Modern Warfare 4’s campaign has 13 code locks across four missions, and every code is fixed: the same for every player on every platform. The best-known safe code is 214, which opens the red toolbox in “Following Orders”. The Escape safe uses 8410, and the eight keypads in the open mission “Stranded” open with 0024, 0008, 0078, 8609, 0600, 1234, 0330 and 6789.
Below are all the Modern Warfare 4 safe codes and keypad codes in one table. For each one you get where the lock is, how the in-game clue works it out, and which achievement or trophy it counts toward. We checked the codes against IGN’s code guide, AllThingsHow, Game Rant and Destructoid. Where those guides disagree, we say so.
Table of Contents
Quick answer
- Following Orders: red toolbox (the “red safe”) = 214. Inside are the Medicine contraband and a note.
- Assassins: door codes 5523, 7632 and 9103. Lt. Ko reads them out to you.
- Stranded: 6 shipping containers and 2 hidden bunkers: 0024, 0600, 0078, 1234, 6789, 8609 (containers) and 0330, 0008 (bunkers).
- Escape: barracks office safe = 8410. Inside are Gaz’s dog tags, which unlock Never Forgotten.
- Codes are fixed, so you can enter them without reading the clue notes. You still have to read the notes if you want Noteworthy (50 notes).
All Modern Warfare 4 safe codes and keypad codes
| Mission | Lock | Code | What it opens |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3. Following Orders | Red toolbox, first house | 214 | Medicine (contraband) + Note From Your Friend |
| 8. Assassins | Door after the library stairs | 5523 | Story progress |
| 8. Assassins | Door past the kitchen | 7632 | Story progress |
| 8. Assassins | Bunker keypad behind the statue | 9103 | Story progress |
| 10. Stranded | Base Camp container (by the radio tower) | 0024 | Supplies + tactical map that marks the other containers |
| 10. Stranded | Cliff Near Base Camp container | 0600 | Yellow Supply Crate |
| 10. Stranded | South East Village container | 0078 | Yellow Supply Crate |
| 10. Stranded | Big Sign container | 1234 | Yellow Supply Crate |
| 10. Stranded | Small Island container | 6789 | Yellow Supply Crate |
| 10. Stranded | South of Jamming Station container | 8609 | Yellow Supply Crate |
| 10. Stranded | Farm Field Hidden Bunker | 0330 | Bunker notes |
| 10. Stranded | Island Hidden Bunker | 0008 | Bunker notes + Yellow Supply Crate |
| 13. Escape | Wall safe, office after the barracks | 8410 | Gaz’s dog tags (Never Forgotten) |
Mission numbers follow IGN’s code solutions page. If you want to know how long these missions take before you start a cleanup run, our MW4 campaign length and mission guide covers the full campaign.
Following Orders red safe code: 214
“Following Orders” is the third mission. You play a North Korean soldier searching houses for a defector. The lock most guides call the “red safe” is really a red toolbox with a padlock. Destructoid describes it as a safe, while IGN, Game Rant and AllThingsHow call it a toolbox. They all agree on the code.
Where the toolbox is
In the first house, go into the first room on the right (through the sliding doors nearest the front entrance) and open the cabinet. The toolbox is inside. Game Rant notes that you can also shoot the padlock off instead of entering the code.
How the clue works
The clue is the Baekseolgi-Tteok Recipe note, in the first cabinet on the left in the kitchen. According to IGN, it lists 2kg rice flour, 5mL salt, 1L water and 4 packs of golden raisins, and adds: “Flour, then water, then raisins – skip the salt.” Drop the 5 and read the remaining numbers in order to get 214.
