password protected external hard drive mac

For example, if your external hard drive is 'F:/' you will want to create a new volume on your 'F' drive. The volume needs to be created on this device. Each encryption program will show you a list of all devices connected to your computer, so select the drive that corresponds with your external hard drive. Open your encryption program and select the option to create a new volume. At this point, move everything you want to save from your external hard drive onto your computer the encryption process involves formatting your drive, which results in wiping all data from it, so saving your data is extremely important. Your encryption program needs to be able to read it to encrypt it. Most people nowadays need to have access to their files wherever they go.Plug in your external hard drive to your computer and wait for your computer to detect it. External HDDs and flash drives are a great way to have lots of data accessible fast. But first, make sure to password-protect your USB drives. Otherwise, someone could get hold of your files.

Most computers already have built-in software allowing you to password-protect your USB drive for free. Today, we'll show you how to encrypt a flash drive using BitLocker on Windows and FileVault 2 on macOS. Why encrypt your flash driveĭigital data has many distinct features that make it different from physical documents and folders.

Digital data can be stolen without leaving a trace, or lost when transferred to a portable device.ĭigital data has many distinct features that make it different from physical documents and folders. One of them is the ability to make unlimited copies and one-click transfers. But it’s as much of a benefit as it is a flaw. Digital data can be stolen without leaving a trace, or lost when transferred to a portable device. If you have Windows 10, BitLocker should already be installed. Keep in mind that older Windows (7, Vista, 8) run a different version of BitLocker and may not be compatible with files encrypted using BitLocker on Windows 10 machines.

Password protected external hard drive mac