How do you read an encrypted iPhone backup on a Mac without restoring the phone?

By Kayabyte · Last updated 2 November 2026

You can read an encrypted iPhone backup on a Mac without restoring the phone by using a tool that opens the backup with the password you chose in Finder. Finder itself can only restore the whole backup to a phone. NoteRescue opens encrypted backups with that password, once, on your Mac, and lists what is inside it without changing the backup: Notes, Contacts, Safari data and Calendar events, and also reminders and recordings, which we have not yet tested on real iPhone backups.

Where the backup is and what is encrypted

Finder (and iTunes) keep backups in ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup, one folder per device with a long name of letters and numbers. If “Encrypt local backup” is ticked, the files are encrypted with a password you chose then. It is not your iPhone passcode or your Apple Account password.

Protect it first

Finder keeps one backup per device. A new backup replaces the old one, so do not back up the phone again before you have read the old one. In Finder, Manage Backups, right-click the backup and Archive it, or copy the folder somewhere safe.

Forgot the password

If you ticked “Remember this password in my keychain”, open Keychain Access and search for “iOS Backup”. Without the password nobody can open the backup, and Apple cannot recover it. Resetting settings on the iPhone only helps for new backups.

Ways to use what is inside

Restore the whole backup to the phone in Finder. It is free and replaces everything on the phone.
Read it with an app. Third-party backup readers exist; check what they read, whether they write anything and whether the backup stays on your Mac.
NoteRescue, below.

A faster way: NoteRescue

NoteRescue reads iPhone and iPad backups in the Finder folder or a folder you add, compares what it finds with your Mac, and lists what is missing or changed in Notes, Contacts, Safari, Calendar, Reminders and Voice Memos. The scan is free. The password is used once and never stored.

What to do in NoteRescue

Open NoteRescue and allow Full Disk Access.
Press Scan. The encrypted backup shows as needing a password; enter it.
A wrong password shows a plain message and you can try again. Open any app’s row to see its items.

One free proof item per app; per-app unlocks from USD 14.99, All apps USD 39.99. Download NoteRescue

What we tested

We read two real encrypted backups (iOS 15.3.1 and iOS 17.3). For Contacts, Safari bookmarks and Calendar events the counts in the app matched the ones read independently from the decrypted data. Reminders and Voice Memos inside iPhone backups, and iPhone birthdays, are not tested on real data yet.

Questions

Does NoteRescue change the backup? No, it only reads it.

Is the password sent anywhere? No. It is used on your Mac and never stored.

Does it work for an iPad backup? Yes, in the same way.

Apple, Mac, iPhone, iCloud, Time Machine, Safari and macOS are trademarks of Apple Inc. NoteRescue is made by Kayabyte and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple Inc.