Another option that you can use APFS-formatted drives on Mac is to reformat NTFS into APFS. Here are the steps about how to reformat NTFS into APFS without data loss: Step 1: Back up files. Technically speaking, formatting or reformatting a drive will write a new directory structure to this disk. Such a setup would either need APFS drivers for ARM-Linux to install on Raspbian, and those would need to support the new APFS version, provided that it’s even possible with Time Machine 2 (as it was with TM v1 and HFS+) to use an APFS-formatted volume attached to a Pi at any rate, I don’t think these drivers exist: they don’t even.

• Format Hard Drive To Ps4
• Format Hard Drive To Apfs Clone
• Apfs On Hard Drive
• Format Hard Drive To Apfs Sync
• Format Hard Drive To Apfs Drive

Summary :

How much do you know about APFS vs Mac OS Extended? Which Mac file system should you choose? How to format hard drive for Mac? If you have similar questions on your mind, please read this page carefully to find answers; the main differences between APFS and Mac OS Extended file system and several ways to format a hard drive (internal/external) on Mac will be introduced.

Mac (formerly known as Macintosh) refers to the personal computers that are designed, manufactured, and sold by Apple Inc. MacOS is one of the most popular operating systems in the world; it’s the main competitor of Windows.

Common Mac file system includes:

• APFS (Apple File System): the default file system used in macOS 10.13 and later versions.
• Mac OS Extended: the file system used in macOS 10.12 and earlier versions.
• FAT (MS-DOS) and exFAT: the system systems that are supported by both Mac & Windows.

So you may ask what are the differences between APFS and Mac OS Extended, right? The following content first discusses on APFS vs Mac OS Extended; after that, it will tell you how to format a hard drive for Mac in several different ways.

Part 1: APFS vs Mac OS Extended

In this part, I’ll first introduce APFS and Mac OS extended to you. Then, I’ll compare these two file systems used on Mac for you in brief.

What Is APFS Format

APFS (the full name is Apple File System) is a proprietary file system released by Apple Inc. It can be used on different devices running macOS High Sierra (10.13) and later, iOS 10.3 and later, all versions of iPadOS, watchOS 3.2 and later, or tvOS 10.2 and later. APFS is a new file system which was originally designed by Mac to fix core problems of Mac OS Extended.

What Is Mac OS Extended (Journaled)

Mac OS Extended, also known as HFS+, HFS Plus or HFS Extended, is actually a journaling file system released by Apple Inc. It was released in 1998 to replace HFS (Hierarchical File System, also known as Mac OS Standard or HFS Standard), which is the previous primary file system in Apple computers. Two main advantages of HFS+ when compare to HFS are: a. it gives support to much larger files; b. it uses Unicode for naming items.

Part 2: Which Is Better, APFS or Mac OS Extended

APFS vs HFS+ vs HFS:

APFS file system was announced in June 2016 to replace HFS+ (also known as HFS Plus or Mac OS Extended); the latter was used on all Mac computers as the primary file system since 1998 to replace the previous HFS.

Choose APFS for SSDs & Flash Storage Devices

When compared to Mac OS extended, APFS has been optimized a lot in terms of encryption, so it’s more suitable for flash and solid-state drive storage. APFS becomes the default file system for both for SSDs (Solid State Drives) and flash drives.

• In 2016, APFS was first released by Apple to replace Mac OS Extended (the previous default file system on Mac); it carries all sorts of benefits you can found in Mac OS Extended.
• A partial specification for APFS was published by Apple in September 2018 to allow the read-only access to APFS drive on even unencrypted and non-Fusion storage devices.

But don’t worry, you can still use the APFS on mechanical and hybrid drives.

To gain quality but free USB data recovery service, you should use MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free Edition; this post tells you how to recover USB data.

There are two main highlights in APFS.

1^st: fast speed. Copying and pasting a folder on APFS drive can be finished in an instant since the file system points to basically the same data twice.

• There are huge improvements in metadata so that many actions can be performed quickly; for example, confirming how much space the target file/folder takes up on an APFS drive.
• The reliability is also improved a lot. Users don't encounter corrupted files as often as they used to.

