The encryption process begins, and you can use your Mac normally. Copy it to a secure location, such as a password manager, or take a screenshot of the window. If you select recovery key, a window will display showing that key. If you use a password manager, you can store it there, and you’ll be able to access it from your iPhone or iPad if necessary. You have to make sure that you can store the recovery key safely. Saving a recovery key locally is more secure, since, if someone gets access to your user data, they may have your Apple ID and its password. If you choose to use your iCloud account, Apple will store the recovery key for your disk on its servers, and you’ll have to provide questions and answers for three security questions that will unlock the disk. You will be asked to choose a method to unlock your disk if you ever lose your account password.

From the Apple menu, choose System Settings.A simple password (“1234,” or “password1,” etc.) is easy to guess and could allow anyone to log in, thus bypassing FileVault protection. It is important to use a strong password to secure your user account, because that password not only gives you access to your account, but it also unlocks your drive. When you turn it on, it encrypts all the data on your drive as you work, writing and editing new files, they are encrypted on the fly. Use FileVault to Encrypt Your Startup DriveįileVault, the built-in full-disk encryption feature in macOS, is a robust way to encrypt the contents of your entire startup drive. Īnd you can set a firmware password to prevent someone from starting up your Mac from an external drive (for Macs with Intel processors).

This ensures that no one can steal your Mac can read the data on its drive.īut you should also set a password to protect your Mac when the screensaver is active, because, if not, anyone walking by could access your Mac. The best way to prevent unauthorized access to your data is to encrypt your startup drive. Encrypt System Data and Your Startup DriveĮncrypt System Data and Your Startup Drive.This article discusses five areas where you can encrypt or password protect files: To protect your sensitive data, you should use encryption and password protection whenever possible macOS provides you with a number of ways to implement this security, using built-in software and features. How To How to Encrypt and Password Protect Files on Your Mac

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