Questions tagged [filevault]

FileVault is a macOS feature allowing full-disk encryption using XTS-AES-128 with a 256-bit key. Older implementations encrypted the user folder only.

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211 votes
8 answers
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I included emoji in my password and now I can't log in to my Account on Yosemite

I wanted to check if it's possible to use emoji in a password for my Account on OS Yosemite. It worked but I didn't realize that the login screen has only native keyboards, so I can't type emoji there....
Artiom Dashisnky's user avatar
131 votes
19 answers
111k views

How can I figure out what's slowly eating my drive space?

Every few days I get notices on my MacBook that it's running or run out of hard drive space. Curiously, restarting the computer will enable me to recover gigabytes of space (this past time, it was ...
Kyle Cronin's user avatar
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86 votes
3 answers
153k views

Does FileVault encryption slow read/write access on an SSD?

Never fancied enabling FileVault on previous Macs but now I'm running OS X on an SSD. Is there a noticeable decrease in speed?
Rob Fisher's user avatar
80 votes
12 answers
96k views

How to view progress when encrypting a disk?

Mountain Lion allows one to encrypt any disk by right-clicking on the disk in the Finder and selecting Encrypt from the contextual menu. Is there anyway to check on the progress of this encryption ...
ericg's user avatar
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49 votes
5 answers
138k views

Why does OS X show a forgot password prompt when trying to boot or wakeup screen?

Something came up today that bugged me a bit, I left my laptop on battery power before going to bed. When starting it up the battery was dead. I plugged it in, and here is what happened: The startup ...
tar's user avatar
  • 499
33 votes
4 answers
79k views

Change OSX encryption filevault password to match login pass

When I first setup my OSX laptop, my filevault and user login password were the same. At bootup, I only had to login once (with my username and password). I recently changed my OSX password but my ...
Scott Summers's user avatar
33 votes
1 answer
2k views

Where does OS X keep the FileVault password during reboots in an upgrade?

For security concerns, I wonder how it would be possible for an OS X upgrade (e.g. from Mavericks to El Capitan), to reboot my Mac multiple times without asking me for my FileVault 2 password? I ...
Anders's user avatar
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32 votes
1 answer
164k views

User account doesn't appear on first login screen

After restarting my computer when I am presented with the initial login screen (the light gray one with the restart and shut down buttons), I see only two of my three user accounts. If I log in with ...
Senseful's user avatar
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31 votes
5 answers
29k views

Disable a user's ability to unlock a FileVault 2 volume at startup/login time

I recently performed a clean install of Lion on one of my Macs. The installation process created one administrative user account. After installation, I enabled FileVault for the entire disk. Then, I ...
kccricket's user avatar
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31 votes
2 answers
37k views

Obtain FileVault 2 recovery key with administrator account

I enabled full disk encryption on my new MacBook Pro. (I am new to the Mac world but an accomplished Linux/UNIX and Windows type) However, I made a mistake and skipped the step of taking note of the ...
mdpc's user avatar
  • 699
25 votes
4 answers
8k views

How do I get the password hint for an encrypted disk?

I created an encrypted disk on a USB drive the other day, and added a password hint. I don't remember what the password is. (I have a scheme for mapping hints to passwords, so when there's a hint ...
Tom Seddon's user avatar
23 votes
2 answers
40k views

With File Vault ON are time machine backups encrypted?

I have been using time machine to back up to a wireless external drive since I got my mac. Today I used filevault to encrypt my hard drive. Will this affect how Time Machine backs up my files? Will ...
user20236's user avatar
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22 votes
4 answers
9k views

Headless Mac mini: Share Screen + FileVault

At the office we have a Mac mini that will be used to run a Teamcity agent. It is a requirement from our security department that we enable FileVault on this machine. I will also need to manage ...
spg's user avatar
  • 321
22 votes
2 answers
9k views

Data Not Backed Up, Partition Type: FFFFFFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFF-FFFFFFFFFFFF

I was trying to install Linux on my MacBook for class when I bricked my computer, which now in an unbootable state. I made my partition too small, so I was going to delete and create a larger one. ...
HalfwayThere's user avatar
20 votes
3 answers
10k views

How can I verify a Lion FileVault recovery key?

I have a volume that is encrypted with OS X Lion's full-disk FileVault. When I enabled FileVault I was given a recovery key, which I wrote down. I'd like to verify that the recovery key that I wrote ...
acm's user avatar
  • 297
19 votes
10 answers
88k views

FileVault Stuck on Pause

I just got a new 13" rMBP with Yosemite installed. I chose to enable FileVault when I set the machine up. Now, several days later, an app called "Reverting from FileVault" shows on the list of apps ...
Peter's user avatar
  • 384
19 votes
3 answers
26k views

Downsides of encrypting disk with FileVault

Is there any downside of encrypting my OS X 10.10.5 laptop via FileVault, in terms of usability? Obviously, if I lose the password I can no longer use the laptop. (out of interest is that correct, ...
sam's user avatar
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18 votes
1 answer
14k views

Change APFS Volume to case sensitive

I have a macbook pro with 1TB internal glued flash drive, of which around 600GB are full. I would like to change the volume format from APFS (case insensitive, encrypted) to APFS (case sensitive, ...
Urs's user avatar
  • 477
17 votes
16 answers
3k views

Apart from being able to encypt an entire volume, what are the other differences of FileVault 2 over FileVault?

