Backup: lost or forgotten backup encryption password

When you set a backup encryption password for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, that password is stored on the device itself, not in iMazing or iTunes. It applies to all local backups of that device, regardless of which app creates them: if you set a backup password in iTunes and later back up with iMazing, your iMazing backup will be encrypted with that same password, and vice versa.

This password is separate from your device passcode and your Apple Account password.

Without it, you can still back up your device, but you cannot browse the contents of existing encrypted backups or restore them to a device.

Check your saved password

macOS: Keychain Access

iMazing and iTunes both save your backup password to your macOS Keychain when you check Remember Password at the prompt. To retrieve it:

1. Open the Keychain Access app.
2. Select the Passwords category in the left sidebar.
3. Type backup in the search field to filter results.
4. Look for an item named iOS Backup or iPhone Backup.
5. To identify which device an item belongs to, check the Account field: it contains the device's UDID. You can retrieve your device's UDID from iMazing's Device Info panel.
6. Double-click the matching item and click Show Password to reveal it.

Distinguishing iMazing's prompts on macOS

iMazing may show two different password dialogs on macOS. It is important not to confuse them:

• If the dialog is a standard macOS system sheet asking for your macOS user password, iMazing is attempting to access your backup password stored in the Keychain. Enter your Mac login password.
• If the dialog is an iMazing dialog asking for your iOS backup password, iMazing could not find the password in the Keychain and is asking you to enter it directly.

Windows: Credential Manager

iMazing saves your backup password to Windows Credentials when you check Remember Password at the prompt. To retrieve it:

1. Open Control Panel > User Accounts > Credential Manager.
2. Select Windows Credentials.
3. Under Generic Credentials, look for an entry named iMazing/<Your Device ID>.
4. Click Show to reveal the password.

Try known passwords

The backup encryption password is not set automatically. You chose it at some point, possibly a long time ago. Try the following:

• Your Apple Account password
• Your device passcode
• Your Mac or PC user account password
• Your main email password
• Simple passwords such as 0000 or 1234
• Any password you have used in the past

You can try as many passwords as you like. Unlike the device passcode, entering a wrong backup password does not lock anything.

Reset your backup encryption password

If you cannot recover the password, you can reset it directly from your device. This requires iOS 11 or later.

1. On your device, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset [Device].
2. Tap Reset.
3. Tap Reset All Settings and enter your device passcode.
4. Tap Reset All Settings to confirm.

This resets settings such as display brightness, Home Screen layout, and wallpaper. It does not affect your user data or app data.