MacOS is known for its strong security; it provides you with the option to encrypt and decrypt your storage drive’s data to protect your files and folders from prying eyes and hackers. However, what if you delete important files or the storage drive becomes corrupt. You would want to recover the data, but conventional do not provide recovery from an encrypted storage drive. In this blog, we will share methods to encrypt, decrypt, and recover files from an encrypted/corrupt storage drive.
Help you protect Excel files with 2 free and secure methods. Detailed process about how to password protect an Excel file to control access from file level! How to limit the unauthorized to Excel files which may save confidential data? Now you can make use of the 2 free and secure methods below to.
Methods to Encrypt Storage Drive on Mac To encrypt a storage drive, you can use any one of the following methods that befit your requirement: Method 1: Using Finder. Connect your external drive or use the internal drive to encrypt. Launch Finder and find all the listed drives on the left pane of the window. Right click on a storage drive and select the Encrypt ‘ DriveName’ option. Set a password and the hint as requested by macOS After Mac finishes the process, the storage drive is encrypted. You can unlock the drive by keying in its password.
Method 2: Using FileVault. Go to Apple menu System Preferences Security & Privacy FileVault tab. Click the Lock icon and enter admin credentials. Click the “ Turn On FileVault” button. Provide a password to encrypt the disk Mac encrypts your disk in the background. You can check the encryption progress from the FileVault section.
After encryption when you restart your Mac, the system needs the password to finish starting up. Method 3: Using Disk Utility. Launch the Disk Utility from Finder Applications Utilities. (Otherwise, press Command + Spacebar to bring Spotlight. When Spotlight appears, type ‘ Disk Utility’ and click on the Disk Utility search result to launch the application). Select the volume or external storage drive that you want to protect via password and click on the Erase tab ( Note: Erasing a drive will remove all its content so backup before performing this step). In the Format section, use the drop-down menu to select Mac OS Extended (Journaled, Encrypted) or APFS (Encrypted) format.
In the Name section, provide your storage drive with a name and click Erase. (Before macOS erases your entire storage drive, it displays a dialogue box asking for a password). Enter the password that is easy to remember yet difficult to crack for others. Do not forget to provide Password Hint Disk Utility now completes the erase process of your storage drive.
When it finishes, the drive mounts on the computer, and you can use it to transfer files. In addition, the system has encrypted your drive; therefore, you need to enter the drive’s password every time you try to access it. If you forget the password, the drive turns inaccessible.
Methods to Decrypt Password Protected Storage Drive on Mac Similar to encrypting a storage drive, macOS also makes the process of decryption easy. To decrypt a storage drive, use any one of the following methods suitable for your case. Method 1: Using Finder. Connect the encrypted external drive to your Mac or use the internal encoded volume. Open Finder and on the left pane find all the listed drives.
Right click on the storage drive and select the Decrypt ‘ DriveName’ option After Mac decrypts the drive, you no longer need to type a password to access it. Method 2: Using FileVault. Go to Apple menu System Preferences Security & Privacy FileVault tab. Click on the Lock icon and enter admin credentials. Click the “ Turn Off FileVault” button Mac decrypts your disk in the background. You can check the decryption progress from the FileVault section.
Method 3: Using Disk Utility. Open Disk Utility. Select your encrypted storage drive. To unlock the drive, go to File Unlock ‘DriveName’. Enter password when prompted. To decrypt, go to File ‘Turn Off Encryption’ Method 4: Using Command Line It is vital to decrypt data in the right way using the command line as the incorrect operation can result in data loss. For APFS Drive.
Launch Terminal from Finder Application Utilities. Type the code “diskutil apfs list” and hit Return (The Terminal produces a list of all APFS volumes and containers.
Note down the APFS volume id information). To unlock volume, type “diskutil apfs unlockVolume /dev/apfsvolumeid -passphrase typethekey” then hit Return. To decrypt volume, type “diskutil apfs decryptVolume /dev/apfsvolumeid” and hit Return (provide the authentication details if asked). To monitor decryption progress, type “diskutil apfs list” and hit Return For Other Drive. Launch Terminal from Finder Application Utilities.
Type the code “diskutil cs list” and hit Return (The Terminal produces core storage list in a hierarchy. Copy the alphanumeric code i.e. Logical volume UUID, which is next to Logical Volume Group.).
Type “diskutil cs delete logicalvolumeuuid” and hit Return Recover Files from an Encrypted/Corrupt Mac Storage Drive Earlier, data recovery from an encrypted storage drive was challenging, but after the release of Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac Version 9, recovery from an encrypted storage drive has become easy and quick. Follow the steps listed below to recover deleted or lost data from an encrypted Mac startup disk or any other external drive: Step 1) Launch Stellar Data Recovery Professional for Mac.
