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How to activate File Vault on MAC

Apple takes the most serious section of its devices. The firm has always stood against competition in this field and continues to do so today. But this does not mean that their software is 100% perfect in this section. Absolutely not, but they do everything in their power to make it as safe as possible.

One of the security measures that Apple has introduced in all Macs is not noticed by many people, but it can mark before and after, especially in the case of laptops. Its name is FileVault.

What is FileVault on macOS

FileVault is a feature which built into macOS, the Macs operating system, that allows you to automatically encrypt all data stored on your computer's hard drive or SSD memory.

FileVault actually uses 256-bit XTS-AES-128 encryption to prevent unauthorized access to the data. One of the most advanced encryption technologies makes it impossible for anyone to access data stored on a computer without permission. In the case of Mac OS, without knowing the login password of any computer user or without the encryption key.

How FileVault works on Mac

FileVault is responsible for encrypting all the files that you store on your computer.

This service can be activated when anyone starting the computer for the first time or after using it for a while. If you do this while activating the computer, all the files you save on the storage system will be encrypted automatically.

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On the other hand, if you turn on the computer after a long period of use, the encryption for existing files will be gradual as long as the Mac remains connected to the electric current (one to avoid falling) Move into MacBook's autonomy). Conversely, new encryptions will be made when they are created (whether or not the computer is connected to power). You can continue to use the computer during the process, although you may experience a lack of performance as this process can consume a lot of resources and can take a long time if you have a lot of files saved.

How to turn on FileVault on macOS

The FileVault activation process is straightforward and won't take you more than a few seconds. True, once activated, it may take several hours for the entire disk or SSD to be fully implemented, but the activation process is faster.

Basically you should follow these steps:

•Open System Preferences on the menu with the Apple icon in the upper left corner of the screen.

•Select Security & Privacy Options.

•Click the FileVault tab.

•Click the lock icon on the bottom left corner of the screen then enter the administrator password into the computer

•Click the Turn on FileVault button.

•Once this is done, all you have to do is follow the on-screen instructions to activate the service for all users and configure how to recover the password in case of forgetting.

For the first step, you need to know each user's password, or at least, ask users to enter a password. If you can't contact all users at this time, the service will be activated the first time you log in to their computer.

For the second step, configuration - how to recover the password, there are two different options 

•Use your iCloud account to unlock the disk and reset the password.

•Create Local Recovery Answers This option is only available for OS X Mavericks users.

Either way, you can decrypt the data on the disk if you forget the password to access the Mac user.

Of course, you need to make sure that you remember the password of the Apple ID you use or, in the case of the local recovery key, that you keep it somewhere off your Mac. If you forget this data, you will not be able to decrypt the disk, which means losing the data stored on the computer.

How to Close the file vault

If you want to turn off FileVault on your Mac at any time for any reason, you can do so. To do this, you must follow these steps:

•Click the icon with the Apple logo in the upper left corner of the screen and select the System Preferences option.

•Access security. And the privacy section.

•Click the FileVault tab.

•Tap the Close FileVault button.

Once this is complete, the service will be deactivated, although it will not be decrypted immediately. The process will take a few hours and will be done in the background. Like activation, to complete it, the computer must be connected to power, so in the case of laptops, it cannot be completed if it is running out of battery.

If you want to know what the process is like, you can access the Security and Privacy window, click the File Vault tab, and see the progress.

Disadvantage to activate FileVault

The main disadvantage of activating File Vault is related to computer performance. The read / write process will be slower with active service, as files will have to be decrypted or encrypted as they fly. . Depending on the hardware of your computer, the performance loss will be more or less. The lower the power, the greater the loss of performance and the lower the decline.

However, activating the service and reducing performance may be more of a "loss". Of course even if it is stolen, your data will be stored on an encrypted disk inside the computer. But you also need to review the type of data that you normally keep on disk, if it is not sensitive data (photos, personal documents, etc.), you may not be interested in activating this service.