Restoring Backup - Incorrect Password

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 will watch this post to see if anyone from your company responds and explains to me why, i can can use my phone code and apple id to backup with no option for backups, but, cant transfer because of an encryption pass word from many devices and passwords ago. please make me look like i have missed something silly

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!

i will be moving away from apple, anyway as of question of this post, try every password from every pc, if not working pay for extra for storage in icloud then backup and restore using icloud, it works....great product but so annoyed of wasted time when my id or passcode for phone should have been enough...also not chuffed had to reset iwatch so please sort this out.....most of all i found this post by google search so as being an official apple forum please respond as i am sure others will find this post, i could be wrong so you could set other customers straight or applogise to us

sharky3456, I know this is an old post, but I just came across this issue myself, and you were on point!

This is crazy as ****!, but trying all of my EXTRA OLD passwords actually worked.

How the heck I remembered them all, is beyond me, but I remembered the one that apparently worked.

SMDH at Apple.

Hi I got same problem I took a backup of my phone on 26/01/2018 7:08 pm and today I got a new phone and I am trying to restore my backup it’s asking for a password when I give password it’s keeps telling me incorrect password although I am giving correct password please help me guys it will be highly appreciated

Fixed it! So when dealing with this Encrypted Password mess, I tried every password I could remember (without any luck). Then I tried this “If you can’t remember the password for your encrypted backup” reset trick. Your phone MUST have iOS 11 or higher. It’s sounds scary, but I didn’t really lose any information or apps during this whole process. I say “really” since it didn’t allow me to transfer my email passwords, so I had to set them up again, but that was easy to do afterwards.

Go to Settings> General> Reset> Reset All Settings, then enter your phone’s iOS passcode (you’re everyday multi-digit homescreen unlock code). Follow the Reset Settings. It won’t affect your user data or passwords, but it will reset settings like brightness, Home screen layout, and wallpaper. It also removes that dreaded encrypted backup password. Once your phone restarts, the check will be gone, and you can sync it normally again to create a unencrypted backup. Use that to transfer your old phone’s contacts, and everything else to your new iPhone by selecting the “Restore from Backup” button on your phones iTunes phone summary screen.

Here’s the link to the Apple page where it talks about it under the title “If you can’t remember the password for your encrypted backup”

(toward the bottom of the page). https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205220

Good luck and I hope this helps!

Your phone MUST have iOS 11 or higher.

Nope, you MUST have a backup in iCloud that you can restore after the reset, and of course some way of getting back any media or data that isn't stored in iCloud. More detailed advice can be found in Disable iOS backup encryption.

tt2

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

Thank you!

was driving me nuts

It is the encrypted backup password. You obviously reused your 4-digit restrictions passcode when you set it up. Someone else could have used any of their other common passwords, or something unique. The main problem with this feature is that you can set it up and then not need the password for several years, making it much more likely that you'll forget your unforgettable password. There is also no direct reset mechanism, however backup to iCloud and restore seems to be a reasonable workaround.

tt2

Ok i went through the hassle of creating this account mainly to say my displeasure on swapping phones from old iphone to new.

Like many others i must have took a backup encrypted many pcs and passwords ago. I tried everything and cannot get my old phone backup restored to my new(fxxxxing password is never right), like many other people i change pc's and passwords and cannot remember what i used 3 years ago, even harder working in IT and dealing with many passwords and devices....all i can say apple get a grip i know my pin i know my apple id and pass(Never thought i would have to keep account of anything else), i can create the back up np on my password protected pc that i authorised with my apple id and entered my phone code... and you want me to remember a password from years ago ***. anyway i purchased more storage in icloud and will try backup and restore from that....***....it does not work then apple you can go to fxxxx i will never purchase again and give this advice to anyone who asks

This is a user to user support forum. Apple don't generally participate although there is a small team that may post links to support documents where applicable. If you've barely used your additional iCloud storage capacity, and no longer need it, you could approach Apple Support for a pro-rata refund. While I agree it would be much more convenient if your Apple ID could always be used to lock or unlock backup encryption the system works as advertised.

tt2

I had the same issue and tried every password on this list and that I could think of... I was totally at wit's end after 2 days and finally had my boyfriend start trying his passwords just in case (we do family sharing). Turned out MY iPhone backup was locked by HIS iTunes password on MY computer. He has never backed up his phone or used his iTunes account on my computer and vice versa... That is just strange. Good thing we are still a couple and hope this helps others!!!

Like others have said.... Try every password you can and don't forget anyone else's passwords with family sharing!

Its a password that you probably used with your first iPhone or Apple device. In my case, it was a password that I used for my iPhone 3G almost ten years ago. When you set an encryption password, it stays with you until you decide to change it. Just try and remember the passwords you might have used when you got your first iphone. I find that most people used their first itunes password as their encryption password.