Choose ‘ Recover Everything’ or ‘ Customize Your Scan’ from ‘ Select What To Recover screen’ for the recovery of a specific file type Step 2) Select your mounted encrypted Mac storage drive or encrypted external drive from the ‘ Select Location Screen’ screen ( Note: Provide the password to unlock the storage drive. This step is important because without unlocking the drive you cannot scan it for deleted file recovery) Drive is unlocked as shown, Step 3) Scan the encrypted storage drive and wait until the scanning process completes entirely Step 4) Expand the scanned items listed by the software in three views Classic List, File List, and Deleted List Step 5) Double-click a file to launch its preview to check its quality and select all the desired files Step 6) Click the Recover button to save your recoverable files. Browse the desired destination and click Save ( Note: To save the recoverable files, is required) The software saves the recovered files to your provided destination, which needs to be different from the recovery storage drive/volume.
Open the destination drive to verify the recovered data. You can also use the software to recover data in case the encrypted storage drive is corrupt, just select the corrupt drive from the Storage Location screen and perform Deep Scan; this finds data by skipping or reading bad sectors without halting. Moreover, the software provides the option to Create Image of the entire disk for easy and trouble-free recovery from corrupt disk. Conclusion Although the macOS has made the process of encryption and decryption easy and convenient, one should be careful and follow the steps provided in the blog as a small mistake can lead to data loss. However, if you have met such a data loss disaster, do not worry, does not only recover from encrypted storage drive but also when your drive becomes corrupt during the decryption process.
This versatile software is APFS compatible and can handle any type of logical data loss situation be it encryption, corruption, inaccessibility, erasure, or emptying of Trash. To check its interface, scan-capability, and other powerful features download the software for Free and once satisfied Register the software to get unlimited data recovery capability – the assets for preventing data loss disaster. Hi Vishal, I have a 2TB WD external hard drive.
There was an encrypted folder with password and I still remember the password. One day, I made a mistake to format the entire WD hard drive by Disk Utility with a different format (EXfat), but I realized my mistake just after the incident and did not save/write any file in it. (I can’t remember what was the previous format) Can SDR still search for the formatted encrypted folder for me to insert the password, then start restoring my folder in this situation?? Your feedback will be much appreciated.
Hi Justin, We recommend you to follow the below steps to recover the data using Stellar Mac Data Recovery: 1. Select Start New Scan option from main interface screen. Select the drive from which you want to search the lost /deleted volumes.
Select Search Lost / Deleted Volumes option from listed scanning method. Click Start Scan button to start scanning process. Software will scan and display all the lost/deleted volumes of your drive. Now, select the lost volume that you want to scan for data from the list of volumes. Select ‘Recover Data’ option and start the scan.
Hi CC, Stellar Mac Data Recovery does support data recovery of deleted files from an encrypted hard drive. Though, the first condition to perform recovery is the user must unlock the drive by the password. Once you are through, you can start the scan and recover files.
In your case, the drive isn’t accepting your password, though you should at least try once with Stellar and provide the same password. However, chances are low that your drive will get unlocked. Please try once. Download the software from. I damaged my old Macbook Pro with water. I bought a Macbook Air. I migrated data to it from a WD MyBook drive.
It seemed to go smoothly. Then I had second thoughts about the Air and also bought a Macbook Pro, planning to return one of them. I migrated data the same way but not everything came over. I called tech support. The tech, for some reason, had me encrypt my hard drive. I didn’t have that much on it but it took over 37 hours. As it turns out, I prefer the Macbook Pro and want to return the Air.
But the Air seems to have my all data while the Pro doesn’t. I really do not need encryption for anything. I want to decrypt the hard drive. I want to transfer all my data to the Pro.
The only think I know for sure is that the Air seems to have all my data. I have an appointment with a senior advisor this evening. How do I get my data onto the Macbook Pro and how do I decrypt the external drive without losing anything? Also, will it work to migrate encrypted data to the Pro?
I have a bit of a time crunch and am worried whatever process I do will take days again. Hi V Lewin, I migrated data to it from a WD MyBook drive. It seemed to go smoothly.
Then I had second thoughts about the Air and also bought a Macbook Pro, planning to return one of them. I migrated data the same way, but not everything came over. I called tech support. The tech, for some reason, had me encrypt my hard drive Did you transferred the data from My Book to Air with encryption or without the encryption?
