Recover a Lost Encrypted Backup Password for an iPhone, iPad, & iPod touch
iOS devices can use an optional encrypted backup feature that protects all backups with a strong encryption layer and password, meaning those backups are both unusable and unreadable without that password. If you chose to encrypt the backups of an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with such a password and then somehow forgot the password to those backups, you may have an option available to recover it and then regain access to those backups for recovery and general usage.
This is not guaranteed to work for everyone because it depends on the usage of Keychain in Mac OS X, which not everyone uses, but it should be the first thing to check if you wind up in such a situation either yourself, or when troubleshooting someone else’s missing encrypted backup password. In most cases this must be done on the computer that the backups were made to, unless the user had enabled iCloud Keychain, which it would then be possible on any machine using the same Apple ID. Either way, here is what needs to be done to attempt to recover a lost encrypted backup password:
How to Recover a Forgotten or Lost iPhone Backup Password
This works to recover a forgotten or lost iOS backup password made in iTunes, it’s the same whether the device backup is for an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Here are the necessary steps to find the backup password:
- Open Keychain Access, found in /Applications/Utilities/
- Use the Search box in the upper right corner and type “iphone backup”
- Double click the result, assuming something is found in Keychain
- Check the box next to “Show password” and enter the Mac administrator password to reveal the lost password associated with the encrypted iPhone backup
- Make note of the password, then close out of Keychain Access
Now you can go back to iTunes and use that recovered password to use the encrypted backup through the normal restoring from a backup process.
If nothing related to the iOS backup shows up in Keychain Access, you’re kind of out of luck in terms of accessing the encrypted backups unless you can somehow guess their password. The encryption is extremely secure (as it should be), and thus can’t be circumvented in any reasonable manner that is available to a human.
What if there is no password recovery option for the encrypted backups?
If the above trick doesn’t reveal the backup password, it doesn’t mean the iOS device is suddenly unusable, but it does mean that it must be used either in it’s current state, or reset to factory defaults and then set up as a new device without restoring from the encrypted backup, which basically treats it like a brand new phone.
iCloud backups may still be available as well, as accessible through an Apple ID, but that’s also not guaranteed since not everyone uses the iCloud backup service.
It’s important to point out that this is specifically for accessing the password protected encrypted backups made from iTunes, and this is not going to have any impact on lost passcodes set on the device itself, or any other security measures that were taken to lock down the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, through a third party encryption service or otherwise.
Thank you! I was able to find my password in keychain access as “iOS backup”. Spent a few hours racking my brain for my encrypted backup password with no success, until I came across this article.
Hey, thanks for the article.
In my case, I have iPhone SE 1st editionās encrypted backup on my MacBook and that phone is dead now, I donāt have access to it now. Now, I bought new iPhone SE 2nd edition and as I have forgotten iTunes backup password , I am trying to find a way to stay alive :P
Please, help if u have any solution for me.
Thanks!
Prashantā¦ :)
Talking to Apple Support to find out how to backup without the encryption. They recommend resetting all settings on the iPhone. Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings. (Note: Not all contents.) Then backup to iTunes without encryption option selected.
Great article. Info helped me to recover my password and restore my backup.
You canāt restore an encrypted backup without its password. With iOS 11 or later or iPadOS, you can make a new encrypted backup of your device by resetting the password.
On your device, go to Settings > General > Reset.
Tap Reset All Settings and enter your device passcode.
Follow the steps to reset your settings. This won’t affect your user data or passwords, but it will reset settings like display brightness, Home screen layout, and wallpaper. It also removes your encrypted backup password!
One you device boots back up connect it to Finder or iTunes and you wil be able to set a new encryption password or simply take a new backup without encryption.
You won’t be able to use previous encrypted backups, but you can use Finder or iTunes to back up your current data and set a new backup password.
Spent an hour on the phone to Apple, basically they told me i was sh#*t out of luck if i didn’t remember the password i created 8 years ago…. This article saved me… THANK YOU!!!!
Hey, very happy to know that it helped u. I can understand what one goes through when one forgets password.
