Most Common 4-Digit and 6-Digit PINs to Avoid (2026 Data Study)
Discover the top 20 most common 4-digit and 6-digit PINs hackers guess first on iPhones, Androids, ATMs, and SIM cards, and generate a safe random PIN.
Quick Answer: Empirical analysis of millions of leaked numeric passcodes shows that the single most common 4-digit PIN is 1234 (accounting for 10.7% of all PINs), followed by 1111 (6.0%) and 0000 (1.9%). Remarkably, the Top 20 most common 4-digit PINs account for 26.8% of all human-chosen PINs — meaning a thief with just 20 guesses has a 1-in-4 chance of unlocking a non-random keypad or phone.
Because humans instinctively choose birth years, repeated digits, or straight lines on a numeric keypad, the only way to achieve full mathematical protection on a smartphone, bank ATM card, SIM lock, or hardware security key is to generate an unbiased code with our free browser-only PIN Generator.
Top 20 Most Common 4-Digit PINs to Avoid Immediately
Although a 4-digit numeric keypad has exactly 10,000 possible combinations (`0000` through `9999`, or 13.3 bits of entropy), human selection clusters heavily around these 20 codes. Never use any of the following 4-digit PINs:
| Rank | 4-Digit PIN | Observed Share | Pattern Category | Rank | 4-Digit PIN | Observed Share | Pattern Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 1234 |
10.71% | Ascending sequence | #11 | 9999 |
0.45% | Quadruple repeat |
| #2 | 1111 |
6.02% | Quadruple repeat | #12 | 3333 |
0.42% | Quadruple repeat |
| #3 | 0000 |
1.88% | Default / all zeros | #13 | 5555 |
0.39% | Center key repeat |
| #4 | 1212 |
1.20% | Alternating pair | #14 | 6666 |
0.36% | Quadruple repeat |
| #5 | 7777 |
0.75% | Lucky number repeat | #15 | 1122 |
0.35% | Double-pair step |
| #6 | 1004 |
0.62% | CB slang ("10-4") | #16 | 1313 |
0.30% | Alternating pair |
| #7 | 2000 |
0.61% | Millennium year | #17 | 8888 |
0.29% | Quadruple repeat |
| #8 | 4444 |
0.53% | Quadruple repeat | #18 | 4321 |
0.29% | Descending sequence |
| #9 | 2222 |
0.52% | Quadruple repeat | #19 | 2001 |
0.29% | Calendar year |
| #10 | 6969 |
0.51% | Alternating pair | #20 | 1010 |
0.28% | Binary alternating |
Top 10 Most Common 6-Digit PINs (iPhone & Android Lock Screens)
Apple iOS and modern Android smartphones default to 6-digit passcodes, expanding the mathematical keyspace 100-fold from 10,000 to 1,000,000 combinations (19.9 bits of entropy). However, users often nullify that advantage by picking simple 6-digit extensions of 4-digit habits:
123456— Sequential ascending run111111— Six repeated ones000000— Six repeated zeros121212— Three alternating pairs654321— Reverse countdown666666— Six repeated sixes112233— Adjacent double pairs123123— Repeated 3-digit triad789456— Bottom-row keypad sweep159753— Diagonal X-shape across a physical keypad
4 Hidden PIN Traps Attackers Test After the Top 20
- Keypad Geometry (`2580` and `1379`):
2580runs straight down the center vertical column of a telephone keypad and is the #22 most common PIN globally, while1379traces the four corners. - Birth Years & Dates (`1950`–`2026` and `MMDD` / `DDMM`): Every 4-digit PIN starting with
19or20ranks in the top 5% of all PINs. Whether you live in the US (`MMDD`) or Canada, the UK, and Europe (`DDMM`), calendar dates reduce 10,000 combinations down to 366 possibilities. - T9 Word Spelling (`5683` = LOVE, `2229` = BABY): Attackers include T9 dictionary translations in their top 100 lock-screen guess lists.
- SIM Card Defaults (`0000`, `1111`, `1234`): Mobile carriers in North America and Europe ship SIM cards with default PINs that must be changed to a random 6-to-8-digit code to prevent SIM-swap identity theft.
How to Generate a Genuinely Unpredictable PIN
Open our Client-Side PIN Generator, choose 6 digits for smartphone lock screens or 8 digits for FIDO2 hardware security keys (such as YubiKey) and mobile carrier port-freeze PINs, and enable the option to avoid repeated adjacent digits. Because our tool uses window.crypto.getRandomValues() locally in your browser, every digit from 0 to 9 has an exact 10% probability with zero human bias.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the least common 4-digit PIN?
Historically, non-pattern numbers such as 8068 formatted without dates, repeats, or keypad lines appeared rarest in breach studies. However, once a specific "least common PIN" is publicized online, thousands of people adopt it — which is why you should always generate a fresh random PIN via Web Crypto instead of copying a number from an article.
Is a 6-digit PIN much safer than a 4-digit PIN on iPhone and Android?
Yes, provided it is random. A random 6-digit PIN has 1,000,000 possible combinations compared to 10,000 for a 4-digit PIN. Combined with hardware Secure Enclave / Titan M2 rate-limiting and escalating time delays after failed attempts, a random 6-digit or 8-digit PIN resists brute-force unlocking.
Should I use the same PIN for my phone lock screen and bank ATM card?
Never. If a shoulder-surfer observes you unlocking your phone in public and steals your wallet and device, sharing a PIN gives them immediate access to both your bank accounts and your digital identity.
We focus on practical, privacy-first password guidance and update articles when recommendations change.