How to Fix "Enter the Password to Unlock Your iPhone Backup" Issue

Sometimes you may need to restore your iPhone to an older backup. Other times you might have a brand new iPhone and want to use the backup from your old phone. iTunes requires to enter the password to unlock your iPhone backup, as you probably know, but what if you can't remember the password you used for the encrypted backup? Don't worry, it's not fatal. I'll explain why in this article, just read on.

Why does iTunes need a password?

Apple takes your security extremely seriously. That is one of the reasons iPhone users can't share data as easily as their Android-using counterparts. iTunes encrypts data while also backing it up. That's why you're required to enter a password to unlock the backups. If you forgot your password, there are several methods you could try to recover it.

Create an iCloud Backup.

This is your best option. If you have a backup stored on iCloud, you can easily restore your iPhone without the iTunes password. If you do not have one, try one of the other methods listed further down.

Try remembering it

I know what you're thinking. "I already tried that," but when you get the "Enter the Password to Unlock Your iPhone Backup" message, you should try every potential password you can think of. Several common password options are:

1. Your Apple ID password or iTunes Store password.
2. An empty Password field.
3. Important dates like your birthday, anniversary, etc.
4. Common numbers such as 0000, 1111, 12345.
5. Your Mac OS or Windows password.

Ask your family members

It is entirely possible that a more tech-savvy family member set up your backup, and you simply forgot about it. Ask around the house. If that's the case, they might be able to tell you the password.

Use a Recovery Tool for iPhone Backup.

This is possibly the easiest and quickest option on the list, but it's also a risky one. There are a number of tools that could potentially unlock your iPhone backup, but there are also apps out there that could compromise your security instead. I recommend that you make sure that the tool you're using is 100% trustworthy and secure before you use it. Check out user reviews online before you download anything.