What Files and Devices Can Passware Decrypt or Recover Passwords For?

Updated

Passware covers three broad categories: document and application files (420+ types, including MS Office, PDF, ZIP/RAR, QuickBooks, FileMaker, Lotus Notes, Bitcoin wallets, Apple Notes, and Mac OS X Keychain), full disk encryption (BitLocker, Mac with T2, and drives from WD, Transcend, Seagate, and others), and mobile devices (Android and iOS, including data recovery from disabled iPhones). What you can actually decrypt depends on which edition you use — the Standard, Business, Forensic, Mobile, and Ultimate kits each cover a different slice of that list.

File and application types

Passware's core strength is password recovery for individual files and applications. The site states support for over 420 file types, with the most commonly cited categories being:

  • Office and productivity: MS Office documents, PDF, ZIP and RAR archives
  • Finance and databases: QuickBooks, FileMaker, Lotus Notes
  • Security and credential stores: Bitcoin wallets, Apple Notes, Mac OS X Keychain, password managers

Beyond straight password recovery, Passware includes intelligent detection and complexity analysis: it scans for encrypted files and hard disk images, then reports the encryption type and how hard the decryption is likely to be. It can also analyze live memory images and hibernation files to extract encryption keys — useful when the password itself is unknown but the key is still resident in memory.

If your target is a single locked PDF or a password-protected Excel sheet, this is the relevant capability set. If your target is a whole disk or a phone, read on.

Full disk encryption

Passware decrypts full disk encryption, with the site specifically naming:

  • BitLocker (Windows)
  • Mac with T2 security chip
  • Drives from WD, Transcend, Seagate, and similar manufacturers

The distinction that matters here: full disk decryption is not the same as file password recovery. It requires either the credential, a recovered key, or a supported attack path against the specific encryption scheme. Passware's memory and hibernation analysis feeds directly into this — extracting a key from a memory image can unlock a disk whose password you never recovered.

Mobile devices

Passware Kit Mobile handles Android and iOS devices. Its stated capabilities:

  • Bypasses or recovers passcodes
  • Forensically sound file-system extraction
  • Decrypts application data
  • Recovers iPhone data from disabled devices
  • GPU-accelerated and distributed password recovery

The disabled-iPhone recovery is worth noting because it addresses a case where the device is locked out entirely, not just password-protected. "Forensically sound" extraction means the process is designed to preserve evidence integrity — relevant if the output needs to hold up in a legal or investigative context.

Which edition covers what

The editions differ mainly in scope and scale, not in the underlying file-type list. Based on the site's product descriptions:

Edition Focus Notable scope details
Kit Standard Home and small office Recovers passwords for files, resets Windows passwords, hardware acceleration
Kit Business Business environment File password recovery, Windows password reset, detects encrypted files, decrypts Full Disk Encryption
Kit Forensic Law enforcement / forensics 420+ file types, 5 distributed-computing agents, hardware acceleration, Full Disk Encryption
Kit Mobile Mobile forensics Passcode bypass/recovery, file-system extraction, app data decryption, disabled iPhone recovery
Kit Ultimate All-in-one forensic Files, disks, and mobile devices; 10 distributed-computing agents; device decryption (Mac w/T2, BitLocker, WD, Transcend, Seagate); online training

Two things to read carefully in that table:

  1. Full Disk Encryption appears in Business, Forensic, and Ultimate — not in the Standard description. If disk decryption is your goal, Standard is likely the wrong tier.
  2. Mobile device support is concentrated in Kit Mobile and Kit Ultimate. The Forensic description emphasizes file types and distributed decryption rather than mobile passcodes, so confirm mobile coverage before choosing Forensic for a phone-related task.

How to decide

  • Locked document or archive only → Standard or Business covers file password recovery.
  • Encrypted hard drive → Business, Forensic, or Ultimate (Full Disk Encryption is listed for these).
  • Android/iOS device, including a disabled iPhone → Kit Mobile or Kit Ultimate.
  • Mixed caseload of files, disks, and phones → Kit Ultimate, which the site describes as the all-in-one solution.

The site notes Passware is used by law enforcement agencies, Fortune 500 corporations, and private citizens, and cites "up to 70% success rate" for password recovery. Treat that figure as a general claim rather than a guarantee for any specific file — success depends on password complexity, the encryption scheme, and available attack time.

One practical caveat: distributed computing (multiple agents) and hardware acceleration are the main levers for speeding up recovery on complex passwords, and the number of agents differs by edition (5 for Forensic, 10 for Ultimate). If you expect long recovery runs, that difference matters more than the file-type list, which is largely shared across the higher tiers.