![]() The other options in the Startup Security Utility are thankfully more straightforward. So if you’re unsure whether to go the whole hog and enable FileVault when setting up, there is no penalty for changing your mind. The wonderful thing about FileVault with a T2 is that enabling it doesn’t require any further encryption: it’s instant, because all it involves is the T2 shuffling some keys. (With FileVault turned on, you can opt to allow any other users of your Mac to unlock it using their own password rather than the master, and this is set as the default behaviour once you have turned FileVault on.) But that internal storage is still inaccessible without its T2 chip. So the Mac isn’t as secure as with FileVault turned on. Someone with access to another user account on that Mac doesn’t then need to enter the master password to access the encrypted internal drive, as that is performed automatically by the T2. With FileVault ‘off’, your Mac does behave differently. That will provide maximum protection to the entire contents of your internal storage, even if someone tries removing its drive – something which isn’t at all simple now, as so many internal SSDs are soldered in rather than socketed. When you’re setting up a new MacBook Air or MacBook Pro with a T2, you’re almost certainly going to enable FileVault anyway, and would be well advised to. The difference it makes is that if you opt for FileVault to be ‘off’, the encryption will unlock using only its internal hardware UID (kept in the T2’s Secure Enclave), and won’t use your password in addition. This may seem strange, but it doesn’t seem possible to get a Mac with a T2 chip to start up from an unencrypted internal drive: that disk will always be encrypted, no matter whether you turn FileVault ‘off’ or on. That means entering your normal primary administrator’s user name and password.īy default, even if you didn’t opt for your startup disk to be encrypted using FileVault when you first set your new Mac up, your startup disk will still be encrypted by the T2, and your Mac will be put into Full Security mode, with booting from external media disabled. You’ll then be warned that you have to authenticate to access it. The newest option, the T2-specific Startup Security Utility, isn’t shown in those options, but is opened from the menubar. Then you’ll probably be holding Command-R forever before your Mac finally displays the standard options for Recovery. Unless you’re using the built-in keyboard of a laptop model, you’ll almost certainly have to connect your wireless keyboard to your Mac using its charging lead, so that it is available via USB rather than Bluetooth. On many Macs with T2 chips, entering Recovery mode is much slower. But start up in Recovery mode, try installing Linux using Boot Camp, or try starting up from an external drive, and the T2 will make its presence felt. There’s no splash screen to say that your Mac has a T2, and in ordinary use there’s nothing noticeably different. The most obvious thing is that you won’t see any difference. This article looks at some of the most obvious changes which you will notice when you start using your new Mac with its T2 chip. ![]() ![]() Now, most new Macs come equipped with a T2 – MacBook Air, MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, Mac Mini, and of course the iMac Pro. Six months ago, the chances of you getting a new Mac with a T2 chip were slim: only if you handed over a great deal of money for an iMac Pro would you get one. ![]()
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