Lost Password to iPhone Backup

If you are like most people it is a password that you reused. I posted a long list of passwords that people had discovered worked a while ago. Here it is again:

First iTunes account password (40 different users)

Old iTunes account password, but not the oldest one

Password used for almost all accounts (3 different users)

All digit Password created a long time ago

Computer/laptop login password (4 users)

Laptop password (2 users)

Computer password (4 users)

Email password (3 users)

iTunes with no capital letters

Password not used anywhere else

All numeric used in the past

Password for old gaming site

PC password (5 users)

“iphonelogin”

work computer password

Current app store password (2 users)

Paypal account password

iPad unlock passcode

Strongest variation of the base password I have ever used

Old password

Old work password

Macbook password (2 users)

Restriction passcode

Gmail password (2 users)

Current Apple ID password (2 users)

Apple MobileMe password

Apple ID password, but all lower case (8 users)

Apple ID password, first one ever used, but all lower case (2 users)

iPhone passcode when corporate profile was installed

Passcode for a website

iPhone screen unlock passcode (9 users)

iPhone unlock passcode at the time the first backup was made (3 users)

First password for work computer

Old password used over 2 years ago (2 users)

Previous owner’s iTunes password

Current laptop password

Wireless network password

Electric bill and Skype password

icloud password, all lower case

Windows login for very old laptop

iMac password (3 users)

First iPhone 4 digit passcode

iTunes password from last year

4 year old password

iTunes password (current) (3 users)

Old PC password

Password for “Good” application

Password used for everything+1234

1234 (4 users)

12345 (2 users)

0000

Password I use for everything else (2 users)

One of my husband’s passwords

Some old non-Apple product password

Screen passcode of the first iPhone that was backed up (2 users)

Old password with different case on first letter

“password”

Windows Administrator password (2 users)

Original Windows Administrator password

Mackbook administrator password

“iphone”+4 digit unlock code

Voicemail password

asd

“herpderp”

“darwin” (first name from credit card account)

First name, all lower case

Ms Exchange account password

Facebook password

Browser password

Network admin password

61 page thread p 14 https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3091672?start=195&tstart=0

m-zreik wrote:

I lost backup password. But I dont remember that i put any password . is their any solution to get back my backup??

Start guessing. You entered it, twice, possibly years ago. It never changes. You get unlimited guesses. to speed up the process uncheck "Encrypt Backup" and you will be prompted immediately. If you are like most people you reused a password, probably related to your iPhone or your Apple ID. If you have a company MS Exchange account on your phone it might have been a company email or domain password, and on rare occasion, it was actually entered by your system administrator.

To jog your memory, I have created a list of passwords that users in this thread have discovered when they guessed the right one:

• First iTunes account password (40 different users)
• Old iTunes account password, but not the oldest one
• Password used for almost all accounts (3 different users)
• All digit Password created a long time ago
• Computer/laptop login password (4 users)
• Laptop password (2 users)
• Computer password (4 users)
• Email password (3 users)
• iTunes with no capital letters
• Password not used anywhere else
• All numeric used in the past
• Password for old gaming site
• PC password (5 users)
• “iphonelogin”
• work computer password
• Current app store password (2 users)
• Paypal account password
• iPad unlock passcode
• Strongest variation of the base password I have ever used
• Old password
• Old work password
• Macbook password (2 users)
• Restriction passcode
• Gmail password (2 users)
• Current Apple ID password (2 users)
• Apple MobileMe password
• Apple ID password, but all lower case (8 users)
• Apple ID password, first one ever used, but all lower case (2 users)
• iPhone passcode when corporate profile was installed
• Passcode for a website
• iPhone screen unlock passcode (9 users)
• iPhone unlock passcode at the time the first backup was made (3 users)
• First password for work computer
• Old password used over 2 years ago (2 users)
• Previous owner’s iTunes password
• Current laptop password
• Wireless network password
• Electric bill and Skype password
• icloud password, all lower case
• Windows login for very old laptop
• iMac password (3 users)
• First iPhone 4 digit passcode
• iTunes password from last year
• 4 year old password
• iTunes password (current) (3 users)
• Old PC password
• Password for “Good” application
• Password used for everything+1234
• 1234 (4 users)
• 12345 (2 users)
• 0000
• Password I use for everything else (2 users)
• One of my husband’s passwords
• Some old non-Apple product password
• Screen passcode of the first iPhone that was backed up (2 users)
• Old password with different case on first letter
• “password” (2 users)
• Windows Administrator password (2 users)
• Original Windows Administrator password
• Mackbook administrator password
• “iphone”+4 digit unlock code
• Voicemail password
• asd
• “herpderp”
• “darwin” (first name from credit card account)
• First name, all lower case
• Ms Exchange account password
• Facebook password
• Browser password
• Network admin password

Lawrence Finch wrote:

m-zreik wrote:

I lost backup password. But I dont remember that i put any password . is their any solution to get back my backup??

