You can format a drive with HFS+ using the macOS Disk Utility app, which you can launch from the Launchpad ( Other > Disk Utility). With that in mind, and for cross-compatibility, you may decide to use HFS+ over APFS. If you’re using an older, mechanical drive with a disk platter, those enhancements may seem largely minimal or non-existent. Many of the speed and performance enhancements that APFS brings rely on using a high-speed SSD or portable flash memory drive. Other than functionality, however, there are still a few legitimate reasons why you’d choose HFS+ over APFS-the biggest reason depends on the type of drive you use. You’ll also need to consider Mac OS Extended if you’re using older and newer Macs together, as older versions of macOS won’t support APFS. You’ll need to use HFS+ if you plan on formatting a second hard drive or portable flash drive for use as a Time Machine backup-APFS drives won’t work. While Mac OS Extended (HFS+) is no longer the default file system for macOS installations, it hasn’t been completely abandoned by Apple, and it’s still a useful option for macOS users under certain conditions.Īs we’ve mentioned, HFS+ is the default file system of choice for macOS Time Machine backup drives. Choosing Mac OS Extended (HFS+) for Hard Drives However, for most users, APFS is the only file system they’ll need or want to use– but only if they’re (only) using modern Mac devices. If you attempt to use an APFS-formatted drive, macOS will want to format it to HFS+ before you can proceed.Īlong with APFS and Mac OS Extended (also called HFS+), you also have other file systems that can be used for external drives, including cross-platform options like ExFAT. macOS continues to use the HFS+ file system for Time Machine drives for the time being. If you back up your Mac using Time Machine, you won’t be able to use APFS, either. If you have an older Mac, you’ll need to keep using Mac OS Extended or use an alternative like ExFAT instead. To get started, click your external drive in the left panel, then click the “Erase” button in the toolbar.The biggest downside to using APFS is that Macs with older macOS versions (macOS 10.12.6 Sierra and older) can’t read, write, or otherwise access drives that use it. which you can find in Applications > Utilities. If you’re setting up a new hard drive with Time Machine, or are simply willing to start over with a clean partition in order to avoid a long encryption period, you can set up an encrypted partition using Disk Utility. And backups will continue as normal during the encryption process. You don’t need to leave the drive connected until the process is done: unmount the drive and encryption will start again the next time it’s connected. Like we said before, a one terabyte drive can easily take more than 24 hours. ![]() Head to System Preferences > Time Machine, then click “Select Disk.” The process is going to take a while-for a one terabyte mechanical drive, the process could take more than 24 straight hours-but you can start and stop the process as many times as you like. If you have Time Machine set up on your Mac already, you can encrypt your drive retroactively. The downside: this retroactive encryption can take a long time, which is why you might want to simply create an encrypted partition using Disk Utility and back up to that. You can retroactively encrypt your existing Time Machine backup, which allows you to keep your old backups. ![]() There are two ways to do this, and both are relatively straightforward. Yes they would, which is why it’s important to encrypt your Time Machine drive. Wouldn’t anyone who grabbed that drive have access to all the same information? But on your desk, right next to your Mac, is a carbon copy of everything on your hard drive: your Time Machine backup. You encrypt your Mac’s system drive like you should: if your computer is stolen, your data is safe from prying eyes.
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