Steps to Encrypt, Decrypt, and Recover Deleted Mac Files

Sue Wayne

Sep 11, 2023 • Filed to: Answer Hard Drive Problems • Proven solutions

Viruses and malware are the basic reasons due to which the macOS comes with strong encryption and decryption modes to protect the data from attacks and hacks. So, in case you happen to delete an important file or folder and it became corrupt due to any reason, here is this article that will provide all the possible solutions ranging from the Mac built-in tools to a third-party data recovery software to encrypt and decrypt the file/folder and then to recover it without losing the data.

With a strong data security mode, macOS is famous for the level of security it provides to the data stored. While working on the Mac device connected with the storage media, if the files and folders and deleted from the device accidentally, you can recover the data along with encryption and decryption activity. In this regard, first, you have to encrypt and decrypt the file/folder and then you have to use the recovery software for retrieving the deleted data either from the device or storage drive. Here are some of the solutions for encrypting, decrypting, and then recovering the data. The following are the topics that would be discussed in detail in this article.

Part 1: Methods to Encrypt Storage Drive on Mac

If you delete the file from your Mac device and you need to recover them, then at first you need to encrypt the file targeted to be recovered. Here are some built-in Mac procedures that will help to encrypt Mac hard drive.

1- Using Finder

The first solution is to use the Mac finder on the device. If the file to be encrypted is on the storage drive, make sure your device and external drive are appropriately connected. The following are the steps to follow to encrypt the file using Finder.

Step 1: Start by connecting the external storage drive with your Mac device. If the folder/file is present on the internal drive then straightaway initiate the process.

Step 2: Now, launch the Finder to search for all the files on the window

Step 3: Next step is to click on the desired storage drive i.e. internal or external and then select the option of Encrypt Drive Name.

Step 4: Once done with changing the name of the drive, set a password and a security hint as per the requirements.

Step 5: As all the process is completed, the file would be encrypted and now you got the answer for 'how to unlock hard drive Mac'.

2- Using File Vault

The second way to encrypt the external hard drive is to Mac or encrypt the Mac hard drive, then use File Vault. In this process, the external or internal drive is encrypted in the background and one can see the progression in the file vault. Once the process is completed, the Mac will restart, and upon restarting it would need a password to start up. Here are the steps to follow:

Step 1: Start the process with the Apple main menu. Then head to system preferences in the option.

Step 2: In this option, select Security and Privacy as an option. Lastly, click on the File Vault tab.

Step 3: Here you have to click the option of 'Turn on the File Vault'.

Step 4: Enter a strong password to complete the process of encryption to encrypt Mac hard drive.

3- Using Disk Utility

Using disk utility to encrypt Mac hard drives is another potential way. Once the drive is encrypted, you need to enter the password to reach the data present in the file. If in case, you forget the password, the drive would turn to inaccessible mode. The following are the steps for using the disk utility option.

Step 1: Start with launching Disk Utility from the finder and in the menu bar select the option of Applications.

Step 2: In applications, select Utilities.

Step 3: Here you have to select the particular file or even the drive that you want to encrypt by using a password and click on the Erase tab.

Step 4: In the drop menu of Format, select the option of Mac OS Extended or APFS.

Step 5: In the name menu, add the name of the drive and again click erase.

Step 6: Now enter the password to encrypt your drive.

Part 2: Methods to Decrypt Password-Protected Storage Drive on Mac

Not just providing the option to encrypt the external or internal hard drive, Mac OS presents you with a built-in option array for decrypting the password-protected storage device. Here are three of the methods used for the unencrypted Excel file.

1- Using Finder

Finder cannot only facilitate encrypting the drive but rather it also works for decrypting the password-protected storage drive. Once the decryption is completed, you don't need the password to access the drive. Here are the steps:

Step 1: Start with connecting the external hard drive with the Mac device or select the internal encoded volume.

Step 2: Now launch Finder and look for the destined drive in the list.

Step 3: Click the storage drive and select the option of Decrypt Drive Name.

2- Using File Vault

The second way is to use the file vault. As mentioned above for encryption, this time the task is to decrypt the drive. Here you go for the steps to decrypt the drive.

Step 1: Start the process with the Apple main menu. Then head to system preferences in the option.

Step 2: In this option, select Security and Privacy as an option. Lastly, click on the File Vault tab.

Step 3: Here you have to click the Lock icon and enter the password. Now select the option of 'Turn off the File Vault'.

Step 4: The drive would be decrypted in the background and you can check the progression in the file vault.

3- Using Disk Utility

Disk utility can also be used for decrypting the password-protected hard drive. Here are the steps to proceed with.

Step 1: Launch the disk utility and select the targeted encrypted drive.

Step 2: Now to unlock the drive, select the option of the file, and proceed to Unlock Drive Name.

Step 3: Enter the password to access the drive if and when required.

Step 4: Now for completing the process of decryption, select the option of the file, and complete the action by selecting Turn off Encryption.

But the appropriate way is to use the command line. Here are the steps.

For APFS drive:

Step 1: Launch the finder and in the menu select the option of applications.

Step 2: Click on utilities in the menu and type the code i.e. "diskutil apfs list". Click return to continue.

Step 3: Next step is to unlock the drive, type "diskutil apfs unlock volume /dev/apfs_volume_id -passphrase type_the_key".

Step 4: Lastly, for completing the process of decryption, type "diskutil apfs list".

Try to use the command line method as this is an authentic way otherwise you can face data loss.

Part 3: Recover Files from an Encrypted/Corrupt Mac Storage Drive

Sometimes, you face the problem of deleted files from the encrypted storage drive, or the encrypted storage drives get corrupted due to a virus or malware attack. In this regard, file recovery is a big deal. For this, third-party application software is required to retrieve the data. Using Recoverit Data Recovery for Mac software is your ultimate solution.

Recoverit data recovery software is an all-in-one solution for retrieving the data i.e. lost deleted, locked, or corrupt files. It is easy to use and compatible with several external drives and devices. Here are the steps that can be employed to Recover Files from an Encrypted/Corrupt Mac Storage Drive.

Step 1: Initiate the process by downloading and then launching the Recoverit data recovery.

Step 2: In the case of recovering data from an encrypted hard drive, select the External device recovery mode.

Step 3: The hard drive should be an inappropriate connection with the device. Now in the menu, select the hard drive partition that is locked and hit the Start button.

Step 4: the process of data recovery will start, and the software will run a deep scan for recovering the lost files. If the quick scan didn't work, then go for the All-round recovery mode.

Step 5: once the scan is completed, all the retrieved files will appear in the interface of the software. Click to see the preview of every file and select the files that you want to recover. Select the files and save them in the desired location on the device.

Conclusion:

In this article, you get to know about the appropriate ways i.e. both built-in and software solutions to carry out the process of encryption, and decryption, and then recover the lost or deleted files from an encrypted/corrupted external drive. While using the Mac OS, you can always carry out all the above-mentioned processes in no time with all built-in Mac solutions. You can either use the finder, file vault, or disk utility to perform both tasks of encryption and decryption. Apart from this, if you want to restore the deleted files from an encrypted/corrupted hard drive (external), you can use Recoverit data recovery software that carries two modes of scanning, i.e. a quick scan and a deep scan. The software will restore all the files in no time. You will get a preview. Select the file after looking at the preview and save the on the device.