FAQ: Encrypt Local Backup in iTunes

Q1. What is Encrypt Local Backup on iTunes?

Many people regard iTunes as a free tool to backup for iPhone, but few of them understand what encrypt local backup is. In simple words, normal iTunes backup include the content in your device, messages, contacts, photos, applications, etc., and these backups are not encrypted.

While the encrypt local backup locks and encodes the important information in your device, and mostly includes saved passwords, health data, website browsing history, WiFi settings, and call history. Note that Face ID, Touch ID, and passcodes are not included in encrypted backup in iTunes.

Q2. Where is Encrypt Local Backup in iTunes?

If you have a problem finding the encrypt local backup in iTunes, then you should find the answers to your question. If you use Mac for your iTunes backup, with macOS 11 and newer:

• 1. Click Finder in your Mac.
• 2. Go to General > Manage Backups.
• 3. You will see a list of your backups. An encrypted back should have a lock icon next to it.

If you use Mac with 10.14 or earlier, or if you use iTunes on your Windows computer:

• 1. Launch iTunes in your device.
• 2. From the menu bar click Edit > Preferences.
• 3. Click Device. There you will see all the backups available. You will find a lock icon for encrypted backups.

Q3. How to Encrypt Local Backup on iTunes?

Encrypting iPhone backup makes your data safe and protected, so if you want to know how to encrypt local backup on iTunes:

• Step 1: Launch iTunes in your PC or Mac.
• Step 2: Connect your iPhone or iPad with your computer via a USB cable. Then make sure your computer detects your iDevice.
• Step 3: Click the Summary tab in iTunes.
• Step 4: Tick the box for Encrypt local backup.
• Step 5: It will pop up to ask you to enter a password for the encryption. Enter your password for it.

Q4. How to Uncheck Encrypt Local Backup in iTunes?

Some of you may find it annoying to enter the backup password every time you make a backup or restore from a backup, so it is normal to not encrypt your iPhone backups. In this case, you can turn off or uncheck encrypt local backup:

• Step 1: Open iTunes in your computer.
• Step 2: Connect your iPhone/iPad to your computer via a USB cable, and make sure it is connected.
• Step 3: Click Summary. Ensure to choose the device that you want to cancel the encrypt backup for, if there are multiple devices.
• Step 4: Under the Backup section, uncheck the box for Encrypt iPhone backup.
• Step 5: You will be asked to enter the backup password for verifying. Enter it and you are good to go.

Q5. How to Fix Encrypt Local Backup Greyed Out? Cannot Uncheck Encrypt Local Backup, How to Fix?

It has been reported that Encrypt local backup is greyed out and people cannot uncheck Encrypt local backup. To fix this problem:

Method 1: Delete Profiles on iPhone

• Step 1: Open your iPhone or iPad, and go to the Settings app.
• Step 2: Go to General > Profiles. Or you can’t find it here, head to Device Management.
• Step 3: Delete the profiles.
• Step 4: Restart iPhone and iTunes, and reconnect and your problem should be resolved.

Method 2: Reset All Settings for iPhone

• Step 1: Disconnect iDevice with your computer, and open Settings in your iDevice.
• Step 2: Go to General > Reset.
• Step 3: Click Reset All Settings.
• Step 4: Confirm the step and follow all the prompt to finish it.
• Step 5: After resetting, connect iDevice to your computer in iTunes, and you will be able to uncheck Encrypt local backup again.

Q6. What is the Default Encrypt Local Backup Password?

What is the default encrypted backup password? Before answering this question, you should be wondering: is there a default encrypt local backup password? No! There is a default password. There is just the password that you set for the first time you enabled encrypted iTunes backup.

If you have not set up a password but iTunes keeps asking for the password, it is likely that iTunes takes one of the following password for some reasons:

• Your iDevice passcode,
• Apple ID password,
• iClooud account password,
• Email password,
• Your computer login password

You may try the frequently-used password.

Q7. Encrypt Local Backup Password is Wrong, How to Fix?

If you are prompted by the wrong encrypt backup password, you can fix it by the following solutions:

Method 1: Guess by the commonly used password

As aforementioned, if you don’t remember the iTunes backup password, you should, first of all, try the passwords that you commonly use in your daily life, such as iDevice passcode, Apple ID password, computer password, etc. If this didn’t work, then try the next solution.

Method 2: Find the Saved Password in Mac Keychain

Chances are you probably chose to save your Encrypt backup password via Keychain, as Keychain is a useful tool for saving passwords in Mac and iOS devices. To find where it is, follow this:

• Step 1: On your Mac, open Finder.
• Step 2: Go to Applications > Utilities.
• Step 3: Click Keychain Access to launch it.
• Step 4: Find iPhone Backup keychain from the list by scrolling down or searching. Click iPhone Backup to access.
• Step 5: In the new pane, check for Show password under Attributes, then you can view the backup password for iTunes.

If, unfortunately, the Encrypt backup password was not saved by Keychain, don’t worry. You can try the next part for another solution.

Q8. How to Find Encrypt Local Backup Password?

There is another way to find your Encrypt Local Backup password. Many users have tried and it works like a magic! PassFab iPhone Backup Unlocker deals with all the situations where iTunes backup password is and where requires iTunes Encrypt Local Backup password. That is to say, you are very likely to retrieve your Encrypt Local backup password with just a few clicks.

How to find encrypt local backup password with PassFab iPhone Backup Unlocker:

• Step 1: If you haven’t had the app in your computer, download and install PassFab iPhone Backup Unlocker in your Windows or Mac.
• Step 2: Launch the app, and click Retrieve iTunes Backup Password.
• Step 3: After a while you will see a list of all the detected backups in your computer. If it is an encrypted backup, then there is a lock icon to it.
• Step 4: Click the encrypted backup you want, and click Next.
• Step 5: Choose an attack mode to decrypt. There are three modes available: Dictionary Attack, Brute-force with Mask Attack, and Brute-force Attack. You can also configure settings for each mode.
• Step 6: Then the program will start decrypting according to the selected attack mode. It may take some minutes.
• Step 7: Once done, you will see a new box with the encrypt backup password.

Congrats! Now copy the password and you will succeed to fix your problem.

Q9. How to Remove Encrypt Local Backup Password from iTunes?

If you find the encrypt local backup sort of troublesome, then you can remove encrypt local backup password from iTunes. Performing the steps manually can take some time, so the recommended way is to do it automatically by PassFab iPhone Backup Unlocker.

• Step 1: Download and install PassFab iPhone Backup Unlocker in your computer. If you have already done that, head to the next step.
• Step 2: Launch the program, and click Remove Backup Encryption Settings.
• Step 3: Connect your iDevice with your computer so that the software can detect it.
• Step 4: The software starts to do the work. Just wait patiently.
• Step 5: Once completed, you will see “Successfully removed the backup password!”.

Now there are no more encryption backup settings in your iTunes backup.

To Sum Things Up

There it is. This article answers all the frequently asked questions to iTunes Encrypt Local Backup, including what Encrypt Local Backup is, how to turn it off, how to find the iTunes encrypt backup password, and remove the encryption settings. In addition, we also recommend a wonderful tool - PassFab iPhone Backup Unlocker, so that you can cope with the encrypt local backup settings and backup password without any hassle.