2^nd: reverse compatibility. If you are running 2016’s macOS Sierra or the later versions of macOS, congratulations, you have both read and write access to APFS, HFS +, and HFS file system. However, for users who run an older Mac (or a Windows operating system), they are not allowed to write to APFS-formatted drives.

Pros & Cons of APFS

Main advantages of APFS:

• It’s able to create point-in-time snapshots for users.
• APFS allows users to encrypt the full disk by using a single or multi-key so as to enhance the security.
• The checksums are used to ensure the integrity of metadata.
• It creates new records, instead of overwriting the existing ones, in order to avoid metadata corruption; the records may be corrupted because of system crash or other reasons.
• The storage management of APFS is more efficient than HFS+, resulting in helping users get additional free space.
• Users don't need to write changes twice by choosing APFS over HFS+; this will increase the system performance on some devices.
• The clones or multiple copies of the same file are allowed; it will only store the changes as deltas. This helps to reduce storage space greatly when users copy files, make revisions, or do other things.
• The APFS drive is generally more stable and reliable than the previous HFS+ or HFS drive.

Main disadvantages of APFS:

• Compression is not allowed on an APFS drive.
• It gives no support to the Fusion drives.
• The NVRAM (Non-volatile Random-access Memory) can’t be used even for data storage.
• The Checksums used are only available for ensuring integrity of metadata (that of user data can’t be guaranteed).
• You can only access the encrypted volumes from another other computer which runs macOS High Sierra.
• The biggest disadvantage of all seems to be: APFS isn’t compatible with Time Machine till now. That’s why users are told to make backups on Mac OS Extended drive unless they use a third-party backup tool rather than the built-in Time Machine.

Choose Mac OS Extended Journaled for Mechanical Hard Disks

Mac OS Extended (HFS+) is the default file system for all Macs from 1998 to 2017, until the new APFS replace it. Till now, it’s still the default file system for both mechanical and hybrid hard drives. You should keep it unchanged while you install the macOS or format external hard drive Mac. The HFS+ is a better choice than APFS on even current mechanical and hybrid hard drives.

Besides, you should definitely choose Mac OS Extended when you reformat external hard drive Mac considering that it may be used on older Macs running El Capitan or earlier versions of macOS. As you know, the new APFS file system is not compatible with these old macOS versions.

Pros & Cons of HFS+

Main advantages of HFS+:

• It gives support to the Fusion drives (which can’t be supported by APFS).
• It gives support to all versions of Mac OS X and macOS.
• You can encrypt volumes and then access them from any version of Mac OS X and macOS.

Main disadvantages of HFS+:

• There’s no point-in-time snapshot for users.
• The nanosecond standard is not used for Timestamps.
• The native file support for other file systems is too limited.
• The support to Mac OS Extended will be stopped on February 6, 2040.
• No checksum is used for metadata integrity or user data integrity.
• You can’t have concurrent access to the file system by a process.

Please ask yourself the following questions when you choose between APFS and Mac OS Extended:

• Are you formatting the internal disk or the external hard drive on your Mac?
• Which macOS are you running? Do you prepare to install macOS High Sierra or later?
• Is the Time Machine backup or bootable installer included in your daily schedule?
• Are you preparing to use the disk on another Mac or even Windows computer?

Bonus Tip: Choose exFAT for Hard Drives Used on Both Mac & Windows

Though the file system of main system drive on Mac is confined to APFS and Mac OS Extended, you can still consider exFAT (or the older FAT) when you format an external hard drive on Mac.

The most obvious benefit of using exFAT is that it can work with both Windows and macOS computers (you have both read and write access to the exFAT drive). Although there are solutions to read Mac formatted drive on Windows or read a Windows formatted drive on Mac, formatting drives to exFAT is still a convenient thing and an economical choice.

