--- title: "The backup passphrase" url: https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-backup-passphrase category: "Backups" tags: ["backups", "encryption", "cloud accounts", "delta trust"] summary: "A backup set that goes to one of your own cloud accounts is encrypted on your Mac with a passphrase you choose. Storage Studio remembers it so backups run on their own, but if you lose it, those backups can't be recovered — keep a copy somewhere safe." updated: 2026-10-01T05:31:47.000Z --- # The backup passphrase A backup set that goes to one of your own cloud accounts is encrypted on your Mac with a passphrase you choose. Storage Studio remembers it so backups run on their own, but if you lose it, those backups can't be recovered — keep a copy somewhere safe. When a backup set goes to one of your own cloud accounts, everything is encrypted on your Mac before it's uploaded, using a **passphrase** you choose. The cloud service only ever stores scrambled data. Storage Studio remembers the passphrase on this Mac so backups can run on their own — but it can't recover it for you, so keep your own copy somewhere safe. ## When you're asked for one The first time you choose a cloud account as a set's destination, a sheet titled **Protect your cloud backup** opens: 1. Type a passphrase of at least 8 characters into **Passphrase**, and again into **Confirm passphrase**. **Show passphrase** lets you see what you typed. 2. Tick **I understand: if I lose this passphrase, these cloud backups cannot be recovered.** 3. Click **Save**. If the set already has folders to back up, the first backup starts straight away. **Save** stays greyed out until everything is in place, and a line above it says what's missing — for example *"The two passphrases don't match."* or *"Use at least 8 characters."* You're not asked for a passphrase for a backup on a drive: that's protected with a key Storage Studio makes and unlocks for you on this Mac. Delta Trust and Delta Drive don't use one per set either — your recovery kit is what reconnects them (see [The recovery kit](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-recovery-kit)). ```mermaid %% caption: What to do about the passphrase in each situation flowchart TD A{What's happening?} -->|First cloud backup for this set| B[Choose a passphrase and save a copy of it] A -->|The card says the passphrase didn't match| C[Re-enter passphrase…] C --> D{Do you have the right one?} D -->|Yes| E[It reconnects to your existing versions] D -->|No| F[Start afresh, which erases the old versions] A -->|You want a new passphrase| G[Change passphrase… erases the old versions] ``` *Flowchart — What to do about the passphrase in each situation. Outline:* - What's happening? - First cloud backup for this set: leads to Choose a passphrase and save a copy of it - The card says the passphrase didn't match: leads to Re-enter passphrase… - You want a new passphrase: leads to Change passphrase… erases the old versions - Re-enter passphrase… - leads to Do you have the right one? - Do you have the right one? - Yes: leads to It reconnects to your existing versions - No: leads to Start afresh, which erases the old versions ## Keeping it safe - **Write it down or save it in a password manager** the moment you choose it. Storage Studio stores it encrypted on this Mac, but nobody — including Storage Studio — can recover it if it's lost. - **Choose something long rather than clever.** A few unrelated words make a passphrase that's long and easy to type. - **One set, one passphrase.** The passphrase belongs to the set, not the destination. If you change the set's destination, it keeps the same passphrase and you aren't asked again. ## If the passphrase doesn't match If the card says *"That backup passphrase didn't match."*, or that the destination *"already holds a backup that was locked with a different passphrase"*, click **Re-enter passphrase…** on the card. Type the passphrase this backup was made with and click **Reconnect**. Storage Studio checks it first — *"Checking… a cloud backup can take a minute."* — and only saves it once it has unlocked the backup. Your existing versions are all still there; nothing is deleted. If it's still wrong, the sheet says so and stays open for another try. While a passphrase is known to be wrong, automatic backups for that set wait rather than retrying over and over; **Back up now** and **Re-enter passphrase…** always try again. ## Changing it **Change passphrase…** is in the set's **Destination** menu. Because every version is encrypted with the old passphrase, changing it **permanently deletes every existing version** of the set, and a new backup starts from scratch. The sheet says so and the button reads **Change & delete previous**. Only do this if you're happy to lose the backup history — for example if you think the old passphrase has been seen by someone else. ## If it's lost for good Without the passphrase the backup can't be opened, by you or anyone else. The way forward is to erase the old versions and start again: - **Change passphrase…** in the **Destination** menu lets you choose a new passphrase — one you'll write down this time — as it starts afresh. - **Delete & start fresh…** on the card does the same but carries on with the passphrase already stored on this Mac. You have to type **Delete** to confirm. Either way, your files on this Mac aren't affected. See [your settings and sign-ins are encrypted on this Mac](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/your-settings-are-encrypted) for how Storage Studio stores secrets like this one. - **Can I move my iPhone backups to an external drive on a Mac?** Yes. Finder has no setting for where it keeps iPhone and iPad backups, but Storage Studio can move them to your external drive from What's Using Space: it copies them, checks every file arrived, and only then frees the space on your Mac. Finder keeps backing up to the drive afterwards, so keep… (https://storagestudio.us/faq) - **What is purgeable space on a Mac and how do I clear it?** Purgeable space is storage macOS is holding — old snapshots, cached cloud files, optimised media — that it frees automatically when you need room, which is why "free" space can look smaller than expected. Storage Studio reclaims a lot of it on demand instead of making you wait. (https://storagestudio.us/faq) - **How do I reclaim space from local Time Machine snapshots on a Mac?** macOS keeps point-in-time APFS local snapshots so Time Machine can restore even when your backup drive is away — useful, but they can hold a lot of space. Storage Studio lists every snapshot, shows which are already safely backed up, and reclaims the space you choose in one click. (https://storagestudio.us/faq) See also: [Where a backup can go](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/backup-destinations) · [What backup messages mean](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/backup-messages) · [Data Backup](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/data-backup) ## What links here - [A backup didn't run](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/a-backup-didnt-run) - [Backup versions: what's kept and for how long](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/backup-versions) - [Data Backup](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/data-backup) - [Restoring from a backup](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/restoring-from-a-backup) - [What backup messages mean](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/backup-messages) - [Where a backup can go](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/backup-destinations)