Everything you need in Following Orders
The toolbox is part of the No Stone Unturned achievement, which asks you to confiscate all of the contraband and read all four notes in the mission. Here is the full checklist, combining IGN’s and Game Rant’s locations:
| Item | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| MP3 Player | Contraband | House 1: bathroom (left of the living room), wall-mounted medicine cabinet |
| Western Novel | Contraband | House 1: room behind the sliding doors next to the TV, top cabinets |
| Baekseolgi-Tteok Recipe | Note 1 | House 1: kitchen, first cabinet on the left |
| Rations | Contraband | House 1: kitchen, cabinet above the recipe |
| Medicine + Note From Your Friend | Contraband + Note 2 | House 1: inside the red toolbox (code 214) |
| Note From Your Neighbor | Note 3 | House 3: bedroom cabinet (first door left, then second door right) |
| Key, then Note From Mom | Note 4 | House 3: key in a cupboard by the window; it opens the kitchen floor hatch. Get the woman hiding there to come outside, then read the note in the hiding spot |
Two choices matter here. First, collecting all four contraband items in the first house gives you new dialogue options with the male civilian. According to Game Rant, if you question him about each item, he gives up the defector’s location without anyone being hurt, which earns No Harm Done. Second, you have to bring the hidden woman outside rather than hide her. If you hide her, you can’t reach the last note, and Game Rant reports it also changes how the mission ends.
Most of MW4's codes are in Stranded, a free-roam mission, rather than the linear levels. Image: Activision
Assassins door codes: 5523, 7632, 9103
These three codes aren’t puzzles. Lt. Ko calls each one out over the radio as you reach the door, but if you play without subtitles they are easy to miss in the noise. In order, according to IGN:
- 5523: the door after you sneak through the library and climb the stairs.
- 7632: the locked door past the kitchen.
- 9103: the bunker keypad at the base and rear of the statue. You enter it in real time, so clear the guards first or they can catch you at the keypad.
Stranded keypad codes: all 8 containers and bunkers
“Stranded” is the 10th mission. It’s a free-roam map where Private Park explores out from a Base Camp, and it holds most of the campaign’s collectibles: 26 Yellow Supply Crates and 58 notes, according to IGN. Eight of those locks use keypads. Each one has a clipboard note listing codes that were “used before”, and the real code continues the pattern.
| Lock | Map position (IGN tacmap coords) | Clue | Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Camp container | By the blue radio tower at Base Camp | Earlier codes climb in steps of 6 | 0024 |
| Cliff Near Base Camp | Just north of Base Camp, next to a truck | 9300, 6400, 3500 (each drops by 2,900) | 0600 |
| South East Village | 652, 187, by the bridge in the southern village | 0012, 0034, 0056 (+22 each time) | 0078 |
| Big Sign | 634, 136, next to the large sign up north | 1000, 1200, 1230 (add the next digit) | 1234 |
| Small Island | 618, 132, river island near a watchtower | 3456, 4567, 5678 (digits scroll left) | 6789 |
| South of Jamming Station | 667, 125, northeast corner by a tower and truck | 5903, 6805, 7707 (+1, -1, keep 0, +2) | 8609 |
| Farm Field Hidden Bunker | 631, 127, northeast part of the river | Sum of the Logistics Station numbers: 10 + 20 + 100 + 200 | 0330 |
| Island Hidden Bunker | 615, 169, by a cliff face in the southeast | Total of the river outposts | 0008 |
Three tips save time here:
- Open one container first. IGN notes that the yellow crate inside any shipping container gives you intel that marks the other locked containers on your tacmap. The Base Camp container (0024) is the obvious first stop. AllThingsHow says it holds the tactical map.
- The SAM site note gives you three codes. According to AllThingsHow, a note at the SAM site writes out the farm house (0330), river island (6789) and west island (0008) codes.
- Pick the exploring option. When you leave Base Camp with Kal, AllThingsHow recommends choosing “I’ll find my own path and look for gear and supplies” so you are free to roam.
The bunker clues read differently from guide to guide. IGN reads the Island Hidden Bunker note as “the total number of outposts along the river”, while AllThingsHow adds up the river checkpoint numbers (1 + 2 + 5). Both come to 8, so the code is the same either way.