What were those some reason that tech support encrypted your disk? I recommend you hard drive to an external drive since your MBA have complete data on it. Once the backup is done, decrypt the drive (See decryption steps in the article). I accidentally use the password assisting when encrypting my external drive, so there is no way for me to know what password I chose. I didn’t realize the “password assistant changed my password when moving the Password Assistant slider. Why would Apple let the Password Assistant create the password and verify it at the same time. What options do have to recover my files?
Should I erase the drive with a low erase setting, then try to recover as much files as I can? Please provide some help! This hard drive had over 4 years of my recordings.
Advertisement We store a wealth of data on our computers, some of it private and sensitive. You can protect all the files on your Mac by Only by manually encrypting the files on your hard drive can you truly keep your files safe. That's where the Mac OS X FileVault comes in. But maybe you don’t need to protect all your files, or you just think FileVault is a bit overkill for your purposes.
There are simpler options for password protecting certain files and folders. Today we’ll cover password protecting individual files an folders on your Mac. Password Protect iWork Documents The Have you always dismissed Apple's productivity apps as unsuitable for your office needs? It's time to reconsider! Is Apple’s version of Microsoft Office. If you have Pages, Keynote, or Numbers files with sensitive information, you can password protect those files to secure the information.
Open the file you want to protect and go to File Set Password. Enter a Password and then Verify the password. If you want a hint to help you remember your password, enter a Password Hint. Then, click Set Password. The next time you open the document, you’ll be prompted to enter your password. Password Protect PDF Files in Preview Preview is an unassuming app that can do the job of half a dozen standalone utilities.
Is the built-in PDF and image viewer on your Mac. However, it’s more than just a PDF viewer. You can save images as PDF files, sign PDF documents, merge PDF files, and annotate, highlight, and add notes to PDF files.
You can also password protect PDF files in Preview. Open the PDF file you want to protect in Preview. Open the File menu and then press the Option key. The Duplicate menu option becomes Save As. Select the Save As option. On the Save dialog box, check the Encrypt box towards the bottom. Enter a Password and then Verify the password.
Then, click Save. The next time you open that PDF file, you’ll be asked to enter your password. Enter the password you typed in when saving the file. To remove the password protection from a PDF file, open the file, entering the password when prompted. Use the Option key to access the Save As option on the File menu as mentioned above and uncheck the Encrypt option on the Save dialog box. Save the file with a new name and delete the old password protected file. Note: This only works for PDF files, not image files.
The Encrypt option is not available on the Save dialog box when saving an image. Password Protect Files Using the “Save as PDF” Option You can also password protect PDF files in other apps using the Don't pay for PDF software! Convert documents, merge or split PDFs, and annotate and sign forms for free on your Mac.
On the Print dialog box. This also works for text files and other types of documents, if the Save as PDF option is available in the app. Open the PDF file, text file, or document you want to protect and go to File Print in the app. Select Save as PDF from the PDF dropdown list at the bottom of the Print dialog box. Then, click Security Options on the Save dialog box.
Open the print box, hit the button in the bottom right, “save as PDF” — Spooky Colin Weir (@radiocolin) Check the Require password to open document box. Enter a Password and then Verify the password.
To remove the password from a PDF file protected this way, open the PDF file in Preview and remove the password as mentioned in the previous section. Password Protect Microsoft Word Files You can also Would you mind if someone peeked through your OneNote notebooks or had access to your Word documents?
If your answer is yes, let us show you how to protect your Office files. Open the Word file you want to protect, click the Review tab, and then click Protect Document. On the Password Protect dialog box, enter a Password under Set a password to open this document. You can also require a Password to modify the document.
![Encryption Encryption](https://www.cisdem.com/resource/attach/file/images/macexcelsec.jpg)
You can also add other Protection to the document and Remove personal information from this file on save. To remove the password from the document, open it and go to Review Protect Document. Delete the passwords currently on the Password Protect dialog box and click OK. You won’t be asked for a password the next time you open the document.
Password Protect Microsoft PowerPoint Files Password protecting a Presentations are a great way to support a talk. This guide will help you create presentations with a professional look and concise content. At the same time you'll avoid the most common presentation mistakes. Is slightly different than protecting a Word file. On the menu bar, go to File Passwords. Under Password to open, check the Encrypt this presentation and require a password to open box. On the Set a password for this presentation dialog box, enter a New password, Verify the password, and then click Set Password.
To remove the password from the presentation, open it, go to File Passwords, and uncheck the Encrypt this presentation and require a password to open box. Password Protect Microsoft Excel Files Password protecting a Microsoft Excel workbook is like protecting a PowerPoint presentation, but the dialog box is different.