Start guessing. You entered it, twice, possibly years ago. It never changes. You get unlimited guesses. to speed up the process uncheck "Encrypt Backup" and you will be prompted immediately. If you are like most people you reused a password, probably related to your iPhone or your Apple ID. If you have a company MS Exchange account on your phone it might have been a company email or domain password, and on rare occasion, it was actually entered by your system administrator.

To jog your memory, I have created a list of passwords that users in this thread have discovered when they guessed the right one:

• First iTunes account password (40 different users)
• Old iTunes account password, but not the oldest one
• Password used for almost all accounts (3 different users)
• All digit Password created a long time ago
• Computer/laptop login password (4 users)
• Laptop password (2 users)
• Computer password (4 users)
• Email password (3 users)
• iTunes with no capital letters
• Password not used anywhere else
• All numeric used in the past
• Password for old gaming site
• PC password (5 users)
• “iphonelogin”
• work computer password
• Current app store password (2 users)
• Paypal account password
• iPad unlock passcode
• Strongest variation of the base password I have ever used
• Old password
• Old work password
• Macbook password (2 users)
• Restriction passcode
• Gmail password (2 users)
• Current Apple ID password (2 users)
• Apple MobileMe password
• Apple ID password, but all lower case (8 users)
• Apple ID password, first one ever used, but all lower case (2 users)
• iPhone passcode when corporate profile was installed
• Passcode for a website
• iPhone screen unlock passcode (9 users)
• iPhone unlock passcode at the time the first backup was made (3 users)
• First password for work computer
• Old password used over 2 years ago (2 users)
• Previous owner’s iTunes password
• Current laptop password
• Wireless network password
• Electric bill and Skype password
• icloud password, all lower case
• Windows login for very old laptop
• iMac password (3 users)
• First iPhone 4 digit passcode
• iTunes password from last year
• 4 year old password
• iTunes password (current) (3 users)
• Old PC password
• Password for “Good” application
• Password used for everything+1234
• 1234 (4 users)
• 12345 (2 users)
• 0000
• Password I use for everything else (2 users)
• One of my husband’s passwords
• Some old non-Apple product password
• Screen passcode of the first iPhone that was backed up (2 users)
• Old password with different case on first letter
• “password” (2 users)
• Windows Administrator password (2 users)
• Original Windows Administrator password
• Mackbook administrator password
• “iphone”+4 digit unlock code
• Voicemail password
• asd
• “herpderp”
• “darwin” (first name from credit card account)
• First name, all lower case
• Ms Exchange account password
• Facebook password
• Browser password
• Network admin password

Nice list, Lawrence! My god, I can't believe this issue is continuing. ITunes needs to warn people about the implications of entering a password for a backup. If it said "This password will be used automatically without prompting for all future backups. Please record it in a safeplace" then people wouldn't continue making the same mistake they've been making since this thread started 7 years ago.

Yes, I've suggested it at Product Feedback - Apple. If all the people here reporting problems did too then it would be fixed.

Same happened to me, I tried to enter all codes: screen unlock, apple ID, Windows, nothing. Then I simply entered my SIM PIN code and it worked. MobileIron was setup on my PC to encrypt my data and the code was the same.

So I don't know if it was the SIM PIN or MobileIron that was used to encrypt the data, just try these two and hope it will help too

1. Yes, the passcode can be saved in your keychain (it's even an option when you first enter the passcode). However, if it is, then iTunes will use it and fill it in automatically and you will not get the password prompt.

bjtitus wrote:

Looking through most of these comments it seems fairly likely that something like #3/#2 is or was happening with these backups. iTunes is probably using the logged in account password as a default for encrypted backups to save a step for users, assuming that they use one password across their Apple devices.

