Resetting the Nintendo 3DS Personal Identification Number

Recover a PIN by answering a secret question or using an email

By

Nadia Oxford

Updated on January 1, 2021

Reviewed by

Jessica Kormos

Consoles & PCs

Xbox Buyer's Guide

What to Know

Go to Settings > Parental Controls and answer your secret question to unlock parental controls and change your PIN.
If you registered an email address when you set up parental controls, go to Settings > Parental Controls > Forgot PIN to recover your PIN.
Go to Settings > Parental Controls > Forgot PIN > I Forgot > Cancel to get an Inquiry Number from Nintendo and reset your password.

This article explains how to reset your Nintendo 3DS Personal Identification Number. Instructions apply to all 3DS and 2DS models manufactured in North and South America.

Recover the 3DS PIN With Your Secret Question

First, try recovering the PIN by entering the answer to the secret question you supplied when you set up the parental controls. Examples include, "What was your first pet's name?" or "What is your favorite sports team?"

Select System Settings (the gear icon) on the Home menu.
Tap Open.
Tap Parental Controls.
Answer your secret question to unlock parental controls and change your PIN.

If your 3DS was made outside of the Americas, contact your region's customer support center.

Use the Recovery Email to Reset the 3DS PIN

If you registered an email address for use with parental controls when you first set up the feature, you can get a PIN primary key so that you can reset your PIN even if you forget it as well as the answer to your secret question.

Select System Settings (the gear icon) on the Home menu.
Tap Open.
Tap Parental Controls.
Tap Forgot PIN.
If you can't answer your secret question, tap I Forgot.
Tap OK and request an email using the email address you chose to use for the parental controls. Receiving the email may take up to an hour. The email that arrives will contain your primary key.
Enter the primary key on the 3DS to unlock the parental controls.
Choose Change PIN and enter a new parental controls PIN.

Reset the 3DS PIN Using an Inquiry Number

If you forgot your PIN, the answer to your secret question, and you didn't register an email address for use with parental controls, you need to get an Inquiry Number from Nintendo.

There's a $0.50 fee for this service, and a credit card number is required to authenticate that an adult is making the request.

Select System Settings (the gear icon) on the Home menu.
Tap Open.
Tap Parental Controls.
Tap Forgot PIN.
When asked for your secret question answer, tap I Forgot.
If instructed to send an email, choose Cancel to open an Inquiry Number screen.
Confirm your system is set to the current date at the top of the screen. If the date is incorrect, you need to change it to the correct date.
Write down the eight- to 10-digit Inquiry Number that appears at the bottom of the screen.
Go to the Nintendo Parental Controls PIN Reset page and enter your 3DS serial number and inquiry number in the fields provided.

Your 3DS serial number appears on the bottom of the device, under the barcode. The serial number begins with two letters and then includes nine numbers. If the serial number has been removed or is hard to read, you can find a copy of it under the battery pack.
Enter your personal information and an email address. Nintendo sends an email with instructions to reset your PIN.

Why Reset Your Nintendo 3DS PIN?

When you first set up parental controls on your child's 3DS, you were instructed to choose a PIN that was easy to remember but not easy enough for a kid to guess. If you need to change the parental settings on your Nintendo 3DS and you've forgotten the PIN, you can recover it or reset it.

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