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buckeye89 Author

Level 2

329 points

Lost Password to iPhone Backup

Actually, I don't recall ever setting one. Now however, I have a new phone and cannot restore it from the backup, as there it prompts me for a password I don't have! I tried all the ones I've used for my iPhone and pretty much every other one of which I can think, all to no avail. I need the data in the back up. But I can't get to it. I've already tried the keychain route to no avail. Does anyone have any suggestions? I have a MacBook Pro running Mac OSX 10.6.7 and iTunes 10.2.2. The iPhone is an iPhone 4.

iPhone 4

Posted on May 31, 2011 9:28 PM

Top-ranking reply

pshute

Level 1

62 points

Posted on May 3, 2018 4:29 PM

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.

View in context

1,060 replies

jmon71

Level 1

8 points

Mar 6, 2017 9:18 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

It is definitely some bug. So my iPhone 6s died, that's another story. Got a new iPhone 7. Came home, went direct to a restore at menu, the setup menu. password fail. I know the password, have it saved in an encrypted app(pwsafe). Freak out, try a slew of passwords that I use, basically variations, then home screen lock password, apple account pin, apple account password. I give up. Setup iPhone as new. I noted the sw version was old, prompted for updating the iPhone. After update, in iTunes i choose a restore. My first and recorded password works! My itunes was at latest version, the new phone was older....

Anyway, not sure if that was it. Or not. There were a few disconnects/reconnects.

Oh and the prior evening, my phone screen and audio were dead, and I tried a restore-same orginal passwrd used worked there so I KNEW (2x based on working and my recording of said password in pwsafe) i had the correct password.

Super annoying, and I want the 30 minutes back and 30 minutes of freak out stress that was avoidable taken back as well.

Mar 17, 2017 1:36 AM in response to buckeye89

Try the iPhone's passcode. I tried everything all of my ID passwords but it never came to me mind the us the iPhone's passcode. and it worked!!! if you know the password now just uncheck the encrypt backup option and you'll be done!

Mar 29, 2017 2:54 PM in response to buckeye89

This is very weird because I honestly don't remember putting a password to lock my back up. I made a LONG list of possible passwords that could maybe work. NONE of them worked. I tried all of them again just in case. Nothing worked. Then I tried leaving my phone unlocked while entering the PWs. I tried all my passwords again. Oddly enough, I was able to decrypt the iPhone back up with the password I use to unlock my laptop!! What?! I know for a fact that I have NEVER used this password for any app, phone, email, nothing, just and only my laptop! Then I backed up my phone again without the encryption. I really hope this works for those who have this issue. Apple needs to fix this now!

Apr 1, 2017 12:15 PM in response to buckeye89

Ok. I have had this problem too. I spent 2 hours sorting this. Firstly, go to the most recent backup WITHOUT encryption.

Then backup.

Download everything again.

Voila! It works!

I dont know if it will for you. But it did for me 😉

Apr 10, 2017 2:12 PM in response to buckeye89

had this problem too and was banging head against wall. i did not choose to set any password as far as i remember.

anyway, i found my solution: it was the computer password (my user password on my mac) on my previous computer, which the phone at some point must have sync'd with. it was not AppleID pw or iPhone unlock code. hope that helps.

Apr 11, 2017 8:28 AM in response to dogpatch415

Dears,

Yesterday I backup my iPhone, but however, this backup has encripted without my purpose. I am 100% sure that I did not creat a Password.

Although I tried all possible passwords (for four hours) that I used to use in my all life, none of them worked.

I searched in internet, in universal forums and understood that it is a common problem of people. I waited 1 day, and tried just once more my latest icloud password and it worked. And this password was one of several trials in first attempts of previous day.

I am sure it is software problem of itunes. Hope this experience helps.

Apr 11, 2017 8:35 AM in response to Mustafa Uyar

Mustafa Uyar wrote:

I am 100% sure that I did not creat a Password.

I am 100% sure that you DID create a password, and just forgot that you did. Technologically it is impossible for iTunes to enter a password for you, as the password does not exist in any unencrypted form on your computer. Probably a password prompt came up when you made a backup, and you naturally entered the first password that came to mind without reading the dialog carefully.

ENERMELO

Level 1

4 points

Apr 13, 2017 7:53 AM in response to buckeye89

HI AT THE SAME FASHION I WAS ALMOST MAD ABOUT DE PASSWORD BACKUP RESTORE MY IPHONE 5, I'VE TRIED ALL PASSWORDS, ALL BUT NONE OF THOSE WORKS FOR ME. I DID SOMETHING THAT COULD HELP YOU. RUN ITUNES AS ADMINITRATOR THEN CREATE (ENCRYP IPHONE BACKUP) PASSWORD AND GOOD IT WORKS FOR ME. AFTER THAT I COULD RESTORE THE BACKUP FOR MY IPHONE 5

Apr 14, 2017 1:53 PM in response to buckeye89

Wow, so many people having the same problem for several years! I found my solution from Rakso's reply on 2/14/13...the clue was to try a password that I used way back when I first bought the phone. That was a couple of years ago but it worked for me.

Apr 26, 2017 1:15 AM in response to unclefungus

Thanks, unclefungus. I'd totally forgotten about the Wi Fi–USB conflict. I turned off Wi Fi on my Mac, unplugged the Lightning cable from the iPhone, plugged it back in, and iTunes automatically started restoring the backup. Thanks for helping restore my phone, and my sanity!

Apr 27, 2017 3:52 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

Almost 80% of the people here are saying that they didn't create any password while taking the backup. Then how can they forget it?

I took the backup of my brother's phone and didn't enter any password and I really trust my memory. Because I tried to restore everything in my iphone just after few minutes and it started asking for password. Million times I tried all my passwords that are possible, tried the data unlocker software but they are asking for $199 which I can't give them.

Its been 4 days, I'm trying every evening after work to see if something can work. Because I lost all data of my brother's phone and don't want him to suffer for this stupid ****.
Offcourse apple support can't help you because even the people sitting there are not that qualified and techy guys to help you in anyway. They're just given a list of instructions to follow when any customer asks for any query. And this was told by your apple customer support guy (so I'm not faking it).

Really you guys are coming with so many advancements and can't solve a single problem of 40% of your customers. Then what are you charging a bomb from us for?

Apr 27, 2017 9:51 AM in response to gettinggood

You need to retake math. 40% of customers? Meaning that 400 million customers have this problem?

The only people posting here are people who forgot their password. Not the whole universe of over 1 billion iOS devices. If you can forget a password it's just as likely that you can forget entering one. Especially as you may have entered it years ago.

6ermann

Level 1

4 points

Apr 27, 2017 5:38 PM in response to buckeye89

I have a iPhone 6 Plus and my son was updating 10.3.1 and loaded my files to his computer. We can't put my 1300 photos, notes and Birthday Amp back on my phone because I don't remember my password.

We were able to reload contacts so have my phone numbers back. Any thoughts

Apr 29, 2017 6:13 AM in response to Geshanchanu

Hi same problem, I don't ever remember setting one. None of the above worked but what did was the password to my computer so perhaps I did. Try using the password to the computer that you backed your phone up too.

Apr 30, 2017 6:40 PM in response to buckeye89

Definitely a software glitch. After struggling for hours putting in hundreds of passwords, we figured it out. We have never encrypted a back-up with a password. iTunes' software took our Apple ID, removed the uppercases, and automatically set that as our password. That worked. A password that has never been used before somehow became our password due to poor coding. Fix your code, Apple. Not acceptable.

Lost Password to iPhone Backup