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How do I encrypt or password protect the external hard drive I use for backups

How do I encrypt or password protect the external hard drive that I use for backups

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 12.3

Posted on May 8, 2022 10:28 AM

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Posted on May 10, 2022 6:00 AM

Hi, thanks for everyone’s help on this. It appears it can be done on a TM drive but it’s going to take a while. So I’m going to have to schedule a time to sort it. I think I can say problem solved. Thanks once again.

11 replies

May 9, 2022 4:56 PM in response to JoeBar44

Hi JoeBar44,


If you haven't already erased your backup drive, you may be able to encrypt it while preserving your backups. While this process is the most secure option, it may take a long time to complete. Be sure to always properly eject your drive before physically disconnecting it to ensure that the encryption process isn't disrupted.


Unfortunately, Finder doesn't seem to offer an option to encrypt Time Machine backup drives in the Finder. However, you can accomplish this in Terminal:


  1. Open Terminal, located in Applications -> Utilities.
  2. Note the name of your backup drive.
  3. Type this command and hit Enter. Replace driveName with the real name of your drive: diskutil apfs encrypt "driveName"
  4. Follow the onscreen prompts in Terminal. If you're asked for a password or passphrase, type it and hit Enter. Terminal won't show any characters or indication as you enter the encryption password or passphrase.

How do I encrypt or password protect the external hard drive I use for backups

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