Crypto wallets are the securest way to store currency such as Bitcoin and Ethereum in the event of a cryptocurrency exchange hack. They’re also safer than mobile cryptocurrency wallets because your Mac is harder to hack, steal or lose than your mobile.
On Windows, you have Bitlocker. Cross-platform, you also have VeraCrypt (successor to TrueCrypt). But if you want to encrypt afolder on the fly in MacOS, then the quickest and easiest way is to use DiskUtility.
Disk Utility is a function built into the MacOS operatingsystem and can do things such as wiping and formattingmacOS hard-drivesand removable media such as USB sticks. But it can also take a folder on aMacOS and encrypt it using the DMG format.
The DMG Format
If the DMG format sounds familiar to you then that’s probablybecause that is also the standard file format for MacOS software installationfiles. DMG files are mountable disk images which compress the files insidethem, much the same way a Zip file compresses Windows files in a folder.
As well as compressing files, DMG can also encrypt them.Here’s how.
Making An Encrypted Folder In Disk Utility
Make a new folder on your computer and put all the files youwant to encrypt into that folder.
Now open Disk Utility which you will find by going toApplications–>Utilities.
Go to the menu at the top and choose File–>NewImage–>Image From Folder.
Now navigate to the location of your folder of secret files,which in my case is on the desktop. Highlight the folder and click “Choose”.
In the box that pops up, confirm the following :
- Thefile name for the encrypted folder.
- Whereyou want it saved.
- Thestandard of encryption (128-bit is generally sufficient).
- Set“Image Format” to “Read/Write”.
When you set the encryption standard, a password box will popup asking you to enter your desired password.
If you already have a desired password, type it in twice andclick “Choose”. However, if you are not sure of your password, the little blackkey icon next to the “Verify” box is a Password Assistant. Click the key toopen it.
Drop the menu down and choose what type of password you want.When you do, a password will auto-fill for you in the boxes provided.
You can also specify how long the password will be and theQuality bar will update in real time.
It’s worth pointing out that if you go for a random passwordoption, you are going to need to copy and paste it somewhere to remember it. Orbetter still, use a password manager. The last thing you need is to belocked out of your own encrypted folder.
When you have the password you want, close the PasswordAssistant and you will be back at this window.
Click “Save” to begin the encryption process. How long itwill take will depend on how large your encrypted folder is going to be.
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When the DMG file has been created, the original unencryptedfolder will still be there. It is not deleted by Disk Utility. So you may wantto delete that folder, but as I said just now, make sure you have a copy of thepassword first. Otherwise you will be permanently locked out.
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If you go to your newly created encrypted DMG file, anddouble-click on it, it will ask you for your password. Do NOT tick the Keychainoption.