In my case, I have iPhone se 1st edition’s encrypted backup on my MacBook and that phone is dead now, I don’t have access to it now. Now, I bought new iPhone SE 2nd edition and as I have forgotten iTunes backup password , I am trying to find a way to stay alive :P
Please, help if u have any solution for me.
Thanks!
Prashant… :)
I’ve tried searching under both iphone backup, iOS backup, and even just backup. It always comes up blank for me.
In the same scenario where I just updated my phone and erased the old to pass down to kids and am now stuck.
Search the keychain for the phrase iOS Backup. I was able to find it there rather than by searching for the phrase iPhone Backup.
You saved my life. Thank you!
Sorry didn’t work on iPhone using commands provided as Keychain/Applications/Utilities does not appear to work or provide anything in iOS 11.2.1
Thank you so much :) This was really helpful and it worked ….so happy
How do I get to the keychain under application and utilities?
I have never in my life been so relieved as when my password was revealed. I had tried so many different ones and would never in my life have thought of the totally random password I picked.
Thank god I saved it to the keychain and why doesn’t anyone else tell you about this?!!
Thank you so much for sharing
I must be a complete idiot because I am not seeing the files they are talking about & I have looked EVERYWHERE on this computer — the same computer I have always used for my backups. The screen shots they provided are great but I don’t find them anywhere. Has anyone else had this problem?
You’re not an idiot and this method does not work. I’m fairly certain that these success posts were written by the content creators.
I forgot my iTunes password, and this article showed me how I could recover my forgotten iTunes backup password, thanks this is great. I am glad I read the article so that I can gain access to the backup in iTunes.
Hi, hoping someone can help me.
I backed up a phone yesterday that wasn’t responding to my touch. Took it to Apple who have replaced the phone, so I have a new one.
Im attempting to restore the back up from my previous phone, on to my new phone, but have absolutely no idea what the password is. Ive exhausted every single password ive ever used. I had no idea about the whole encrypted thing but it was obviously ticked and i must have made a password.
Any ideas how i can un-encrypt the back up from the previous phone, or how to possible retrieve that password??
Any help appreciated, rather frustrated at the moment aaargh!
did you ever get this to work out for you?
I am going through a similar situation — old phone encrypted back up & can’t back up new phone to existing back up b/c I am locked out.
I can’t find the “applications//utilities” that is described here. I went to the Apple website for resources there & basically they just say you are screwed. I paid $40 for a password recovery program but that stupid thing has been running on my laptop for over 3 weeks. I am running low on patience.
Did you ever find anything that worked for you?
OMG. THIS SAVED MY LIFE. APPLE TOLD ME I COULD DO NOTHING AND THIS WORKED. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
oh my god – people like you MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE AND MY LIFE ENDLESSLY BETTER. Thank you from the bottom of my HEART!!!!!!!!!!
I was trying to restore a backup with an encrypted password which I had completely forgotten. I followed these steps and it worked!! The encrypted back up password was recovered!!
Oh, and this is after Apple Support told me there is absolutely no way to recover the password and I would have to purchase more storage for my old iphone and use icloud to back up… thank you for this article!
I found that this was stored in Keychain on the Mac on which I originally set up my iPhone, and not on the Mac on which I’m now syncing my phone.
Something to know:
I’ve come across many times where it was an ANCIENT password.
Try ALL OLD PINs (even if they are years old), old computer passwords, etc.
I know my backup password is 3 digits but I couldn’t remember it any longer. I have checked the Keychain access and it’s not stored there. Later I recovered the password with iTunesKey.
Hey I tried this but when I searched iPhone backup on Keychain Access it didn’t find anything :( Is there another way to save my data? What can I do? Please someone help me
I think I found it! whatever your old password is that the CORRECT ONE! what you have to do is everytime you upgrade Itunes you have authorize your computer again! once you do that you should be STR8!
How can I retrieve my encrypted backup password from a normal computer – I don’t have a Mac
Thank you so much!!! Although my iPhone password did not work, the one for my iPad did! But thanks to this I was pointed in the right direction
OUTSTANDING! Thanks for posting this, nothing more frustrating than not being able to access a backup!
help fix it thank you
Thank you SO MUCH! You saved me a ton of work!