Why the status can lag
FileVault takes time to finish encrypting
When a user clicks to enable FileVault (with or without a FileVault policy), macOS begins encrypting the entire disk in the background.
Until the progress bar reaches 100 %, the Mac still reports FileVault = Off/Disabled to any management tool—including Swif.
Swif gathers “Security Info” on a schedule
Every few hours the Swif Agent sends a Security Info snapshot (FileVault, Gatekeeper, Firewall, etc.).
If FileVault was enabled between two snapshots, the portal continues to display the last-known state (Unencrypted) until the next scheduled upload.
For example, the snapshots arrived at:
Timestamp (UTC) | FileVault status reported |
2025-05-08 15:57:21 | Disabled |
2025-05-09 03:10:43 | Enabled |
So the user switched FileVault on after the first reading; Swif reflected the change at the next one.
See the correct status right away
Verify locally
Open Terminal and run
fdesetup status
It should say “FileVault is On.” or show a percentage if still encrypting.
Force a fresh Security Info upload
In Swif Admin, open Device Management ➜ Device Inventory and click the Mac.
Go to the Security tab (or stay on Overview if the quick widget is present).
Click 🔄 Refresh.
Swif sends an on-demand command; once the Mac responds (usually within 1–2 minutes if online) the portal refreshes to “Encrypted”.
Still showing Unencrypted?
Check Action Encryption still running? Wait until
fdesetup statussays “On” (not “Encryption in progress”). Mac offline? Ensure the device is connected to the internet so it can respond to the refresh command. Agent outdated? Update Swif Agent to the latest version (1.230.0 or newer).
Best-practice reminders
Deploy a FileVault Policy (macOS ➜ FileVault Policy) so Swif turns on disk encryption automatically and records escrowed recovery keys.
Avoid shutting the lid right after enabling FileVault; let the Mac finish initial encryption while plugged in.
With these steps, you’ll always be able to confirm—within minutes—that FileVault really is enabled and that Swif’s dashboard reflects it accurately.