Notes from Following Orders, Stranded and Escape all count toward the 50 needed for Noteworthy. Image: Activision
Escape safe code: 8410
“Escape” is the 13th mission, a prison break. The code is on a note called Updated Code. IGN says to reach it, wait under the overhanging bench outside the office with the large window until the guard inside takes a call and leaves, then read the note: the new safe code is 8410. AllThingsHow adds that the mission’s other note, the Confiscation Protocol Reminder, is on a desk in the office opposite Cell 40.
Carry on through the barracks. Right after you leave them, an unlocked door on the right side of the hallway leads to the office with the wall safe. Enter 8410 to take Gaz’s dog tags, which unlocks Never Forgotten (“Recover the Dog Tags in ‘Escape'”).
Which achievements and trophies the codes count toward
MW4 has 18 trophies and achievements, all from the campaign. PowerPyx and Game Rant both report there is no Platinum on PS5, because the list is attached to the Call of Duty HQ app rather than a standalone game. These are the ones that depend on codes and collectibles:
| Achievement / trophy | Requirement | Codes involved |
|---|---|---|
| No Stone Unturned | Confiscate all contraband and read all notes in Following Orders | 214 |
| No Harm Done | Get the defector’s location in Following Orders without hurting civilians | 214 (the Medicine is one of the contraband items) |
| Time to Crate | Open every Yellow Supply Crate in Stranded (26) | 0600, 0078, 1234, 6789, 8609, 0008 (crates behind keypads) |
| Noteworthy | Read 50 different notes | Several notes sit behind the Stranded keypads and the 214 toolbox |
| Never Forgotten | Recover the dog tags in Escape | 8410 |
| Scavenger | Repair everything in Base Camp (Stranded) | None directly; IGN says crates hold Base Camp supplies |
For Noteworthy, IGN counts 64 notes in the campaign (4 in Following Orders, 58 in Stranded, 2 in Escape), and says notes from all three missions count toward the 50. Stranded is the only mission with an in-game counter: open your backpack and the note total shows as “X/58”. AllThingsHow also reports that five of the Stranded “notes” are actually Base Camp workbench repairs (Grenade Launcher, Tactical Gloves, Tactical Boots, Snow Ghillie Suit and Silenced Thermal Sniper). If that holds, working toward Scavenger also helps with Noteworthy.
Two other entries on the list affect a cleanup run. “Was It Worth It?” asks you to finish the game on Realism, a difficulty above Veteran. “Hold the Line” only needs a finish on any difficulty. The campaign is available now through Campaign Early Access for digital pre-orders; our MW4 early access and preload guide has the unlock times. If you’re still deciding whether to buy it, see our roundup of Modern Warfare 4 campaign reviews, and Switch 2 players can read our look at MW4’s DLSS and Filmic SMAA modes on Switch 2.
FAQ
Are Modern Warfare 4 safe codes the same for everyone?
Yes. Destructoid says the Following Orders code “is the same for all scenarios”, and AllThingsHow describes the Stranded keypad values as fixed. Every guide we checked lists the same codes, so you can enter them without finding the clue notes first.
What is the red safe code in MW4 Following Orders?
214. The red toolbox is in a cabinet in the first room on the right of the first house. The recipe note in the kitchen gives you the code: drop the salt (5) from 2-5-1-4.
How many keypad codes are in Stranded?
Eight: six shipping containers (0024, 0600, 0078, 1234, 6789, 8609) and two hidden bunkers (0330, 0008). IGN’s summary lists seven because it leaves out the Base Camp container. AllThingsHow and other guides give 0024 for that one, and AllThingsHow shows it on screen using IGN’s collectibles video.
Can you shoot locks instead of entering codes?
For the Following Orders toolbox, yes: Game Rant and Destructoid both say you can shoot it open. The guides don’t mention a shooting option for the Stranded keypads or the Escape safe, so use the codes there.
Codes checked October 17, 2026, 16:00 UTC. Sources: IGN (code solutions), IGN (note locations), IGN (yellow supply crates), AllThingsHow, Game Rant (Following Orders), Game Rant (choices), Game Rant (achievements), Destructoid, PowerPyx.
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