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change password option for external drive is grayed out in Disk Utility

I want to change the password for an external HD that I use for Time<Machine. The option to change it is grayed out in Disk Utility. Is there a reason why this is the case? Is there another method for changing it?


Thanks.

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 11.5

Posted on Jul 29, 2021 11:03 PM

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Question marked as Best answer

I think I stumbled on the answer. You can change passwords by unchecking and checking the Encrypt Time Machine Backup option under Time Machine/Options/select disk.

Posted on Jul 30, 2021 10:11 AM

6 replies

Jul 30, 2021 9:27 AM in response to P. Phillips

My original password still works on the external drive. I simply cannot change it. Is this because of a limitation due to Big Sur? I think I read somewhere that Big Sur requires APFS to enable this feature, but I may be wrong. But there is no mention of this here:


https://support.apple.com/guide/disk-utility/encrypt-protect-a-storage-device-password-dskutl35612/mac


Thanks.

Jul 30, 2021 10:29 AM in response to P. Phillips

I've tried clones, but TM is useful: you can look for a particular file across a spectrum of dates when it was saved. It's like a 3D model of your drive over time. Not sure that is possible with clones, which have no browsing mechanism, and hence reduces the search to hunt and peck. Am I wrong?


I should say that I use Box for my main backup and syncing across machines; it permits 100 versions to be saved. The mechanism is much the same as in TM: you pick a file and look across dates.

change password option for external drive is grayed out in Disk Utility

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