buckeye89

Q: 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

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Q: Lost Password to iPhone Backup

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  • by BCGramma,

    BCGramma BCGramma Oct 10, 2016 5:57 PM in response to Jessi Hance
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iTunes
    Oct 10, 2016 5:57 PM in response to Jessi Hance

    Thank you. I was about to panic, but you advice worked!

  • by redwine49,

    redwine49 redwine49 Oct 11, 2016 1:40 PM in response to Lawrence Finch
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Oct 11, 2016 1:40 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

    In an earlier post you said that you can delete the backup and the file and that this would enable you to create a new backup either unencrypted or with a new encryption password. Can you walk me through this please? Also Elcomsoft's trial version doesn't seem to be free. Thanks

  • by redwine49,

    redwine49 redwine49 Oct 12, 2016 6:51 AM in response to Lawrence Finch
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Oct 12, 2016 6:51 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

    Update. I found your previous post on how to delete backup and the folder, deleted both. I went back to itunes to create a new backup and it still has the encrypted password. I've tried to use the free trial version of Elcomsoft but it won't work without you purchasing the 79.00 full version.

  • by Lawrence Finch,

    Lawrence Finch Lawrence Finch Oct 12, 2016 8:07 AM in response to redwine49
    Level 8 (38,286 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 12, 2016 8:07 AM in response to redwine49

    You can only create a new unencrypted backup by setting up the phone as New. Any backup of a phone that contains data that had been part of a previous backup will remain encrypted. I have not found any way to create an unencrypted backup of data that has been previously backed up encrypted.

  • by redwine49,

    redwine49 redwine49 Oct 12, 2016 8:22 AM in response to Lawrence Finch
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Oct 12, 2016 8:22 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

    Thanks, that leaves me with one option, a password cracker. Can you recommend another product with a free trial that would give me the first 2-3 characters since Elcosoft doesn't offer the trial version anymore?

  • by Lawrence Finch,

    Lawrence Finch Lawrence Finch Oct 12, 2016 8:41 AM in response to redwine49
    Level 8 (38,286 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 12, 2016 8:41 AM in response to redwine49

    Elcomsoft is the only one that I've encountered that actually works. And in addition, it only works if you are not in the habit of using long passwords (>8 characters).

  • by slatermac,

    slatermac slatermac Oct 12, 2016 1:31 PM in response to wjosten
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Oct 12, 2016 1:31 PM in response to wjosten

    where is the reply or official response from Apple??  This is obviously a big issue for multiple people and nobody (including everyone that works at the apple store I am at now) know about this or how to get it working.  Support your products Apple!

  • by Lawrence Finch,

    Lawrence Finch Lawrence Finch Oct 12, 2016 1:37 PM in response to slatermac
    Level 8 (38,286 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 12, 2016 1:37 PM in response to slatermac

    This is a user-to-user technical support forum. Apple is not present here. I have already told you the options; Apple isn't going to say anything different. Apple has provided this information on encrypted backups: About encrypted backups in iTunes - Apple Support

     

    If you can't remember your backup passcode and can't guess it (you get unlimited guesses) then you cannot restore the encrypted backup. If you want to try guessing uncheck the "Encrypt backup" in iTunes and you will be prompted immediately. If you are like most people it is a passcode that you have used elsewhere or in the past.

  • by peterbr_,

    peterbr_ peterbr_ Oct 12, 2016 2:00 PM in response to slatermac
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Oct 12, 2016 2:00 PM in response to slatermac

    There are two options, open up a developers account ( don't choose the payed for one!!) and file a bug or give feedback on the product page.

  • by peterbr_,

    peterbr_ peterbr_ Oct 12, 2016 2:04 PM in response to Lawrence Finch
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Oct 12, 2016 2:04 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

    Laurence it time to back off, you are as helpful as a chocolate teapot on this issue.

    Given the enormous amount of people having issues there clearly is a problem in the way the password is obtained. It is certainly not clear to very many people, that in itself is already an issue and an important reason to change the use dialogue when setting up a backup.

    Just regurgitating her win the forum that it is the user that set the pasword is far from helpful ( politely phrased ).

  • by Lawrence Finch,

    Lawrence Finch Lawrence Finch Oct 12, 2016 2:04 PM in response to peterbr_
    Level 8 (38,286 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 12, 2016 2:04 PM in response to peterbr_

    it's not a bug. It is working the way it was designed to work. If there was any way to bypass the encryption then there would be no point in having encrypted backups.

  • by Lawrence Finch,

    Lawrence Finch Lawrence Finch Oct 12, 2016 2:17 PM in response to peterbr_
    Level 8 (38,286 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 12, 2016 2:17 PM in response to peterbr_

    The basic fact is that the user entered a passcode (whether they remember doing so or not). If you read the thread and similar ones you will see that hundreds of users have solved the problem by simply guessing passcodes that they have used in the past until they found the right one. That method really works. Another one that works if you back up to a Mac is to open the Keychain app; if you had checked the box in the dialog the passcode will be there. Yet another is to buy Elcomsoft's password cracker. It's a good solution if your backup data is worth $79 and you are not in the habit of using very strong passcodes.

     

    This is the dialog that iTunes displays when you first encrypt a backup:

    EncryptBackupDialog.png

    Note that if you don't read it carefully you may think it is iTunes asking for your iTunes passcode. So that's the one to start with; the current one and any previous ones. Another popular passcode that people have entered is their screen unlock passcode. And your computer or domain login passcode. Again, with history. If you have an MS Exchange account on your iOS device there's a good chance your IT Administrator required encrypted backups; in that case it may be a domain password from the time the Exchange account was first installed on the device.

  • by slatermac,

    slatermac slatermac Oct 12, 2016 2:57 PM in response to Lawrence Finch
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Oct 12, 2016 2:57 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

    Got that...  My point was that the design of allowing users to enter a password that can _never_be_recovered_ is insane and should not have a work around of using a password cracker to get access.  Apple should have a graceful way of allowing users to recover credentials or simplify this process my using the phone passcode or itunes password.  That is the simplicity and elegance of design that I expected from Apple.

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