Can't get access to your pswd.kdbx file because MiniKeePass was removed from Apple's App Store?

Table of Contents

1. Problem
2. Prerequisites
3. How to recover passwords from backup

Problem

It is impossible to access on MiniKeePass database after a device with iOS / iPadOS was restored from a backup. Many of us see this message on their Apple device and start to panic.

I have seen many posts across the web where a lot of people faced the same problem. All posts I have seen, suggest using paid software to extract a backup to find a file. The price of such software starts at $40. I tried using a few pieces of the recommended software to read from backups to recover my password database, but none were able to help me recover my precious password database. Thus, I came up with a solution of my own. Most importantly, this solution will guide you through recovering you password database without spending a penny.

Prerequisites

1. PC or Mac with iTunes installed

2. Backup* of your iPhone / iPad / iPod

   2.1 Follow this manual to create a backup* on your computer.

   * if for whatever reason you can't backup your device to PC or Mac, this manual is not for you, sorry.

3. SQLite database viewer such as sqlitebrowser.

How to recover passwords from backup

1. Once you have created a backup, you need to locate backup and Manifest.db file inside of thereof. Follow this manual from Apple for instruction on how to locate a backup. In my case backup was located at:

   C:\Users\{user-name}\Apple\MobileSync\Backup\86d8949c27021984b309f6d364bc34fcc90fc49f

   

2. Open Manifest.db in SQLiteBrowser or any other SQLite DB viewer of your choice.

   2.1 Type MiniKeePass as a filter for domain column as shown on the screenshot below. 2.2 Type kdbx as a filter for relativePath column as shown on the screenshot below.

   

3. Copy UUID from fileID column and search for it in your backup folder. (In my case it was: 5f09f49c854b7e3787570e40903b4462aec4650f)

4. Yay! Congratulations, you've now successfully recovered your pswd.kdbx file (trust me, this is the one, even though the name is different). Now, download KeePass client for your computer and open that file you've just found. Voila! You've successfully recovered all your passwords.