Protect your Mac information with encryption
Using removable media, such as USB flash drives, memory cards, CDs, DVDs, or removable disks, is a convenient way to transport information. However, if the removable media is lost or stolen, someone else can access its data by mounting the media on another computer.
If you want to keep private or confidential information secure on removable media, you need to encrypt the information on it.
WARNING: When you encrypt a disk or other media, the disk format is converted to the APFS format and then encrypted. Macs with earlier versions of macOS that don’t support the APFS format are not able to read the device’s data. Consider whether you need to connect the media to a Mac with an earlier version of macOS before you encrypt the data. You can also update your other Mac to the latest version of the macOS that supports the APFS format.
On your Mac, click
in the Dock to open a Finder window.In the sidebar, Control-click the item you want to encrypt.
Choose Encrypt [item name] from the shortcut menu.
Create a password for the disk and click Encrypt Disk.
Important: Be sure to record and keep this password in a safe place. You cannot access the data on the encrypted disk without it.
It may take some time to encrypt, depending on how much information is stored on your Mac. However, you can use your Mac as usual while the disk is being encrypted.
To decrypt an encrypted disk, Control-click the disk you want to decrypt, then choose Decrypt [item name] from the shortcut menu. See How does FileVault work on a Mac?