What happens if you forget to check encrypt backups?

Encryption is a method of ensuring that if someone gets hold of your backup drive, they cannot read your data. It is a double edged sword.

on the one hand - great, thieves cannot see your date.

On the other hand - lose your encryption key - you cant get your data either.

If you've not encrypted the drive, no consequence, especially if you don't have any particularly sensitive data on it.

Anyone in possession of an unencrypted backup can use it to effectively create a duplicate of the Mac it backed up.

That is true. But since many (most?) backup drives are sat next to the computer they are backing up, in most cases the thief will already have the computer.

But now you've injected the worry into my brain about whether I should be encrypting everything. Sigh!

But now you've injected the worry into my brain about whether I should be encrypting everything. Sigh!

Ask yourself for valid reasons to not encrypt sensitive data.

myrna149 wrote:

What happens if you forget to check encrypt backups on the back up disk? For Macbook

Nothing happens. That is to say no encryption happens.

I would not do it after the fact it can literally takes days.

Encrypting a empty drive on formatting is the time to do it, if you are inclined, or not.