My bag got stolen. And the only copy of the recovery key is in there. And I don’t have a number at the moment coz the contract got cancelled. So I won’t be able to recieve an sms for a verification
iPhone 11, iOS 16
Activation Lock is a hardware protection scheme.
You clear it by entering your AppleID password.
If you ALSO don’t know your AppleID password see this:
If you forgot your Apple ID password - Apple Support
If you use Advanced Data Protection AND set up both a recovery key and a recovery contact, you can use either your recovery key or recovery contact to regain access to your account.
Ref: Set up a recovery key for your Apple ID – Apple Support (AU)
If none of these are available, your AppleID will remain permanently inaccessible.
You can then only possibly regain use of your device by submitting appropriate proof of ownership to Apple via an Activation Lock Support Request.
Activation Lock is a hardware protection scheme.
You clear it by entering your AppleID password.
If you ALSO don’t know your AppleID password see this:
If you forgot your Apple ID password - Apple Support
If you use Advanced Data Protection AND set up both a recovery key and a recovery contact, you can use either your recovery key or recovery contact to regain access to your account.
Ref: Set up a recovery key for your Apple ID – Apple Support (AU)
If none of these are available, your AppleID will remain permanently inaccessible.
You can then only possibly regain use of your device by submitting appropriate proof of ownership to Apple via an Activation Lock Support Request.
You are indeed in an unenviable position. 😕
Without one or the other, the on-disk data will remain forever locked.
If you DO manage to recall your device’s password, suggest that you first disable FileVault … and then re-enable it.
But this time, save the recovery key to iCloud when prompted.
With an Apple Silicon Mac - and depending on how you configured during setup - you might
NOT need a recovery key to regain access to your laptop.
Go thru these linked instructions to see if you can regain access to your MacBook.
Read thru the instructions carefully before attempting.
There are quite a few “If Then Else” statements.
Unfortunately it’s one of very first steps encountered when one is first setting up a brand new “just out of the box” computer.
Setup asks if you want to save the File Vault Recovery Key to iCloud.
If the individual performing the setup selects “No” …
… the File Vault Recovery Key is then displayed on the screen and MUST be recorded for safekeeping THEN.
After that setup screen is cleared and FileVault encrypts the disk, there is no possible way to recover or display THAT particular key.
If the device password is then ALSO subsequently misplaced, the data in the disk is irretrievable.
As we are simply other users here, we can’t speak to the “whys” and “hows” of the OS’ initial setup screen functionality and user prompting.
We can only help explain what “IS”
Which is that a forgotten MacOS device password …
… coupled w/ a similarly misplaced File Vault Recovery Key which was elected to NOT be saved during FileVault setup to the user’s iCloud …
… renders the encrypted disk’s data inaccessible.
SALWAKHAN57 wrote:
My fone stolen. And the only copy of the recovery key is in there. i have my email of icloud and contect number xxx plz send my recovery key
Apple does not have your Recovery Key. It is up to you to write it down. It is a terrible idea to put it into your phone, because if your device gets locked due to an incorrect password entered too many times, you will not be able to get into your phone to get the Recovery Key.
Sorry to say it, but without another Trusted Device or the Recovery Key, you will no longer be able to access your account. Hopefully you will be able to find your phone and it is not locked.
if you still know the passcode, you can create a new key right on the device which will replace the old one.
Hey there nicolemori,
We understand you're experiencing issues with a lost recovery key, and we'd like to help.
Get started here: How to generate a recovery key
This page may also help: Two-step verification for Apple ID
Specifically, check out the section below:
"What if I lose my Recovery Key?
You can sign in to your Apple ID account page and create a new Recovery Key using your Apple ID password and one of your trusted devices.
Keep your new Recovery Key in a safe place. Your old Recovery Key won't work anymore and you can't use it to reset your password or access your account. If you don't see Recovery Key in the Security section, then you are not using two-step verification. "
Please let us know the outcome after giving the above steps a try.
Cheers!
To be clear, use of a Recovery Key (RK) is entirely optional.
Using it places the ENTIRE burden of future account recovery on YOU.
Apple literally can not help you regain access to your account if disaster strikes.
If you have a solid, well-conceived - and routinely rehearsed - disaster recovery plan established, great.
If not … and given your OP you don’t … you might consider NOT using RK until such a plan IS established.
SALWAKHAN57 wrote:
i can not. find my stolen moble that way i need your. help. i have my apple id pasward contact number email. but. i can not recover icloud. because. i forget my recovery key of 28digit
There is no recovery from that. Either a trusted device, or the recovery key, is necessary.
The whole reason for enabling the Recovery Key is to PREVENT exactly what you now want to happen.
The presence of a Recovery Key BLOCKS Apple from performing any password reset.
Red highlight added:
Do you know your passcode? If not, you will have to use your trusted phone number. If you can’t use that then you will need a recovery contact. Otherwise, there will be no other options to regain access to your account.
kdot4 wrote:
is there anyway to retain the data that is stored on a laptop requiring a recovery key? all my photos and videos from 2014-2017 are stored on my laptop but i cant login because of the recovery key. this is apples fault
Apples fault? They specifically tell you this when using a Recovery Key:
This gives you more control of your account recovery methods and can help prevent an attacker from gaining access to and taking control of your account. However, if you lose your recovery key and can’t access one of your trusted devices, you'll be locked out of your account permanently.
Set up a recovery key for your Apple ID - Apple Support
It seems pretty clear to me that if you use a Recovery Key, you better write it down. Failing to do that is not Apple's fault.
FYI, I suspect the user needs his/her FileVault Recovery Key (vice the AppleID recovery key) in order to recover from a lost Mac password.
Either way, they won’t “like” the eventual answer , but the effects & consequences are decidedly different.
More info and detail is available starting in this section of Apple’s Platform Security Guide:
Volume encryption with FileVault in macOS – Apple Support (AU)
It sounds like what was misplaced in your instance was your File Vault Recovery Key.
(vice an AppleID Recovery Key)
Were you possibly attempting to reset a forgotten password needed to access your MacBook Pro ???
I lost the copy of the recovery key
