Lost Password to iPhone Backup

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.

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.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS TIP! It works!!

Disable WiFi and type in your iTunes pw!!

.. try using all old passwords from your iCloud account.

Same problem, couldn’t log into my iCloud my on iPhone because “ONE TIME forever ago” I guess I clicked on “encrypt iPhone backup” I don’t ever suggest doing this! (For keeping health ect. Encrypted) Kept saying incorrect password!!

Finally after going through a ton of old passwords I finally got it.

You have 70 pages of help on this forum with several recommendations about passwords you can try. Unless you can figure out what the password is, you won't be able to use the backup. Do you have an iCloud backup of your device? If so, use that instead.

GB

I am no expert in such situations, and that is why I have spent the last 5 hours trying to find out how to restore my backup with a password I either didn't create or I forgot... still, I tried all the possible passwords I am using and have used in the past but with no success. The only backup available from iTunes WITHOUT a password was one from 2016, so all of the new data, pictures, messages of the past 2 years where gone.

I went through all of your posts, YouTube channels, etc, trying to figure out what to do and finally decided (by some strange faith) to check Keychain Access, and there I found the password I have apparently used for a backup made back in 2016 - I don't even remember creating one, but I did and it worked finally!

Now, I am not sure why Apple is not suggesting among all of the options it offers to also check Keychain where you might find your forgotten passwords? Instead you are warned that "There is no way to recover your information or turn off Encrypt Backup if you lose or forget the password." !!?

Perhaps Apple has this information somewhere, hope I just missed it? But if it really is not there, then Apple, PLEASE do include all the possible options/suggestions available, this was a very time consuming and irritating experience, and by what I read below here, I can see I was not the only one finding it hard to find my way around... Thank you.

Dear All

These are all the possible solutions i found and tried. Something worked for me and I am sure if you don't give up, I am sure something will work for you too.

• Your Apple ID password
• Your system password
• Your iphone/ipad/ipod password
• Please try all of your Apple ID/Mac/System/device passwords you have ever kept (this worked for me)
• 1234/0000

Hey there,

Usually the password that apple requires for the backup is the security passcode that you have set on your lock screen

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.

If you look at the post immediately above yours you will see a list of passcodes that other users have discovered.

I suggest reading the thread you have posted to; it would be quite enlightening. There is no "default backup password" - if the password was 987654321 that's because whoever made the first encrypted backup entered that password - twice. I've also catalogued many of the passwords that people have discovered was the one they entered, and none of them are 987654321.

Panoszokxviii wrote:

Hey there,

Usually the password that apple requires for the backup is the security passcode that you have set on your lock screen

That is absolutely not true. Apple doesn't "require" anything. The passcode for the backup is whatever the user who first made the backup chose. See my post in the middle of this page for a lot of examples.

There are 72 pages of helpful comments in this thread. I suggest reading just a few of them.

The phone didn't have a passcode on it, so maybe there is some mechanism that tells it to produce somebody cloning a phone while the person is in another room.

Seriously?

Let me ask again... how much more proof do those who can't recall putting a password in place need?

It need not have been in those few minutes. It could have been created initially years ago and has been carried forward.

Several users have come back to this thread, telling us they "found" their password after all.

It is accepted that we all forget stuff. I forget stuff. We all do. We are human.

However, when I am told this...

I then take an absurd amount of care to store that password somewhere safe. I was told in no uncertain terms it is my responsibility. "no way" is pretty clear. I don't blow past dialogs of valuable information and warnings. And if I ever do, and I will admit I have... I take responsibility for my actions.

This thread has many accusations of Apple inserting passwords secretly in to iTunes backups without the user's knowledge or permission.