Restoring Backup - Incorrect Password

In my opinion, fromsouth gave the correct reference ...

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS5162

This article made me realize it could be any of several previous passwords; for me, it was my hard drive encryption password ... I would never thought of that one. Keep trying folks.

Someone remind me in two years to change the Encryption password before my final backup before loading my new iPhone 6S.

I fixed this problem. I never set my iphone backups to be encrypted. But after ios7 upgrade, iTunes kept prompting me for a password to restore my iphone backup (argggg!).

I tried my Apple ID password: No.

I tried my MacOS "user" password: No.

Tried my iphone's unlock passcode: No.

Then I found a video on youtube that gave me a big hint. Video is called "After Updating iPhone to iOS 7 How to Restore iTunes Backup Password".

This told me there is a SEPARATE "iTunes backup password" that iTunes must have prompted me to set a long time ago.

So I tried a bunch of passwords I have used in the past, and after about 5 tries, I typed the matching password and the restore started and completed.

The video claims there's a program to recover the "itunes backup pw", but I didn't need to go there (since I eventually got a match).

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS5162

Just chiming in like the 14,000 other people this has happened to. Like most of you I didn't remember doing this at all and thought it was some crazy Apple shenanigans. Quite frankly in the end, I just got lucky. Here was my adventure...

1. Backup old iPhone 6 to iTunes in preparation for new iPhone 7.

2. Get new iPhone (yay!) and try to restore from old backup.

3. Get an error regarding iOS versions...no biggie, update both phones to same iOS.

4. Restore from backup, easy right? Nope, get that lovely password error...poo.

5. Spend the next hour throwing every password ever at it (even tried my old MySpace one) - no dice.

6. Call Apple. Rep professionally holds back laughter telling me I'm screwed.

7. Start iCloud backup with old phone so I can restore via iCloud...says it will ONLY take 12 hours...lovely.

8. Save the 10GB iPhone backup folder to a hard drive and try to use a PC program to crack that turd.

9. Brute force cracker runs for hours...this is going to take weeks.

10. Since the other options are going to take weeks let's try throwing more passwords at iTunes hoping for a miracle.

11. Miracle happens, phone restored...whew!

Password ended up being my original password for my Apple ID...I think. I'm not sure honestly because I've had to change that password 3 or 4 times. I'm sure I chose encryption in the past even though I don't remember doing it. The reason being is that little window others have shared. The whole, "If you don't encrypt your backup you won't get all your crap restored because we're worried Putin is going to steal your iPhone data" screen. So like I said before, I just got lucky. Thankfully it doesn't appear there's a limit on how many times you can guess your password so keep trying, and good luck!

That brute force cracker is still running as we speak. I'm going to let it finish just to see how long it takes, lol!

It sounds like you encrypted your backup on iTunes which has its own password in that case.

This happens often & many don't realize they've done this until they run a restore.

Please see to further explain:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205220

Also prompted to join and post because of this ridiculous issue.

TL:DR - try all your old passwords, one will work.

It's such a cognitive dissonance to reset your apple ID but then try to log in to restore your phone using said apple ID and it being an old password. Clowny!

You cannot copy an obfuscated password from one dialog box to another, and you would surely have known what the original password was that you were copying. Have you managed to set the encryption password to something like ******** ? (A string of stars, not a rude word that has been hidden by the nanny filters.)

The only way to turn off backup encryption is with the password that was entered, or wipe the device and start from scratch. The setting is stored on the device itself. The password might be blank, or any computer, Apple ID, Wi-Fi password or device PIN that you've used in the past, working from the assumption that you might have reused a common password that you were using when you activated encryption.

There is software that can apparently break the encryption password by brute force but I've no idea which of these products works or represents good value for money.

You can also try backing up your device to iCloud, then later restore from it. It isn't clear if this process removes the encryption lock when backing up to iTunes, it is perhaps unlikely but at least you have a backup and restore method that you can use.

tt2

This password has nothing to do with our apple id password. It is something you have entered for encrypted back up during first back up. Please try your regularly used passwords to unlock

I just had the problem and I entered my 4-digit restrictions passcode and it is working

The Apple team needs to fix this as it is totally unclear which passowrd it is referring to - itunes pswd? device pswd? restrictions pswd? Please make the dialogue box in Itunes more clear !

I had the exact same issue. Since I just spent an hour guessing passwords (panic mode 2 days before vacation), I have decided now's a good time to register for a forum user name, post my pains + solutions, and give back to the community.

The earlier post is right on the fact that it's related to an old iOS7 update and encryption password either auto set or prompted/recommended the users at the time to set. The only reason I say this with somewhat confidence is that I use to own a Macbook Pro 2013 given to me from work, where my iPad mini (first gen) was first synced to iTunes (Christmas of 2013). Although I don't recall doing it specifically, I must have entered the MBP2013 work password when this iOS7 update / encryption prompt was first introduced around end of 2013. Before I left that job, I used time machine to backup my configurations and apps, then restored the time machine onto a new MBP Retina. This password probably got restored in the process. Now, I haven't worked at the old company for a year, and after an hour of nonstop guessing on my Retina's iTunes, this old work password unlocked it!

Moral of the story, if you used time machine and restored from an old MBP, try some passwords from that time period in your life!

Good luck everyone.

Boom! Thank you! This was mine too.

So if you have FileVault on, or any HDD encryption, and your backup is saved to your harddrive rather than cloud; it'll be encrypted with your harddrive encryption password!

Had same problem, ITunes wouldn't restore back-up because password was incorrect.

I had not entered a password to protect the back-up, and I was very sure about the correct Apple ID password as I had just used it to initiate the IOS update.

Solution was to use an old password, I guess the one which was connected to my Apple ID when I first installed ITunes on my PC or something.

Really lucky I remembered the old one (so much for using similar passwords, perhaps not good for security, but it saved the day for me 😉 )

This was by the far the scariest thing to me. I tried my Apple ID password, my MAC air password with no luck. i

But when I tried my old iTunes password from 10 years ago? *ding ding ding* password correct! (restore in progress) *phew*

Ran into this same problem. For me, my macbook password worked, which does not make sense. I just remember that my macbook's itunes was the first time I had connected my iPhone 6 to the itunes many moons back. Gave me a scare, phew!!!

I had that very problem. And read Sharky3456, and it got me thinking... so I started looking at all the passwords I had stored. Mine was encrypted and I had it saved with some other Apple passwords. Check all your lists because this is one of those that they tell you to write down and then you only use it when you need it. It is NOT your phone pin, your apple ID password, your computer password or anything else you can think of. This is a one time written down when you were setting up your phone password. So check where you keep such things and you might find it.