---
id: backups.what-happens-if-i-lose-my-backup-passphrase
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/backups/what-happens-if-i-lose-my-backup-passphrase
category: "Backups & restore points"
subcategory: "Encryption and passphrases"
question: "What happens if I lose my backup passphrase?"
alt_questions:
  - "I forgot my backup passphrase"
  - "Can you recover my backup password?"
  - "Can I recover a backup without the passphrase?"
  - "lost passphrase Storage Studio backup"
  - "reset backup passphrase forgotten"
  - "Can support unlock my backup?"
short_answer: "Those cloud backups can't be recovered by anyone, including us — the passphrase is the only key. Try variants with Re-enter passphrase…; if it's truly lost, Delete & start fresh begins a new backup."
tags: ["passphrase", "lost", "recovery"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/backups/what-does-passphrase-didnt-match-mean", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/backups/what-does-delete-and-start-fresh-do"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# What happens if I lose my backup passphrase?

Those cloud backups can't be recovered — by you, by Storage Studio, or by anyone else. The passphrase is the only key, and nobody keeps a copy, which is what keeps the backup private in the first place.

What you can do:
- Try every variant you might have typed using **Re-enter passphrase…** — Storage Studio checks each attempt live.
- If it's truly gone, choose **Delete & start fresh** to remove the old versions and start a new backup with a new passphrase. Your files on the Mac are unaffected.

Backups to a drive don't use a passphrase, so this only applies to cloud backups.