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A lot of our data and information, as well as a big part of our lives, are now stored online. how to See Filevault Encryption Progress Because of this, you should use different passwords on different sites and change them often. When your data is stolen, the least of your worries is that it will be inconvenient. It can make you less safe online and, in the worst cases, put your life in danger.
That’s why it’s important to keep bad people from getting to your data. You can do this with FileVault disc encryption on a Mac. It gives you a free way to protect the data on your Mac. Keep reading to find out how to see FileVault disc encryption and to learn more about it.
How to See Filevault Encryption Progress
Assuming you have recently enabled FileVault and it is now encrypting a disk, or you have disabled FileVault and the disk is now decrypting…
- Open the Terminal app found in /Applications/Utilities/
- Enter the following command string
- Look for “Conversion Progress:” in the command output to see what the encryption progress is
- You can also clarify the output by using grep for Conversion Progress like so:
- diskutil cs list grep “Conversion Progress”
- In the screenshot example shown here, the FileVault Conversion Progress is on “Optimizing” stage at 39% complete, meaning the FileVault volume is not yet fully secure. You may see a message that says “Encrypting” instead with a percentage indicator as well, or “Decrypting” if the disk is being decrypted.
Why should you use FileVault?
We recommend that every Mac user use FileVault to keep their files safe. Since it runs in the background, there is no downtime while your data is being encrypted. This is especially important if you let other people use your Mac, like coworkers or family.
If you’re the only one who uses your Mac, you might think you don’t need it, but you wouldn’t want to take that chance with your data. And since FileVault doesn’t use much CPU when it’s running (unless you make a lot of big files), there’s no reason not to turn it on.
How does FileVault actually work?
FileVault is a tool that comes with your Mac that encrypts the data on your startup disc to keep it safe. That means that no one can get to those files without permission. When you turn on the feature, all of the files on your startup disc are encrypted. It also encrypts any new files you make in the future, like when you move photos from your iPhone to your Mac.
FAQ
How do I check encryption progress on Mac?
- Click the Apple menu.
- Click System Preferences.
- Click Security & Privacy. A window will open displaying the encryption status. NOTE: If your encryption status does not indicate that your computer is encrypted, contact ITAC. Congratulations!
Can I use my Mac while FileVault is encrypting?
After you turn on FileVault and encryption starts, you can’t turn FileVault off until the first encryption is done. Depending on how much data you have on your computer, encryption can take a long time. However, you can still use your computer as you normally would.
Is it OK to turn off FileVault on Mac?
When you turn off FileVault, encryption is turned off, and your Mac’s files are no longer hidden. Depending on how much information you have stored, decrypting could take a while. But while the information is being decrypted, you can still use your Mac for other things.