Part 3: How to Format Hard Drive for Mac

Users shouldn’t reformat the disk that built-in Mac causally unless they have special needs and they are professional enough. So this part will focus on how to format external hard drive for Mac by using the snap-in tool: Disk Utility (it can be used to format & manage both internal and external hard drives as well as disk images).

How to format an external hard drive for Mac? Please follow this guide.

Step 1: open Disk Utility on your Mac.

Go to the Applications -> select Utilities folder -> double click on Disk Utility.

Step 2: choose View -> Show All Devices.

Please click on the View icon in the upper left corner of Disk Utility window. After that, please select Show All Devices from the drop-down list.

Step 3: erase/wipe the target disk.

Please connect the external hard disk in advance and make sure it’s appeared on Mac. Then, select the disk that you want to format from the left sidebar. After that, you should click on the Erase button in the right pane.

1. Give the disk a Name (the maximum length is 11 characters).
2. Select a proper file Format.
3. Choose a proper Scheme.
4. Click on the Security Options to choose how you'd like the drive to be formatted (optional).
5. Click on the Erase button.
6. Wait for the process to be finished.
7. Click on the blue Done button to close the window.

You can now start to use the formatted disk. Please click here to know how to format a disk for Windows computers in Disk Utility on Mac.

The file formats available for you to choose are:

• APFS
• APFS (Encrypted)
• APFS (Case-sensitive)
• APFS (Case-sensitive, Encrypted)
• Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
• Mac OS Extended (Journaled, Encrypted)
• Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled)
• Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled, Encrypted)
• MS-DOS (FAT)
• ExFAT

Click here to know more about the differences between these file formats.

That’s how to reformat a disk on Mac by using Disk Utility (the steps to reformat MacBook Pro are the same). Of course, there are also many third-party tools you can download to format the disk on your Mac.

How to Recover Formatted Hard Drive on Mac

Data recovery from mac formatted external hard drive:

Format Hard Drive To Ps4

1. Download Stellar Data Recovery for Mac.
2. Follow the wizard to install it properly.
3. Launch the software right after installation.
4. Make sure the formatted drive is connected to your Mac.
5. Define the file type that you want to recover; you can select all types by enabling Recover Everything.
6. Click on the Next button to continue.
7. Choose the formatted disk/drive and click on the Scan button (enable Deep Scan to find more files).
8. Wait until the scan is finished.
9. Browse the scan results and choose what you want to recover.
10. Click on the Recover button and select a safe place to store the recovered data.

Extended reading:

Final Thoughts

Both APFS and Mac OS Extended are popular file systems supported by Mac computers. If you don't know which one is more suitable for you, please read part 1 and part 2 carefully (the advantages & disadvantages of these two Mac file systems are included). Part 3 teaches you how to format a hard drive for Mac by using the snap-in Disk Utility; besides, it offers an easy method for recovering data from a formatted drive on Mac. Hope this can help you decide which one to choose: APFS or Mac OS Extended, and prevent your important data from getting lost.

In 2018, Apple released macOS Mojave. It was instantly loved by many. However, there was a minor problem. One of its noteworthy and newest features was nearly invisible: the new file system.

If Mojave is installed on a Mac with a solid-state drive (SSD), the underlying file system is automatically switched from Mac OS Extended or the HFS+ to the new Apple File System (APFS). This is something that not everyone knows about.

Although there were a few ways that things could have gone wrong, for many Mac users, the shift was almost seamless. They were unable to notice that their Macs were already running APFS.

In case you wanted to find out and confirm if your Mac is running APFS, open Disk Utility, select your startup disk, locate your disk name, and click on it. All the information about your disk will be shown on your screen, including the file system type.

What Are HFS+ and APFS?

At this point, the concepts of HFS+ and APFS may still seem a bit vague. So, we’ll try to differentiate both.

HFS+

HFS+ was the default file system of Apple devices in the years 1998 to 2017. Eventually, APFS replaced it. Still, HFS+ is used as the default file system of Apple devices that use hybrid and mechanical hard drives.

Format Hard Drive To Apfs Clone

It is preferred by some Mac users because it supports different macOS versions and is compatible with fusion drives. However, it only has limited native file support for some file systems.

