Guides/Elba vs FileVault
Elba vs FileVault: macOS full-disk plus folder-level fencing
FileVault protects your Mac when it's off. Elba protects a specific folder while you're logged in. Layered, not competing.
What FileVault doesn't do
Once you're logged in, every app you launch can, in principle, read your files. FileVault trusts your logged-in session; Elba does not.
Where Elba fits on a Mac
Sealed folder for the journal, contracts, tax files, or client notes. Everything else stays in the open filesystem.
Questions people actually ask
- Does Elba work on Apple Silicon?
- Yes. Chrome, Edge, Brave, and Arc all run natively on M-series Macs.
- Does Safari work?
- Not currently — Elba needs the File System Access API, which is Chromium-only.
Take the island
Elba is one HTML file. It runs locally in a Chromium browser, seals a folder with AES-256-GCM, never phones home, and becomes open source on 1 January 2030.
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- Elba vs BitLocker: disk vs folder, two layers of the same idea
BitLocker encrypts the whole Windows disk; Elba seals one folder on top. They aren't rivals — they layer.
- How to encrypt files on a Mac without installing anything
No installer, no admin prompt, no App Store account. Elba is a single HTML file that runs in Chrome or Arc on macOS.
- Elba vs VeraCrypt: two different jobs, honestly compared
Elba and VeraCrypt solve related but different problems. Here's when to pick one over the other for local file encryption.