How do I delete encrypted iPhone Backup so I can make a new, unencrypted one

Just found out that Apple did the right thing in iOS 11 by allowing you to reset the password for new backups...

See here - About encrypted backups in iTunes - Apple Support

It's not asking to de-crypt an already encrypted backup, but to start again with a new, completely full backup and a new password.

I already have access to my phone and don't care about decrypting old backups, just let me start again. Every backup software be it enterprise or personal let's me do this without compromising any existing encrypted backups.

If I erase my phone and set it up as new, I presume that means I would have to reenter all of my contacts, reminders, notes, etc, and download all of my apps manually? As opposed to restoring from an iCloud backup?

monk1995 wrote:

If I erase my phone and set it up as new, I presume that means I would have to reenter all of my contacts, reminders, notes, etc, and download all of my apps manually? As opposed to restoring from an iCloud backup?

The answer is a little complicated. You can SYNC a lot of data to iCloud. On the phone go to iCloud settings. There are a bunch of switches (Mail, Contact, Calendars, Reminders, etc). If you turn these switches On the associated contents of each of these apps will sync to iCloud in real time. You can view them by logging in to https://icloud.com using any browser, and sync them to your iPad, Mac or PC, so all of your devices will have the same data. Anything that you sync this way is not part of any backup (iCloud or iTunes). If you erase your phone and set it up as New as soon as you log in to iCloud all of this information will sync back to your phone. You would still have to download your apps manually, and you would lose any app data that was not saved on the app provider's cloud. You could also create a new, unencrypted iTunes backup.

If you back up to and restore from an iCloud backup you will not lose anything. It could be slower, however, if you don't have a fast Internet connection.

Hi, open iTunes, go to preferences then click on the "devices" iPhone image.

There you will see your backup. Click on it once, then click delete and it is gone.

Yes, the backup will be gone, but if you create a new backup it will still be encrypted with the same password.

simon1973 wrote:

Can anyone tell me how I can get to being able to do a new, unencrypted iPhone (6) backup after having forgotten my password ?

You will have to erase your phone, set it up as New. Then you can create an unencrypted backup. If it was possible to create an unencrypted backup after saying you wanted backups to be encrypted there would be no point in ever encrypting a backup.

You can't use an encrypted backup if you don't have the password. If you forgot your password, the only way to turn off backup encryption on your device is to erase your device and set up as new. Erasing removes all data from your device. If you don't want to erase your device, restore from an iCloud backup instead.

I am having the same issue, is it possible to recover the password at all??? Like you would with Apple ID passwords?

1. open iTunes
2. connect your device
3. probably the automatic sync will start, you can stop it or wait until it is finished (otherwise the next steps aren't possible/are grayed-out)
4. delete the old backup from the iTunes preferences under devices
5. go to the overview page of the device in iTunes, where you can choose between iCloud and local backup
6. uncheck the encryption option
7. push the button for making a new backup
   1. [set a new password for the new backup for backing up health, login and other critical account data]
   2. [push the button for making a new backup again]
8. now you have a new backup [with a new password] for transfer on another device

That simply won't work. You cannot uncheck the Encrypt Backup unless you wipe the phone and set it up as new.

It would have been nice if you had tried what you suggest before posting it.

There is no way to recover the passcode, because it isn't stored anywhere except on the phone where it is encrypted. You get unlimited guesses, however. So uncheck "Encrypt Backup" in iTunes, because it will prompt you immediately. It is most likely a password you have used in the past.

It's only a shame if you don't value data security. It's a very important feature of iOS devices, and one that the FBI is trying to get Apple to remove.