APFS

APFS is the latest file system of Apple. It was released in 2017 as a replacement for HFS+. Unless specified or changed by the user, this is automatically set as the default file system of an Apple device.

But why should you use APFS? This file system allows full-disk encryption with multi or single-key encryption for an added layer of security. It also prevents metadata corruption because it creates new records instead of overwriting those that already exist. The most important downsides of using APFS are that compression is not available and that it does not support Fusion drives.

Can HFS+ Be Used in Mojave Instead of APFS?

Now, if you have just recently upgraded to Mojave but still want to keep using HFS+, of course, you can. The only problem is that the command that is used to avoid APFS conversion won’t work all the time.

Apfs On Hard Drive

To avoid the APFS conversion, you have two options. We listed them below:

Method #1: Use an External Installer Media and Install Mojave on Your SSD Drive.

One of the easiest and most popular ways to prevent APFS conversion during the installation of Mojave 10.14 on your SSD drive is to create a macOS installer media. Don’t worry because it’s easy to do and won’t take much time.

However, before you proceed with this method, we suggest you back up all your data using Time Machine or any of the other data backup methods for Mac. This way, you can quickly restore your settings and data in the event that errors arise along the way.

Moving forward, here’s how you can create a macOS Mojave installer media:

1. Switch off your Mac.
2. Connect your preferred macOS installer media.
3. Switch on your Mac.
4. While your Mac is starting up, press the Option key continuously to enter the Boot menu.
5. Once the Boot menu appears, use the arrow keys to select macOS Mojave USB installer.
6. Hit Enter.
7. Format your SSD drive using Disk Utility.
8. Agree to the Terms and Conditions and proceed by selecting your newly formatted SSD drive.
9. Your Mac will start to reboot. Make sure you continue pressing the Option key or F12 to enter the Boot menu again.
10. Choose your installer media from the menu.
11. Allow your computer to boot.
12. Go to Utilities.
13. Launch the Terminal app.
14. Input the ls –l Volumes command into the command line.
15. Take note of the name of the SSD where you will install macOS Mojave.
16. Into the command line, input the cd /Volumes/SSD_Drive_NAME command and hit Enter.
17. Replace SSD_Drive_Name with the real SSD volume name.
18. Next, input the following commands:
19. cd “macos install data”
20. vi minstallconfig.xml
21. Press the l key and move your cursor to the ConvertToAPFS You should notice that the value is set to true. Remove it using the Delete key and replace the value with false.
22. Press the l key again and input :wq to close the editor.
23. Close the Terminal window and reboot your Mac.

Method #2: Install MacOS Mojave on an External HDD or SSD Using a USB Installer Running APFS.

Another easy way to skip APFS conversion while installing Mojave 10.14.4 is to install macOS Mojave on an external SSD or HDD using a USB installer that is running APFS.

To do this, follow the instructions below:

1. Boot macOS Mojave from your external SSD or HDD.
2. Download and install trustworthy backup software for Mac.
3. Open Disk Utility.
4. Select your internal drive.
5. Click Erase.
6. Rename your internal drive.
7. Choose macOS Journaled.
8. Hit Erase.
9. Run the backup software you installed.
10. Select Source Drive as the external disk and destination.
11. Click Start to begin cloning macOS.
12. Wait for a few seconds until the cloning process is completed.
13. Reboot your Mac as you normally would.
14. Navigate to About Mac.
15. Select System Information.
16. Check if your internal drive’s file system has been changed to HFS+.

Format Hard Drive To Apfs Sync

Conclusion

The latest file system may entice you to upgrade to Mojave. But take note it will take some time for you to become familiar with its features, particularly APFS. In the meantime, you can stick to HFS+ until you get the hang of how things work.

Format Hard Drive To Apfs Drive

Once you have skipped the APFS conversion part, we suggest that you download and install a reliable Mac repair and cleaning tool. By doing that, you can ensure that your Mac runs smoothly and efficiently.

Do you prefer HFS+ over APFS? Let us know in the comments section below!