Does FileVault 2 in Lion have any other differences compared to the old version, FileVault in previous releases of the system? Are there any additional benefits to using the new version?
Aron Rotteveel's user avatar
17 votes
2 answers
12k views

Why doesn't FileVault work on a RAID volume?

At work, I said to my colleague that it was not possible to enable Filevault on a RAID volume. He was surprised and asked me the technical reason. So I would like to know. It's strange because ...
Benoit's user avatar
  • 173
17 votes
1 answer
9k views

How to prevent storing the WiFi password on the recovery partition?

I always wondered how my Mac could connect to the internet when the recovery partition is booted and my main system partition is locked (filevault2). Some googling revealed today (e.g. here, here, ...
n1000's user avatar
  • 7,714
16 votes
2 answers
6k views

What user behavior is necessary to make Filevault 2 maximally secure?

Situation: Filevault 2 passwords can be stolen Passware has released the Passware Kit Forensic 11.3 which is able to steal the FileVault 2 password from the RAM by performing a DMA Attack via the ...
gentmatt's user avatar
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15 votes
3 answers
15k views

How would enabling FileVault alter my system and TM performance?

What are the pros and cons, performance-wise, of enabling and using FileVault? Is there any at all, or does it slow a computer down significantly or on the contrary speed it up? Also, what effect will ...
Emil's user avatar
  • 2,209
15 votes
2 answers
27k views

Can you reinstall OS X on a FileVault 2-encrypted drive?

I've been researching FileVault 2 to make sure that I understand it before I enable it on my Mac. While reading Macworld's Complete guide to FileVault 2 in Lion, I encountered an unexpected caveat (...
Evan Kroske's user avatar
  • 2,047
15 votes
7 answers
131k views

MacBook startup problems - mouse and keyboard not working at login / stuck on apple logo

Today I restarted my Mac after several weeks uptime. After restart, I got the login screen with unresponsive keyboard and mouse. Right before this problem I had Aperture open, with a problematic ...
SPRBRN's user avatar
  • 1,240
15 votes
1 answer
10k views

APFS Encrypted vs APFS + FileVault?

I upgraded the SSD in a Mac Mini and I'm reinstalling Mojave via internet recovery. The disk is completely erased right now, and when creating a new partition it asks me if I want to choose APFS or ...
Chef Tony's user avatar
  • 321
13 votes
2 answers
3k views

How to perform FileVault authenticated restart when updating OSX from AppStore?

I am aware of the authenticated restart when using FileVault 2 on OS X. Running the fdesetup authrestart command does however restart the system immediately. Now, when running the OS X Update from ...
techraf's user avatar
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13 votes
1 answer
16k views

Does Windows or Linux have any tools for accessing a FileVault2 encrypted drive's contents?

I'm looking to mount (and access files on) my FileVault2 encrypted drive on a non-OS X box, and am wondering if anyone has done this with Windows or Linux.
Dolan Antenucci's user avatar
13 votes
2 answers
4k views

How can I enable Time Machine encryption on the command line?

Is is possible to enable encryption for a Time Machine target disk with a script or using the command line? Is an encrypted Time Machine disk really just the same as a normal disk, full-disk-...
llaurén's user avatar
  • 389
13 votes
2 answers
5k views

Hide "disk password" login option at EFI (Filevault) login screen

I encrypted my volume before installation and have added my user as FileVault user afterwards. Now I can login with either the disk password or my user login password at the EFI (Filevault) login ...
Jonas's user avatar
  • 131
12 votes
2 answers
3k views

Will FileVault 2 wear out my SSD faster?

I'm considering using FileVault 2 when I upgrade to Lion. Though my understanding of it is weak, it seems as though it shouldn't really increase the number of reads or writes per disk operation ...
Lanny Heidbreder's user avatar
12 votes
2 answers
6k views

What are the implications in speed and battery life while using Filevault 2?

One of the neat new (though understated) features of Lion is Whole Disk Encryption. Before I flick the switch, I'd love to know what the performance impacts (speed and battery impacts) of switching ...
glenstorey's user avatar
  • 2,846
12 votes
1 answer
13k views

Can FileVault show the login window as 'name and password', not 'list of users'?

Normally, Mac OS X lets you choose to show the login screen as a list of users (you click to enter the password), or two text fields (you enter the username and password): But, I use FileVault 2. So, ...
Nathan Greenstein's user avatar
12 votes
3 answers
11k views

How do I update the FileVault 2 recovery key stored in iCloud?

