FileVault Needs to be disabled for Keyboard to work

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FileVault Needs to be disabled for Keyboard to work

I have an end user with a 2019 intel Mac running Sonoma 14.4.1. Today when she tried to log on, her internal keyboard wouldn't work. She booted into recovery and it gave her three options, one of which was: “If you were unable to use your keyboard to type your password, it may not be compatible with FileVault. Reboot and try entering your password with another keyboard, or disable FileVault on your Mac.” with a box to enter the user password to disable FileVault. She entered her password and disabled FileVault and her keyboard started working again. Once FileVault is reenabled, the issue happens again. Does anyone know what this is related to and if there is a fix, or does the device just need to be sent in for repair? I can only find community answers to this issue from several years ago, and there is no clear action for what to do.

Posted on Apr 8, 2024 10:54 AM

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Answer 1

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ClewisAP Author

Level 1

4 points

Apr 10, 2024 1:15 PM in response to HWTech

It is a T2 type Mac (from 2019). And it's the integrated keyboard that stops working (externals don't work either), but I wasn't referring to an external keyboard that stopped working. They keyboard on the mac stopped working while FileVault is enabled and the same problem keeps happening if FileVault is reenabled.

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Answer 2

HWTech

Level 9

62,330 points

Apr 11, 2024 7:36 PM in response to ClewisAP

For some reason I saw "iMac" when I read "Mac".....perhaps because I had been assisting several iMac users. Sorry about the mistake.

Try a DFU firmware Revive to see if that makes any difference. This will reset the T2 security chip & system firmware and should not affect the data. However, if there is a hardware issue, then it could cause the data to be lost so make sure to have a good backup before attempting the DFU firmware Revive.

You can also try an SMC Reset (read the instructions carefully since the procedure is different for T2 Macs) and a PRAM Reset (hold the PRAM Reset for two chimes if possible.....sometimes it is not possible....varies by USB-C Intel Macs).

Make sure macOS is completely up to date as well.

It is possible you may have a hardware issue with the laptop.

I've never seen this issue on any of my organization's Macs. And I've seen some weird stuff with these USB-C Macs.

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Answer 3

HWTech

Level 9

62,330 points

Apr 10, 2024 12:45 PM in response to ClewisAP

With the non-T2 Macs, when Filevault is enabled, there is only the most limited & basic UEFI firmware to deal with the hardware. It is only after Filevault is unlocked & macOS begins to boot that you get access to more drivers & features. If they want to continue using that particular keyboard, then it seems they will need to keep Filevault disabled. If they want to use Filevault, then they need to use another keyboard that is compatible.

There does not seem to be any hardware issue here. I'm surprised they even got such an informative message about the keyboard perhaps not being compatible. Since Apple provided that in the message, it seems Apple is aware of some keyboard compatibility issues with third party devices.

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FileVault Needs to be disabled for Keyboard to work

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