a web browser, or when you need to change your password for security reasons.
After activating two-factor authentication, you have a period of two weeks to deactivate it. Once that period expires, you will not be able to deactivate it. To disable two-factor authentication, open your confirmation email and click the link to return to your previous security settings. Please note that disabling two-factor authentication reduces the security of your account, which means that you will not be able to use features that require a high level of security.
Note: If you use two-step verification and update to iOS 13 or later, your account may be upgrade to two-factor authentication See the Apple Support article “Apple ID Two-Step Verification.”