How to set up an encrypted partition on your hosted Mac

Instead of utilizing FileVault, which will lock you out of your hosted Mac after a reboot, Mac Mini Vault recommends creating a separate encrypted partition on the hard drive to store any sensitive information. This allows for greater security while still maintaining remote access to your remote server. Make sure you are using Apple File System (APFS): The file system used by macOS 10.13 or later.

WARNING: When you encrypt a disk or other media, the disk format is converted to the APFS format and then encrypted. Macs with earlier versions of macOS that don’t support the APFS format are not able to read the device’s data. Consider whether you need to connect the media to a Mac with an earlier version of macOS before you encrypt the data. You can also update your other Mac to the latest version of the macOS that supports the APFS format.

Open Disk Utility
- Select View > Show All Devices

Select the storage device where you’d like the encrypted partition to be located. Typically this will be on “Macintosh HD”.

Select Partition

Use (+) or (-) to adjust the partition size to suit your needs.
Name the drive
Select Format > APFS (Encrypted)
Apply
You will be asked to configure a password
- Important: Be sure to record and keep this password in a safe place. You cannot access the data on the encrypted disk without it.