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When I log onto my Mac with FileVault enabled, I am prompted for the user/pass prior to the OS loading, as my boot drive is encrypted.

The problem I have is that, counter-intuitively, it always shows my name as the login user! I just want blank fields that ask for the username and password respectively, not a prompt for my password.

Does anyone know how to fix this?

Edit: This is a screenshot of how Users & Groups is configured:

enter image description here

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  • Do you have set your user to log in automatically (which the system can't because of FV)? Is your user maybe the only one who can currently unlock FV volumes?
    – nohillside ♦
    Nov 28, 2014 at 8:14
  • @patrix I am the only user, but automatic login is off. See screenshot added to question.
    – Benjamin R
    Nov 28, 2014 at 8:25

1 Answer 1

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That is just how FileVault2 (introduced with 10.7) works.

You have a pre-defined set of "Enabled Users" that are allowed to decrypt the boot drive, and those are the users (just your account in this case) that get listed in the first boot screen. Since you have only one account the system deduced automatically that only your account would be the one to unlock the drive. Since the users are predefined, Apple felt it best to just display the accounts in a clickable list.

The reason for this is if you had multiple accounts on the computer, but only wanted a select few to be able to unlock the drive you could enable those specific users and make it so the others required additional authorization from an enabled user.

OS X also has a handy little helper in that OS X will pass the login info that you gave it during the boot drive unlock into the login window and bypass that screen so you don't have to type in your user/pass twice.

http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT4790 http://support.apple.com/kb/PH18637

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  • Thanks for clarifying that, Ryan. None of that precludes having the option of a blank username field though. Oh well, C'est Apple.
    – Benjamin R
    Dec 2, 2014 at 22:54
  • Well, it does if you think about it from the way Apple has historically handled usability by giving an obvious in your face method. Giving a user a blank user name could give users the impression that any user/pass would work at that screen when in fact only a select few could work. Speaking for myself, I would certainly get that impression if I setup FV and rebooted the computer, and I would for sure get frustrated trying to figure out why I couldn't login with one of my other accounts if I didn't know about the enabled users setting.
    – Ryan Parrish
    Dec 3, 2014 at 2:55
  • and that would fail. I would rather have a stranger/snoop/thief not pick up my computer and know the name of the owner without even trying. It truly doesn't preclude having the option because that is entirely consistent with the options one has at login - to show an icon and name of potential users or just two blank fields. Following that logic, it should be consistent with the user's choice in System Prefs, as that is the only option you have to specify your preference. This costs effectively nothing from a programming perspective at all.
    – Benjamin R
    Dec 3, 2014 at 3:00

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