How to Disable FileVault During a Fresh Installation (Clover & OpenCore)

[FirstCustomac]

I will also give it a one more go with automatic login off.

 

- MacBookPro16,3 (No T2 Chip)

- SecureBootModel: Disabled

- Automatic Login: Off

- Apple Account Sign In: Yes (No 2FA)

- Upgrade from Sequoia to Tahoe 26.1

 

Edit: I was wrong. MacBookPro16,3 does have T2 

Edited November 24, 2025 by FirstCustomac

[Anto65]

And here we are 😅 after upgrading to Tahoe from Sequoia

 

iMac19.1 (+booter-patch)
SecureBoot Disabled
Autologin Disabled
Apple ID Enabled

 

Result

 

 

 

 

Once the update was completed I was not offered the option to disable the FV or not, it was already activated

 

Spoiler

 

Ok reboot to restore the image (RDR) of Sequoia again 😁

Edited November 24, 2025 by Anto65

[verdazil]

5 minutes ago, Anto65 said:

And here we are 😅 after upgrading to Tahoe from Sequoia

😃

You've really got me puzzled... What am I doing right or wrong that I never have problems with encryption...

[deeveedee]

48 minutes ago, FirstCustomac said:

- MacBookPro16,3 (No T2 Chip)

 

Doesn't the real MBP16,3 have a T2 chip?

[FirstCustomac]

25 minutes ago, deeveedee said:

 

Doesn't the real MBP16,3 have a T2 chip?

I think you are absolutely right. I've assumed it didn't because I've always gotten the OTA updates via system settings even without sbvmm flag.

 

Same result with

- MacBookPro16,3

- SecureBootModel: Disabled

- Automatic Login: Off

- Apple Account Sign In: Yes (No 2FA)

- Upgrade from Sequoia to Tahoe 26.1

- iCloud Off

 

@Anto65

Result

Spoiler

 

But there goes my credibility as stating MacBookPro16,3 has no T2 chip 😓

Edited November 24, 2025 by FirstCustomac

[Max.1974]

20 hours ago, Matgen84 said:

 

Hi @Max.1974  The two drivers is mandatory or optional as mentioned on the first post. Let me know, please.

 

@Matgen84 Hi my friend, how are you doing? It's optional — you can use it or not. I've tested both.  

 

 

20 hours ago, Matgen84 said:

Hi my friend @Max.1974

Just a question: FileVault Disabler patch must be disable after encryption  from macOS Tahoe session?

 

Sorry for my poor English.

 

Yes, you can disable it if you want, but for Hackintosh it’s not recommended. If you get an update, you may have trouble disabling FileVault afterward.

 

In the tests I conducted with the patch correctly applied in Clover, I did not encounter any option on the login screen allowing the user to enable or disable FileVault. This shows that the patch is more effective in Clover than in OpenCore, which—depending on how your keys are configured—may still prompt for activation or not.

 

Some colleagues like @Hnanoto reported to me that, in their setups, this prompt doesn’t appear at all, and I still don’t have enough data to properly evaluate how OpenCore behaves in these cases. I use Clover more frequently, and for me this functionality being fully disabled is both correct and sufficient, as confirmed by the binaries.

 

The discussion here is strictly about whether FileVault is enabled or not, either during a clean install or an update—and in this regard, it worked successfully.  

Edited November 25, 2025 by Max.1974

[verdazil]

Colleagues, I ran two more tests. Installing macOS Tahoe 26.1. This time, a clean install on the hard drive, and running the installer from a running macOS. Yes, I didn't get the encryption prompt. There wasn't one. But after installation, I got the syctem with an unscrypted partition. Perhaps I used a modern bootloader instead of the outdated Clover.

What does AI think about this situation?

On modern macOS installers, Clover’s legacy NVRAM, SMbios emulation, and Secure Boot–related quirks can misreport platform capabilities. This may cause the macOS installer to skip the FileVault prompt and begin encryption automatically. OpenCore avoids this because it provides correct virtual NVRAM, proper SMBIOS modeling, and predictable Secure Boot behavior.

 

Edited November 28, 2025 by Allan
Keep your thoughts with you. Don't offend the work of others.

[Slice]

17 hours ago, verdazil said:

On modern macOS installers, Clover’s legacy NVRAM, SMbios emulation, and Secure Boot–related quirks can misreport platform capabilities. This may cause the macOS installer to skip the FileVault prompt and begin encryption automatically. OpenCore avoids this because it provides correct virtual NVRAM, proper SMBIOS modeling, and predictable Secure Boot behavior.

My conclusion: Clover is in the dustbin of history.

Nonsense.

Clover supports NVRAM by the same OpenRuntime.efi as Opencore. So it is the same.
SMBIOS emulation depends on your config.plist no more no less.

Secure Boot setting Clover send to Opencore part as "disabled" as well as most Opencore users do.

Your conclusion is just holly war.

[Max.1974]

6 hours ago, Slice said:

Nonsense.

Clover supports NVRAM by the same OpenRuntime.efi as Opencore. So it is the same.
SMBIOS emulation depends on your config.plist no more no less.

Secure Boot setting Clover send to Opencore part as "disabled" as well as most Opencore users do.

Your conclusion is just holly war.

@Slice my friend,

 

Thank you for your unconditional help over the decades. Without a doubt, as someone truly dedicated to the Hackintosh community and serious in everything you do, you deserve the utmost respect from your fellow colleagues. And certainly, Clover and OpenCore are part of many people’s world — without them, there would be no Hackintosh. Congratulations on all these years of dedication, Slice. You are a true winner. 

[fantomas]

Hi @all.   

 

Topic restored!

Please always be polite and respectful; everyone has its own opinion, and every opinion can be a source of discussion. There's no point in posting just for the sake of posting.

 

BR

 

fantomas