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can you change the password on an encrypted hard drive

The password for some of our encrypted drives are compromised. Is there a way to change it without losing the data? Tried to change it by switching the encryption off - but the system keeps blocking the new password saying "content already encrypted" and now we cannot switch the old password drive back on again ((((. The drive automatically mounts with all files accessable. Cannot find anything already posted.

Posted on May 17, 2013 12:50 AM

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Posted on May 17, 2013 2:24 PM

Currently the only way to change the passwored of a non-boot volume is to decrypt and re-ecncrypt it. Try unmounting the volume and remounting it.

3 replies

May 18, 2013 2:07 AM in response to Linc Davis

Hi Linc, alas this has been tried - but it seems there must be more to it. The message received when trying to decrypt (successfully) then encrypt again - is "target core storage volume is already encrypted" and no progress after that. All volumes now load straight onto the desktop. Methinks the only way to do this safely is clone all the data onto a fresh drive. Then re-format the drive not allowing the encryption - thus starting from the beginning.


I'm sure Terminal could provide the answer to track down the problem? Thanks anyway, B

May 18, 2013 6:10 AM in response to Big_Banana

Triple-click anywhere in the line below to select it:

diskutil list; echo; diskutil cs list | open -f -a TextEdit

Copy the selected text to the Clipboard (command-C).


Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:


☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)


☞ In the Finder, select Go Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.


☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.


Paste into the Terminal window (command-V).


A TextEdit window will open with the output of the command. Post the contents of that window, if any — the text, please, not a screenshot.


If any personal information appears in the output, anonymize before posting, but don’t remove the context.

can you change the password on an encrypted hard drive

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