It's been a long saga getting to the point where I am comfortable that my new Macbook Pro has FileVault 2 enabled properly on Yosemite. I ran into the "Encryption paused - connect power adapter" ...
kdopen's user avatar
  • 171
11 votes
6 answers
56k views

What is a Secure Token and how do I get an admin users that has one

I have an iMac 2017 with a FusionDrive on which FileVault cannot not be enabled. The situation is summed up in this reddit post. The problem boils down to: I have no admin user who has a secure ...
Thomas's user avatar
  • 1,282
11 votes
2 answers
14k views

Is File Vault 2 whole disk encryption or whole partition encryption?

Can I use File Vault to encrypt only some of the partitions on my disk (so that I can still have unencrypted and Windows partitions on the same disk), or does File Vault encrypt the whole disk so that ...
Thilo's user avatar
  • 5,508
11 votes
2 answers
1k views

When does encryption actually happen in MacOS/OS X encrypted volumes?

I've noticed a sort-of lazy/post encryption strategy in MacOS/OS X with FileVault enabled and in encrypted Time Machine backups, and I'm curious when actual encryption happens. When I copy videos ...
Josh Hibschman's user avatar
11 votes
5 answers
2k views

Do I need to decrypt the hard drive before repair?

Today I left my MBP Retina at local authorised Apple service (it's a mid 2012 model, and it's having some gfx issues), and then I got an email telling me that I have to go back there and decrypt my ...
wesolyromek's user avatar
11 votes
3 answers
24k views

How do I encrypt an external drive with FileVault 2 in OSX Yosemite

Ok, so according to https://www.apple.com/osx/what-is/security/ I should be able to encrypt ANY external drive..."with ease" using FileVault 2. I have a brand new (empty) 2TB Fantom Drive model: ...
webaholik's user avatar
  • 1,008
11 votes
2 answers
3k views

How can I use FileVault encryption and still track my laptop if stolen

I've spent quite some time over the last few days trying to work out how I can combine the clear data security advantages of encrypting my machine with FileVault 2 under Lion, and the theft-recovery ...
hollandlef's user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
4k views

After enabling File Vault, OS X doesn't mount disk automatically anymore

I have an external 2 TB LaCie drive connected via FireWire 800 to my MacBook Pro (8,2 – early 2011 model), which runs OS X 10.8.5. It has one big partition which is a Time Machine target, and the ...
slhck's user avatar
  • 2,274
11 votes
1 answer
783 views

For maximum FileVault2 security, why is hibernation recommended?

Many discussions of FileVault 2 security suggest using: sudo pmset -a destroyfvkeyonstandby 1 hibernatemode 25 Some of those discussion state that FileVault keys are stored in RAM during normal ...
Michael's user avatar
  • 111
11 votes
1 answer
11k views

Extremely slow write speed to encrypted external drive on Mavericks

Writing to a fully encrypted USB flash drive on Mavericks is extremely slow. The drive model I used for testing was a Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 G3 (64 GB). I tested transfer speeds by ...
Stefan Schmidt's user avatar
10 votes
2 answers
4k views

Can Time Machine volumes be easily encrypted with FileVault 2?

Now that File Vault 2 can encrypt the entire disk and encrypt external drives, can I have a fully encrypted Time Machine volume?
Chas. Owens's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
10k views

Cannot change APFS encryption password

I have a clean install of macOS High Sierra with APFS Encrypted file partition. During install I checked the "decrypt at login" option, but each have a different password. I now want to change my ...
Anael's user avatar
  • 220
10 votes
3 answers
14k views

Keyboard Layout after startup reverts to "ABC - Extended" when using FileVault

I am an ordinary QWERTZ keyboard user. Now, when I setup my mac, I neglected the Keyboard Layout setting (I thought it would default to the usual). But, the layout was set to ABC - Extended. I can ...
Besi's user avatar
  • 532
9 votes
3 answers
7k views

Can't remove file from trash

I'm having trouble emptying the trash on Catalina. FileVault is enabled. Trying to empty from Finder warns X11R6 can't be modified or deleted because it's required by macOS. It's a link to /opt/X11 ...
Elliott's user avatar
  • 3,009
9 votes
5 answers
13k views

Can I use FileVault only for specific folders?

Can I set up FileVault to encrypt only specific folders inside of my Home folder but not the whole Home folder? I want to do this because it's not very convenient for me to encrypt the entire Home ...
knuku's user avatar
  • 1,271
9 votes
1 answer
4k views

How can I configure the keyboard layout for the FileVault 2 unlock screen?

I installed Mac OS X Lion and enabled FileVault to have a full disk encryption of my system disk. I bought my Mac with a French keyboard (since I'm French and used to this layout) but my Mac is ...
Sylvain Defresne's user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
11k views

Does FileVault encrypt my BootCamp partition?

If I enable the new FileVault feature in Mac OS X Lion, will it also encrypt my existing Windows bootcamp partitions? (And/or any new bootcamp partition I create?) Update: If not, where can I get ...
Senseful's user avatar
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