Cannot restore because the backup was corrupt or not compatible

I was having the same issue with my new iPhone. Updated the software on the new phone and it worked fine. Thank you for all the helpful replies.

If an alert says that your backup is corrupt or incompatible

If iTunes can't restore from a backup because the backup is corrupt or incompatible, you won't be able to use that backup. Contact Apple Support.

Yep. Apple needs to get on this. After buying the $1,000 iPhone X and even though it was shipped brand new to me directly from the factory in China, it showed up with an out of date iOS. So I basically had to set it up manually, then go into settings, check for an update and then update to the latest iOS. THEN, and only then, I cab go back and restore to get it to back up my phone. Not exactly a great customer experience.

When I got the dreaded "cannot restore because backup is corrupt or not compatible" message as I was trying last night and this morning to transfer all my info from my old iPhone 6 to my new iPhone 8, I spent hours trying EVERY thing mentioned in this thread and others related to the topic and NOTHING worked. So I finally coughed up the $30 and bought the Decipher Backup Repair. Within just a few minutes, the corrupted backup had been fixed and the restore finally worked and my new phone was up and running. I agree with others here who can't believe Apple doesn't offer their own fix for this apparently very common issue.

Exactly, Chris. It's a compatibility issue which makes sense, since new phones aren't shipped out with the latest update. Thus, it's almost always likely the former device will be on a different and more recently updated version.

Simply update the device when you purchase it, which is wise regardless.

Also faced the same issue re: corrupted backup. Ended up having to purchase Decipher Backup Repair to solve the problem as well. Outrageous that Apple isn't able to help on this one.

Hi guys, if you read above and via prior posts, this simply means update your new device prior to restoring it from your former ones so everything is compatible ~

Restoring from an iTunes or iCloud backup when a later version of iOS is required - Apple Support

Solution: Update your iPhone to the latest version first, using iTunes. Then you should be able to restore the backup.

In case you get the "The iphone could not restore because the iphone disconnected." at random times during the restore, make sure, that there is no USB hub (e.g. external screen or docking station) in between the computer and the phone. Also, a new USB cable might be the solution.

Hard to believe how incredibly unhelpful those error messages are. No wonder >3000 other people have indicated here that they had the same problem.

I don't want to know what would have happened if my old phone, which I lost, would have been on a different version than the one that I bought new and the current version.

Thanks linfaTN and everyone else here for your help!

Oh, and it seems that the "sync over WiFi" option did not work, so I lost all data since the last USB based backup.

Late response to this I know, but in case new users see this, I wanted to correct something vital to help others.

Regarding the password that was on your backup in your personal computer, only you could have set that up. It's called an encrypted backup. It's offered in the iTunes app you installed locally to your computer, upon backing up your devices.

You simply forgot it, as you probably backed up the first time ages ago. Very common for users to forget this, as it's rarely needed and we all tend to click boxes without reading carefully. I never encrypt mine. My Apple ID security for iTunes is plenty for me, and I already have numerous passwords I have to remember.

With this in mind, future forum users, please note that if you encrypt your backup with a password in iTunes, you must remember it. No one can recover that, and if you cannot recall what it is, there is no way to restore a backup that is encrypted. The encryption password is rarely needed and in turn, easily forgotten. Best practice if you elect to encrypt your backups is to write the password down somewhere safe & somewhere you know you'll be able to reference for a long time.

Hope this helps prevent any frustrations and surprises in the future ~

SOLUTION!!! I had the same issue when I last updated my iPhone 6S as I was about to get the X. Tried everything that was suggested and no luck until I did a Google search to find the corrupted files and came across a great app that was only $29 and it worked perfectly!!

https://deciphertools.com/

Lifesaver!

Don't buy any 3rd party software. Most of the time this can be fixed with updating both devices.

Indeed, it is astounding that Apple sells a $1400 phone (the iPhone X) with outdated iOS which creates headaches in setting it up. With absolutely no guidance or instructions to update iOS before restoring from another backup. I spent over a day figuring this out as i struggled to use my new iphone, requiring me to carry my old and new phone for the day, as the old had the apps and data but no longer cell signal which had migrated to the new phone. Apple is a real low-quality control organization across the board.

Who do you think you're talking to?

You need to take a moment, then call Apple

Yes, you are absolutely correct! I received a "itunes could not restore the iphone because the backup was corrupt or not compatible with the iphone that is being restored" message when going from an iPhone 6S+ 128G to the newest 7S+ 256G. After several failed attempts I googled the message and came to this forum and tried your suggestion. It worked like a charm! After updating the iOS on the 7S, the phone then restored from the saved backup, no problem! Thank you so much for your helpful suggestion!