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Asking for a iphone password during restore to a new phone. No known passwords are working even though no password was entered when backing up old phone

How can I complete restore of old phone to new iPhone 11 when it accepts none of the passwords for the previous backups to computer or iCloud?


iPhone 11

Posted on Sep 20, 2020 4:57 PM

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Posted on Sep 20, 2020 5:17 PM

Robinlynn55 wrote:

Back up was run to PC and icloud with encryption enabled but no password was requested before, during or after backup


You put a password on your backup, whether you remember doing so or not. That’s the only way encrypted backups get created. Either you checked Encrypt Backup, or, if you have a company email account on your phone, your Exchange administrator required it. But either way you were prompted to enter a password - twice. However, that could have been years ago; you are only prompted the first time you made an encrypted backup, you will never be prompted again until you go to restore a backup.


When you entered the backup password if you have a Mac and have Keychain enabled you were given the option of saving the password in Keychain (this is the default). So check Keychain for it.


If you haven’t erased the old phone yet you can create a new backup with a new password—>About encrypted backups on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support


If neither of those work you get unlimited guesses, so try to guess what password you might have entered back when. If you are like most people it will be a password that you reused. And to speed up the process click to change the password and you will be prompted immediately.


7 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Sep 20, 2020 5:17 PM in response to Robinlynn55

Robinlynn55 wrote:

Back up was run to PC and icloud with encryption enabled but no password was requested before, during or after backup


You put a password on your backup, whether you remember doing so or not. That’s the only way encrypted backups get created. Either you checked Encrypt Backup, or, if you have a company email account on your phone, your Exchange administrator required it. But either way you were prompted to enter a password - twice. However, that could have been years ago; you are only prompted the first time you made an encrypted backup, you will never be prompted again until you go to restore a backup.


When you entered the backup password if you have a Mac and have Keychain enabled you were given the option of saving the password in Keychain (this is the default). So check Keychain for it.


If you haven’t erased the old phone yet you can create a new backup with a new password—>About encrypted backups on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support


If neither of those work you get unlimited guesses, so try to guess what password you might have entered back when. If you are like most people it will be a password that you reused. And to speed up the process click to change the password and you will be prompted immediately.


Sep 20, 2020 5:14 PM in response to Robinlynn55

So you mean a 6 digit number? That’s an iPhone password. If it is then the new phone is not new. A new phone will never ask for a screen unlock passcode, even when restoring a backup.


And if it asks for an Apple ID password it likewise is not new.


However, if you are restoring a backup that was encrypted you will need the password that was used to encrypt it.

Asking for a iphone password during restore to a new phone. No known passwords are working even though no password was entered when backing up old phone

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