How to (perfectly) secure data on MacBook.

tinman917 wrote:

I have found articles online all about how to access your MacBook if you have forgotten your login password. (Or: how to reset your password.)

Some of these give the impression (albeit without always saying so outright) that you can do this even without your Apple ID or your FileVault Recovery key.

And I think to myself: surely these articles should make it clear from the outset that the bottom line is that it is a fact that if you don’t have any of these three things: login password, Apple ID,  FileVault Recovery key. That then access is impossible and you will need to factory reset to make the MacBook useable again.

The fact that they don’t do this makes me doubt a little bit that this is a correct fact. But it is correct, right?

I am asking this question from the point of view of making sure I have done everything to secure the data on my MacBook in case of loss or theft. I have MacBook Air M3 with a login password and with ‘Find My’ and FileVault both turned on. That’s perfectly secure, right?

Unless you are tricked into giving someone your login information, then yes, having FileVault and Find My turned on will make it extremely difficult for anyone to get access to your data. I will never say that anything is "perfectly secure" since highly funded entities such as governments may have tools and expertise enough to compromise what is otherwise a secure system. But unless you are a high-value target, the chances of anyone being interested in putting that much effort into cracking into your Mac are pretty low.

Regards.

I’ve done exactly the same.