Absolutely not happening. If it was everyone's backup password would be the account password. But that is not the case. There are dozens of different backup passwords that users have discovered will unlock the backup. Are you suggesting that iTunes RANDOMLY chooses a password from all of the passwords in the user's keychain? That is a truly bizarre suggestion. The list of passwords reported in this thread is on the previous page, but I will repeat it here for your convenience. Note that some of these do not exist anywhere on any computer, such as the iPhone unlock passcode:

• First iTunes account password (40 different users)
• Old iTunes account password, but not the oldest one
• Password used for almost all accounts (3 different users)
• All digit Password created a long time ago
• Computer/laptop login password (4 users)
• Laptop password (2 users)
• Computer password (4 users)
• Email password (3 users)
• iTunes with no capital letters
• Password not used anywhere else
• All numeric used in the past
• Password for old gaming site
• PC password (5 users)
• “iphonelogin”
• work computer password
• Current app store password (2 users)
• Paypal account password
• iPad unlock passcode
• Strongest variation of the base password I have ever used
• Old password
• Old work password
• Macbook password (2 users)
• Restriction passcode
• Gmail password (2 users)
• Current Apple ID password (2 users)
• Apple MobileMe password
• Apple ID password, but all lower case (8 users)
• Apple ID password, first one ever used, but all lower case (2 users)
• iPhone passcode when corporate profile was installed
• Passcode for a website
• iPhone screen unlock passcode (9 users)
• iPhone unlock passcode at the time the first backup was made (3 users)
• First password for work computer
• Old password used over 2 years ago (2 users)
• Previous owner’s iTunes password
• Current laptop password
• Wireless network password
• Electric bill and Skype password
• icloud password, all lower case
• Windows login for very old laptop
• iMac password (3 users)
• First iPhone 4 digit passcode
• iTunes password from last year
• 4 year old password
• iTunes password (current) (3 users)
• Old PC password
• Password for “Good” application
• Password used for everything+1234
• 1234 (4 users)
• 12345 (2 users)
• 0000
• Password I use for everything else (2 users)
• One of my husband’s passwords
• Some old non-Apple product password
• Screen passcode of the first iPhone that was backed up (2 users)
• Old password with different case on first letter
• “password”
• Windows Administrator password (2 users)
• Original Windows Administrator password
• Mackbook administrator password
• “iphone”+4 digit unlock code
• Voicemail password
• asd
• “herpderp”
• “darwin” (first name from credit card account)
• First name, all lower case
• Ms Exchange account password
• Facebook password
• Browser password
• Network admin password

To all people having the trouble with the backup pwd,

Actually, as most of you have correctly mentioned, iTunes request a password to restore the backup even though such was never setup. I also wasted about an hour on that but finally figured out.

Here the solution:

1. Connect your current iPhone to iTunes via the USB port.

2. Backup your phone with the "Encrypt iPhone backup" unchecked.

3. Once it's completed, disconnect the current and connect your new iPhone.

4. Click on "Restore Backup..." and select the latest version of your iPhone. Search by name and date.

5. On the popup pwd box, that normally creates all the pain, simply click on "Cancel" and watch the process begin.

6. Enjoy and wait for completion.

Hope Apple will fix that soon or, at least, advice the users how to proceed.

iPhone still best!

Edouard

annikabj wrote:

password is the password it seems

It was for you, because that is what you entered when you were prompted for a backup password the first time you created an encrypted backup. I've compiled a list of passwords that users have reported turned out to be THEIR backup password. It is on the previous page of this thread, but I'll repeat it here for your edification (I note that "password" was only reported once before):

