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Check FileVault Encryption with fdesetup status

Query whether FileVault is on and whether encryption is still in progress, straight from Terminal.

macOSfdesetupfilevaultencryptionLow risk
Run `fdesetup status` — it prints 'FileVault is On' or shows 'Encryption in progress' with the percent complete.

01Command

Command
$ fdesetup status

02What it does

fdesetup is the command-line front end for FileVault full-disk encryption. status reports three states: off, on, or encrypting/decrypting with a progress percentage, which is handy when you enabled FileVault moments ago and want to see the conversion advance. Companion verbs include fdesetup list to show FileVault-enabled users and fdesetup haspersonalrecoverykey to confirm a recovery key exists.

03Risk

RiskLow risk
RequirementsBuilt-in on macOS.

04Undo

✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.

05Sources

  • FileVault (Apple Developer Documentation)
    Apple · vendor-doc · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: Developer documentation covers FileVault management including command-line administration.
  • FileVault disk encryption for Mac
    Apple · vendor-doc · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: Apple's FileVault documentation describes full-volume XTS-AES encryption and management, the functionality fdesetup exposes.

Last verified: 2026-09-17 · Category: Security & Privacy

06Related solutions

Create an Encrypted Disk Image with hdiutil
macOShdiutilsecuritydisk-image

Build an AES-256 encrypted .dmg vault from the Terminal — no Disk Utility clicking required.

Low risk ✓ 2026-09-17