How to enable FileVault disk encryption on your Mac

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How to enable FileVault disk encryption on your Mac. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

FileVault is Apple's built-in full disk encryption feature for macOS. Enabling it ensures that all the data on your Mac's startup disk is scrambled and unreadable without your login password or recovery key. For small businesses and home office users, this is one of the most effective ways to safeguard sensitive information if your Mac is lost or stolen. This guide walks you through enabling FileVault, managing your recovery key, and checking that encryption is running properly.

Before You Begin

Before turning on FileVault, make sure your Mac is ready for the encryption process:

• Ensure your Mac is connected to mains power, as the initial encryption process can take some time and should not be interrupted.
• Connect to a reliable internet connection if you plan to store your recovery key in your iCloud account.
• Make sure you have an administrator account and know your login password.
• Save any open work and close other applications before starting.

Quick Fix Steps

If you are familiar with macOS System Settings, you can enable FileVault quickly by following these steps:

1. Open System Settings from the Apple menu.
2. Click Privacy & Security in the sidebar.
3. Scroll down and locate the FileVault section.
4. Click the Turn On button.
5. Choose your recovery method (iCloud or recovery key) and follow the prompts.

Detailed Instructions

The exact steps differ slightly depending on your version of macOS. Follow the instructions below that match your operating system.

macOS Ventura and Later

1. Click the Apple logo  in the top-left corner of your screen and select System Settings.
2. In the left-hand sidebar, scroll down and click on Privacy & Security.
3. Scroll down the main window until you see the FileVault heading.
4. Click Turn On next to the FileVault description.
5. You will be prompted to choose how you want to unlock your disk if you forget your password. Select either Allow my iCloud account to unlock my disk or Create a recovery key and do not use my iCloud account.
6. If you choose to create a recovery key, write down the key exactly as it appears and store it in a safe place away from your Mac.
7. Click Continue to begin the encryption process.

macOS Monterey and Earlier

1. Click the Apple logo  in the top-left corner and select System Preferences.
2. Click the Security & Privacy icon.
3. Select the FileVault tab at the top of the window.
4. Click the padlock icon in the bottom-left corner and enter your administrator password to make changes.
5. Click Turn On FileVault.
6. Choose your preferred recovery method — either storing the recovery key with Apple via your iCloud account or creating a local recovery key.
7. Click Continue to start the encryption.

Troubleshooting

The Turn On Option is Greyed Out

If the Turn On button is greyed out, there may be other user accounts on the Mac that do not have passwords set, or there may be a hardware issue preventing encryption.

• Ensure every user account on the Mac has a secure password configured. FileVault cannot be enabled if any user account has a blank password.
• Check that your Mac's firmware is up to date by installing any pending macOS updates.
• If you are using an older Mac with a non-SSD drive, FileVault may not be supported or may perform very poorly.

Forgotten Recovery Key

If you forget your Mac login password and your recovery key, your data will be permanently lost. Apple cannot bypass FileVault encryption.

If you opted to store the key in iCloud, you can reset your password using your Apple ID after a set number of failed login attempts at the lock screen.

Encryption is Stalled

If the encryption progress bar has not moved for an extended period, try the following:

• Restart your Mac. macOS will resume the encryption process automatically after rebooting.
• Ensure the Mac is connected to power, as some Macs will pause background encryption tasks when running on battery.
• Check Activity Monitor for any processes using excessive disk resources that may be interfering with the encryption task.

Verifying FileVault is Active

To confirm that your disk is fully encrypted:

1. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions).
2. Navigate to Privacy & Security and find the FileVault section.
3. The status should read FileVault is turned on for the disk.

Once enabled, FileVault encrypts your data automatically and transparently. You will not need to enter your recovery key unless you forget your login password. If you encounter any issues during this process or need assistance verifying your encryption status, please Open a Ticket on our support portal.

Still Having Issues?