On the menu bar, go to File Passwords. On the File Passwords dialog box, enter a password in the Password to open box. You can also enter a Password to modify to prevent others from making changes to the workbook. To remove the password from an Excel workbook, open the workbook, go to File Passwords, and delete the password on the File Passwords dialog box.
Password Protect Folders Using Disk Utility Up to this point, we’ve covered password protecting various types of files. What if you want to password protect an entire folder? Disk Utility is a free app included with your Mac. It makes it easier to work with hard drives and drive images. Disk Utility can erase, format, repair, and partition hard drives. You can also use Disk Utility to create a clone of any drive or even Create Windows-compatible.ISO disc images using your Mac without using any additional software or apps. There’s a feature in Disk Utility you may not be aware of.
You can, or a single file that contains the entire contents of a drive or other media like external USB drives, CDs, or DVDs. Put the files you want to protect into a folder and use Disk Utility to create an encrypted disk image of the folder. Open Disk Utility and go to File New Image Image from Folder. Select the folder you want to encrypt and click Choose. Enter a name for the disk image in the Save As box and select Where to store the DMG file. Select the Encryption type (128-bit or 256-bit AES).
Enter a Password and then Verify the password on the popup dialog box that displays and click Choose. Select read/write from the Image Format dropdown list. Then, click Save. A progress dialog box displays and a message saying that the operation was successful when the process is finished.
To access the files you added to the disk image, double-click on the DMG file and enter the password when prompted. Then, click OK. Disk Utility adds the disk image to your desktop.
Double-click the disk image icon to access the files inside it. Be sure to eject the disk image when you’re done using it, so your files are password protected again.
To do this, right-click on the disk image icon on the desktop and select Eject “Name of Disk Image” from the popup menu. Also, it’s a good idea to securely delete the original files once you add them to the encrypted disk image. You can If you want to obliterate your flash drive so that nothing is recoverable, you'll need to take action. Here are a few simple methods you can use that require no technical expertise.
To securely delete the files. Password Protect Files/Folders in a ZIP Using Terminal If you like using the Terminal, you can password protect files and folders using the “zip” command on the command line. Open Terminal from the Utilities folder in the Applications folder. First, we need to change to the directory containing the file we want to protect. Our file is on the Desktop, so we enter the following command. If your file is in a different location, replace “Desktop” with the path to your file, or move your file to the Desktop. Cd Desktop Then, enter the following command.
Replace “Sample.zip” with the name you want to use for your ZIP file and replace “Sample.mp4” with the name of the file you’re protecting. Zip -e Sample.zip Sample.mp4 If you’re protecting a folder, the command is slightly different. For example, we have a folder called FilesToProtect on our Desktop.
So, we enter the following command. Zip -e ProtectedFiles.zip FilesToProtect/. The “/.” after the folder name indicated to zip all the files in that folder. If the folder has subfolders you want included in the ZIP file, change the “-e” to “-er” in the above command.
The “r” is the recursive flag. All subfolders will recursively be scanned for files to include in the ZIP file. The original files are preserved.
It’s a good idea to securely delete the original files once you add them to the encrypted ZIP file. You can If you want to obliterate your flash drive so that nothing is recoverable, you'll need to take action. Here are a few simple methods you can use that require no technical expertise. To securely delete the files. Password Protect and Encrypt Using Encrypto Encrypto is a free tool for Mac and Windows that makes it easy to create an encrypted file containing files and folders. It’s advertised as a secure way to send files to others, but you can also use it to secure files for yourself and store the encrypted file on your computer’s hard drive and back it up to an external drive. And install it.
When you run Encrypto, a single window displays. Drag the files and folders you want to protect onto the window. You can protect files and folders in the same encrypted (.CRYPTO) file, but you must add them all at once. The original folder structure is not preserved.
Check out, a brand new cross-platform app by that encrypts the files you send. — Pasquale Parisi (@pascalparisi) Enter a password for the encrypted file and an optional Hint. The hint is useful if you’re sharing the encrypted file with someone else. You can enter a hint that only you and the other person would know, so you don’t have to send them the password.
Click Encrypt to create the encrypted file. The files and folders are encrypted into a.CRYPTO file. You can save the file to your hard drive or share it with someone directly from within Encrypto using the Share File button. Double-click the.CRYPTO file to decrypt the files and save them to your hard drive.
Once you’re finished using the files, use Encrypto again to encrypt the files and then securely delete the files you decrypted. Protect Your Files and Folders On and Off Your Mac These methods are useful for protecting the files and folders on your Mac and on external drives. You can also use these methods when sharing files with others or storing files in the cloud. How do you protect your files and folders on your Mac? Do you use any other apps to secure your data? Share your thoughts and experiences with us in the comments below.
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