If you’d rather not tie your encryption to a (potentially hackable) online account, that’s not a problem: you can opt for a recovery key instead. This allows you to regain access to the drive if you forget the username and password for the local account on your Mac. Click the “Turn On FileVault” option to enable and configure FileVault.īy default, FileVault will ask you for your Apple ID.
To enable FileVault, click the Apple icon on the menu at the top of your screen, select System Preferences, and click the Security & Privacy icon. Your drive will be locked again when you shut down your Mac. When you turn on your Mac, you’ll have to sign in with one of those user accounts before your drive is unlocked.
You can choose which user accounts have the ability to unlock your disk. (Without FileVault enabled, anyone with physical access to your Mac could remove its hard drive and view your files, because they’re stored in an unencrypted form.)
Someone who gains access to your Mac, removes your hard drive, and attempts to view your files won’t be able to see anything without your encryption key. When you enable FileVault, your files are stored on your hard drive in an encrypted, seemingly scrambled format. The FileVault feature allows you to encrypt your Mac’s entire hard disk. RELATED: What Is Encryption, and How Does It Work?