• First iTunes account password (40 different users)
• Old iTunes account password, but not the oldest one
• Password used for almost all accounts (3 different users)
• All digit Password created a long time ago
• Computer/laptop login password (4 users)
• Laptop password (2 users)
• Computer password (4 users)
• Email password (3 users)
• iTunes with no capital letters
• Password not used anywhere else
• All numeric used in the past
• Password for old gaming site
• PC password (5 users)
• “iphonelogin”
• work computer password
• Current app store password (2 users)
• Paypal account password
• iPad unlock passcode
• Strongest variation of the base password I have ever used
• Old password
• Old work password
• Macbook password (2 users)
• Restriction passcode
• Gmail password (2 users)
• Current Apple ID password (2 users)
• Apple MobileMe password
• Apple ID password, but all lower case (8 users)
• Apple ID password, first one ever used, but all lower case (2 users)
• iPhone passcode when corporate profile was installed
• Passcode for a website
• iPhone screen unlock passcode (9 users)
• iPhone unlock passcode at the time the first backup was made (3 users)
• First password for work computer
• Old password used over 2 years ago (2 users)
• Previous owner’s iTunes password
• Current laptop password
• Wireless network password
• Electric bill and Skype password
• icloud password, all lower case
• Windows login for very old laptop
• iMac password (3 users)
• First iPhone 4 digit passcode
• iTunes password from last year
• 4 year old password
• iTunes password (current) (3 users)
• Old PC password
• Password for “Good” application
• Password used for everything+1234
• 1234 (4 users)
• 12345 (2 users)
• 0000
• Password I use for everything else (2 users)
• One of my husband’s passwords
• Some old non-Apple product password
• Screen passcode of the first iPhone that was backed up (2 users)
• Old password with different case on first letter
• “password”
• Windows Administrator password (2 users)
• Original Windows Administrator password
• Mackbook administrator password
• “iphone”+4 digit unlock code
• Voicemail password
• asd
• “herpderp”
• “darwin” (first name from credit card account)
• First name, all lower case
• Ms Exchange account password
• Facebook password
• Browser password
• Network admin password

I had to restore my almost new iphone from an i tunes back up on my computer and I got the same question.

As I didn't recall setting any password I tried everything. Finally i just tried my user pw on my macbook, the one I always use to unlock my macbook and...IT WORKED!! : )

1. On your Mac, go to /Applications/Utilities/ and open Keychain Access app.
2. Under the Keychains section on the left-hand side of the app, select login. You should now see a list of websites and applications that use Keychain Access to store login information. Scroll down through this list until you get to the login item named “iPhone Backup“.

3. Double-click the “iPhone Backup” login item. This will open a new window with more details about your iTunes backup account. From this screen, check the “Show password” checkbox.

4. You will be prompted to enter your Mac OS X user password to authenticate. Once entered, click the Allowbutton to continue.

5. Once that’s done, you’ll return to the previous window showing all the details including the password in plain text. Make a note of it and ensure it’s kept somewhere secure so you can remember it the next time.

NEW UPDATE:

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 back up your current data using iTunes and setting 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.

Jeffro_C wrote:

This happened to me yesterday and it took me hours to figure it out. I had moved from a Mac to a Windows computer last year, and I was thinking that it would be my log in password for iTunes. What actually worked was my log in password for my old Mac.

That's perfectly logical. It will ALWAYS be the password that you entered when prompted for your backup encryption password. You entered it twice, and you chose to enter your Mac login password. It never changes, unless you explicitly check the "Change Password" box. Then you must first enter the password that you entered originally.

Whew! This was a frustrating one. I continue to be mystified by how troublesome it is to do a simple restore from backup on an iPhone. I just had a different issue with my wife's iPhone 7 that took a couple of hours to sort out.

Tonight I had the issue described repeatedly here. Mine was: backed up old 6S Plus so I could plug in new 8 Plus and restore from that fresh backup.

I ultimately found the password to be my iTunes password at the time of the very first backup of the 6S Plus. What I think goes on, and why none of us remember setting a password, is when we set it up we didn't realize we were setting up a password for the backup (and all backups to follow apparently?!) I believe what many of us thought was the system was asking for our iTunes password! I also found this only worked with my phone unlocked.

What a steaming pile of garbage!

I know it's an old discussion, but it's the first result on search engines. Same thing happend here and I was 100% sure I didn't use any password. Try the password of your useraccount on your computer. Worked for me.

This was driving me nuts (for all the same reasons as everyone else mentioned). I hadn't set a password on my back-up. I then tried the admin password from an old Mac (that I no longer use) that must have been used to create the first ever back-up for the phone I was trying to restore (the phone was first backed up years ago). I guess iCloud pushed that password (created years ago) into the cloud and then passed that down to my new Mac when I backed my phone up. As soon as I punched that in it worked. Hope that helps some folks.

I Just Had This Problem Turns Out That Password Is Your Computer Password You Use to Log In To Your Computer