What is FileVault? Create extremely fast Macbook hard drive password with FileVault

Create extremely fast Macbook hard drive password with FileVault

FileVault is a built-in security system on Macbook that supports boot disk encryption (hard drive) and is responsible for securing HDD and SSD hard drives for Mac. FileVault encrypts the data on your hard drive so that unauthorized users cannot access your information.

FileVault uses XTS-AES 128 block cipher technology and 256GB key. After enabling FileVault, it automatically encrypts all data currently on the hard drive. When there are any new or changed data, they will also be encrypted automatically. It forces you to enter your password when you wake up from sleep or open the screensaver.

FileVault was introduced in 2003 but is not well known. Until 2011 on MacOS X 10.7 Lion, Apple released a more efficient encryption system called: FileVault 2. After enabling FileVault, the Macbook will prompt you for a password and have the choice to create a Recovery Key or can use it. your iCloud account as the passcode. Even if you move that hard drive to another machine, your data is safe.

If you have an iMac Pro or Macbook that uses Apple’s T2 Security Chip, the data on your drive is automatically encrypted. However, enabling FileVault provides further protection by requiring a login password to decrypt your data.

Some limitations of FileVault

One limitation of FileVault is that the hard drive password will not be saved, so if you forget this password or your hard drive is damaged, sometimes you will permanently lose the data on the drive. And if you use iCloud as your password, sometimes you still have a few Apple options to get your password back.

And another limitation is that since turning on FileVault, the device will automatically lock the device when you are not using it. Every time you turn on your Mac or turn it back on when it sleeps, you always have to enter the password. This will take a bit of time. And each time the CPU runs the encryption, it takes a little more time.

Therefore, if there is no important data, you can forgo turning on FileVault to avoid annoying steps during use.

How to Enable Hard Drive Encryption on a Mac with FileVault

Encrypting your hard drive is like setting a hard drive password for your data. This will help protect you from letting anyone gain access to your Mac.

To set up FileVault, you must first be an administrator and log in with an administrator account on your Mac.

You follow a few simple steps:

Step 1: Open System Preferences (By clicking the Apple menu or clicking the gear icon right on the Dock) => Select Security and Privacy & Privacy).
Step 2: In the Security & Privacy section that has just opened, select the FileVault tabs => Click the padlock icon in the bottom left corner of the window and enter the device password or use Touch ID to unlock to make settings changes.
Step 3: Click: Turn on FileVault (Turn On FileVault)… your Mac will show you 2 options:

iCloud Account: Click “Allow iCloud account to unlock my drive” if you already have one account. Click “Set up iCloud account to reset my password” if you don’t have an iCloud account. (This option is convenient if you have an iCloud account or you’re also looking to create one)
Recovery key: Click “Create a recovery key and don’t use my iCloud account”. (This key is a sequence of letters and numbers generated for you, it is judged as stronger for every longer cipher, as long as it’s not 12345678910 – And this code is rarely used so it’s easy to forget it, you need it. make a note of it somewhere. If you write down the key, be sure to copy the letters and numbers displayed exactly. Then keep the key in a safe place where you’ll remember it).

WARNING: Don’t forget your recovery key. If you turn on FileVault and forget your login password and can’t reset it, and you also forget your recovery key, you won’t be able to sign in and your files and settings will be lost forever. Finally, you click Continue to start the data encryption process.

Note: Once you enable FileVault the encryption will begin, you cannot turn off FileVault until the initial encryption is complete. Encryption can take a long time, depending on how much data is stored on your computer, but you can continue to use your computer as normal.

And if you want to turn off FileVault, similar to the above, you just need to open the FileVault item as above, click Turn off FileVault and enter the password to complete.

How to undo Hard Drive Encryption with FileVault?

You can rest assured that the encryption process will be undone as soon as you Turn off FileVault. And of course, it will also take you a while for the decryption and undo process to be completed. This process also depends on the amount of data or information in your hard drive.

What to do if you forget your FileVault password?

Maybe it’s important to repeat it a few times, so if you forget your recovery key and can’t find your password, unfortunately your data is no longer preserved. That’s why the warning to save the password, make a note is repeated in the warning.

And if you choose to set a password with your iCloud account, you may have several options for recovering your account using the assistance provided by Apple. However, taking notes is a useful way in situations like this, isn’t it!

Above is a summary of all the questions What is FileVault.

How to encrypt hard drive data with FileVault extremely quickly.

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Hopefully, the above knowledge will help you better secure your information and data.