cannot restore from iTunes

Hi Pat1324,

Thanks for the post in Apple Support Communities. I see you have a question about restoring a backup from iTunes.

To clarify, what's the exact wording of the message you see regarding a password? If you're being prompted to enter a password when you restore a backup in iTunes, it sounds like it may indeed be encrypted as covered here: About encrypted backups in iTunes

If that's the case, you would need the password to be able to access the contents of that backup. While there's not a way to recover that password, you can use the following steps to allow you create unencrypted backups going forward:

"If you can’t remember the password for your encrypted backup

You can’t restore an encrypted backup without its password. With iOS 11 or later, you can make a new encrypted backup of your device by resetting the password. Here’s what to do:

1. On your iOS device, go to Settings > General > Reset.
2. Tap Reset All Settings and enter your iOS passcode.
3. Follow the steps to reset your settings. This won't affect your user data or passwords, but it will reset settings like display brightness, Home screen layout, and wallpaper. It also removes your encrypted backup password.
4. Connect your device to iTunes again and create a new encrypted backup.

You won't be able to use previous encrypted backups, but you can use iTunes to back up your current data and set a new backup password.

If you have a device with iOS 10 or earlier, you can't reset the password. In this case, try the following:

• If someone else set up your device, ask them for the password.
• Use an iCloud backup instead of iTunes. If you don't have an iCloud backup, you can make one.
• Try using an older iTunes backup."

I hope this helps you! Take care.

See also Disable iOS backup encryption - Apple Community.

tt2