# Forgot your WhatsApp encrypted backup password: what you can do

By HeyMark · Updated October 30, 2026

If WhatsApp asks for a credential to open an encrypted backup, first identify which one: it may be a password, passkey, or 64-digit encryption key. Then check whether WhatsApp is still open with your chats. Your options depend on that access.

## Identify the credential the backup asks for

The encrypted backup password is different from the password you use to lock the app. WhatsApp describes three options: a password, passkey, or 64-digit encryption key. A passkey may be saved in a supported password manager, such as Google Password Manager on Android. Check that manager before switching devices. See [how encrypted backups work](https://faq.whatsapp.com/490592613091019/?cms_platform=android&locale=en_US).

## If WhatsApp is still open

If you can still access your chats, WhatsApp says you can change the encrypted backup password:

1. Open **Settings → Chats → Chat backup**.
2. Tap **End-to-end encrypted backup → Change password → I forgot my password**.
3. Verify your identity using a method WhatsApp offers on that screen, such as your device PIN, a passkey, or another credential, and create a new password.

This option requires continued access to WhatsApp and a way to verify your identity. See the [password change help](https://faq.whatsapp.com/639067727894647/?cms_platform=android&locale=en_US); don’t assume the same option appears on every phone.

## If you no longer have access to your chats

Look for the original password or key and check whether your passkey is saved in a supported password manager. WhatsApp cannot reset the password, send you a copy, or restore the backup if you have lost access to the account and cannot remember the original credential. Turning encryption off or creating a new passkey will not open that backup: you need the secret that protected it.

WhatsApp limits you to five attempts to enter a password or key; after that, you have to wait, though the help page does not say for how long. Avoid trying guesses in a row. Also, don’t start a new backup on another device while you are trying to access the old one: a new backup may replace the one you need.

If you lost access because someone else registered your number, follow [the steps to recover a compromised WhatsApp account](https://heymark.ai/en/solutions/recover-hacked-whatsapp-account/). That task covers account access; this page covers the credential for encrypted chat history.

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- MCP server card: [/server-card](https://mcp.heymark.ai/server-card)