Can I enable FileVault on my remote Mac?

FileVault encrypts the entire drive of a Mac, and until the login password is entered locally during boot, the Mac will not boot and networking will not be started, causing the remote Mac to be inaccessible.

FileVault is great for laptops to protect data in the event that it’s lost or stolen, but in a remote environment you will not be able to access the Mac after a reboot until we enter the password locally for you (with an exception for newer macOS versions, see below).

We strongly recommend creating a separate partition or adding an external drive that is encrypted if you need to store your data in an encrypted state.

If you’ve mistakenly enabled FileVault on your remote Mac and cannot access the system after a reboot, please follow the instructions below:

If you are running macOS 26 Tahoe or newer

macOS Tahoe introduced the ability to SSH to a Mac after a reboot and unlock FileVault when FileVault is enabled.

1. In Terminal on another Mac (or using another SSH client if you are running Windows), run the below command changing the information to your hostname. (i.e. xxxx will become abc12-3 – check the hostname on your client portal). Replace “administrator” with the username you use to log in to the remote Mac, if different.

ssh administrator@xxxx.macminivault.com

2. If a warning is displayed, follow the instructions to proceed and then enter your password that is used to log into the remote Mac.

3. Once logged in, a message indicating FileVault has been unlocked will be displayed, and you can enter the command below to finish your session:

exit

4. You should now be able to log into your remote Mac via VNC or your remote desktop software of choice normally.

Please note that FileVault is still enabled, and if it isn’t disabled before the next reboot you will need to follow the steps above to regain access.

If you are running macOS 15 Sequoia or older

Open a support ticket at secure.cyberlynk.net and provide your administrator login credentials so that we can boot your Mac and disable FileVault for you.