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FileVault - Yes or No
- Thread starter SRQrws
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FileVault doesn’t matter either way in that case on T2 or later machines. Everything is encrypted. If you give them your account credentials they can see your data. If you don’t, they can’t.
You should assume any repair facility has access to your files.
If FileVault is turned off, and you put a T2 Mac into target disk mode, the disk is completely accessible without any credentials.
Good catch. I was wrong about T2 Macs. An administrator password is required to put an Apple Silicon Mac into target disk mode. That isn't required on T2 Macs.
Transfer files between two Mac computers using target disk mode
You can connect an Intel-based Mac to another Mac using a USB, USB-C, or Thunderbolt cable, then transfer files.
support.apple.com
Transfer files between a Mac with Apple silicon and another Mac
On a Mac with Apple silicon, use Mac Sharing to connect to another Mac and transfer files.
support.apple.com
According to this, it would be a pretty big performance hit on read & writes.
Do I Really Need FileVault? (And Does It Affect Performance)
Discover if FileVault encryption is essential for your Mac and how it impacts performance. Learn the benefits and potential downsides in our detailed guide.
macmyths.com
From that link:According to this, it would be a pretty big performance hit on read & writes.
Do I Really Need FileVault? (And Does It Affect Performance)
Discover if FileVault encryption is essential for your Mac and how it impacts performance. Learn the benefits and potential downsides in our detailed guide.
“So, does FileVault affect performance? FileVault significantly degrades disk performance on all old Mac models. The impact of the FileVault on disk writes is the highest, in some cases, down to a half. The impact on disk reads is about 10-20%.
However, the problem was fixed with the introduction of T2 chips where encryption and decryption are happening on the hardware level”.
Consistent with your link, from personal experience there was a measurable but not noticeable hit with older Macs. I never saw a half speed effect.
With modern Macs (T2 chip and Silicon) it is not an issue.
On my Macs from that vintage there was a measurable but not noticeable hit. I never saw a half speed effect.According to this, it would be a pretty big performance hit on read & writes.
Do I Really Need FileVault? (And Does It Affect Performance)
Discover if FileVault encryption is essential for your Mac and how it impacts performance. Learn the benefits and potential downsides in our detailed guide.
Where this discussion matters is when you need to power cycle a Mac (ie. mini server) remote.
If FV is on, you need to be physically at the machine to enter credentials before the mini will boot. Is this still true?
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Caveat - KVM (tbd)
If FV is on, you need to be physically at the machine to enter credentials before the mini will boot. Is this still true?
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Caveat - KVM (tbd)