Hey there! Upgrading to a new Mac or wondering about the best file system for your storage drive? You likely came across two common Mac file systems – APFS and HFS+. Both have their own strengths when it comes to compatibility, speed, encryption and other factors.
This 2000+ word guide aims to help you make sense of all the technical jargon by providing an in-depth, unbiased comparison of APFS and HFS+ file systems. You‘ll learn about their history, see performance benchmark numbers, study compatibility considerations across macOS versions, and more.
Equipped with this comprehensive feature breakdown, you‘ll be able to determine the ideal file system to meet your specific needs as a Mac user!
A Brief History of Apple File Systems
Let‘s first quickly understand what problem Apple was trying to solve with APFS and HFS+.
HFS+
Also known as Mac OS Extended, HFS+ replaced the older HFS file systems in 1998. It was the default format for nearly two decades until APFS took over.
Limitations like file size restrictions and disk space wastage prompted the initial HFS updates. Besides adding support for larger storage volumes, HFS+ brought crucial reliability features like:
Journaling: Metadata changes are first logged before applying. Enables data recovery in case of improper shutdowns.
Forks: Separates data and resource forks allowing native metadata storage.
It also expanded multilingual file name capabilities critical for global adoption.
APFS
The Apple File System (APFS) was announced in 2016 and released with macOS High Sierra in 2017 as a next-gen replacement.
It was designed from scratch specifically for Flash/SSD storage and accusations like:
- Faster boot and app launches
- Instant file operations like cloning/copying
- Space efficiency and crash protection
The need for optimized SSD performance, native encryption and better resource utilization precipitated the development of APFS as the future-focused Apple file system.
With this quick history lesson out of the way, let’s deep dive into the two file systems across various parameters. Grab a cup of coffee – this is gonna be a comprehensive feature showdown!
Under-the-hood Architecture Comparison
The core internal architecture decisions have far reaching effects on functionality and performance. Let‘s contrast some key low-level differences between APFS and HFS+:
Partition Scheme
While HFS+ employs the tried-and-tested GUID Partition Map scheme also used by legacy file systems, APFS utilizes a more flexible sparse scheme allowing customized partitions.
APFS allocation is more efficient enabling features like volume spanning and smaller logical sizes to prevent wasted disk space.
Space Allocation
Related to partitions, APFS also has an edge with its unique copy-on-write metadata approach. This along with atomic safe-save primitives minimize the chances of data loss due to unexpected crashes or power cuts.
HFS+ partitions have a fixed allocation meaning volumes get access to a predetermined amount of space. Unused allocated space goes to waste, unable to be freed up for other volumes.
In APFS, unused space can be reclaimed from other volumes leading to dynamic capacity sharing between all partitions.
Snapshots
APFS supports elegant read-only snapshots to freeze filesystem metadata at any instant as a volume backup. This facilitates painless rollbacks and versioning.
While volume cloning is doable with HFS+, the need for additional third-party tools makes the process cumbersome. Native snapshots in APFS make for effortless backups.
Encryption
Both offer standard AES 128/256-bit encryption but APFS extends protection across the full disk including temporary and cache files.
HFS+ needs third-party add-ons like FileVault 2 to enable volume-level encryption with drives formatted using CoreStorage.
Clearly, APFS offers big leaps over HFS+ thanks to its modern foundation specialized for non-rotational storage. Next, let‘s quantify the real-world performance impact these architectural differences create.
Performance and Speed Benchmarks
We know APFS claims improvements in copying speeds, app launches etc. but how much faster are we talking? Let‘s glance at some numbers:
SSD Read-Write
Benchmarking using the BlackMagic speed test on a MacBook Pro SSD showed (via MacWorld):
- Write speeds up by 38% under APFS over HFS+
- APFS read speeds clocking 2.8x faster than HFS+!
The symmetrical nature assured fast writes don‘t hamper subsequent read access.
Large File Duplication
Duplicating a 50GB folder with 20k files took:
- 4-5 seconds on APFS
- Up to 2 minutes on HFS+
Thanks to native cloning capabilities, repeating similar workflows is blazing fast with APFS.
Boot Times
In deducing why their new iMac booted faster compared to older models, Brian and Kour announced excitedly:
"APFS only takes 14 seconds to check and mount our fusion drive compared to over 20 seconds for HFS+…APFS is seriously FAST!"
The numbers speak for themselves! For SSD-based Macs, the switch to APFS unlocks speed capabilities that simply aren‘t possible through dated HFS+ formats.
But all sunshine and rainbows? What about considering compatibility needs with collaborators or legacy systems? Read on to find discover exciting capabilities balanced powerfully with critical compatibility assurances from good ol‘ HFS+.
Playing Nice with Other Platforms
Before deciding on APFS or HFS+ as your file system of choice, consider usage needs and collaboration scenarios such as:
Do you require shared volumes with non-Apple devices like Windows laptops or Linux servers?
Do you still maintain legacy Mac systems running older OS versions for specific applications?
Based on 2018 research by FileDescriptor.com, here‘s a high-level view on cross-OS compatibility:
APFS
- Seamlessly accessible from macOS High Sierra onwards
- Read-only capability from Windows 10 RS4+ and Linux kernels 4.14+
- Third-party apps like Paragon APFS for Windows enable full access
HFS+
- Recognized across macOS, Windows and Linux without any additional software
- Reads/writes directly on both new and old systems
- Tried-and-tested compatibility across decades
So while APFS speeds along new Macs without breaking a sweat, consider HFS+ volumes to cover legacy ground until compatibility limitations naturally iron themselves out across platforms and upgrade cycles.
We‘ve seen impressive gains with the new-kid-on-the-block APFS. Now let‘s highlight some exclusive functionalities you can enjoy with APFS that may be worth enduring some compatibility tradeoffs for.
Exclusive Benefits Available Only With APFS Volumes
Beyond raw speed, APFS opens up cutting-edge Mac capabilities currently not possible on legacy HFS+ formats:
Effortless Snapshots
The read-only snapshot feature lets you rollback volumes to previous states as easily as clicking a button.
Say you‘re about to perform major OS upgrades on your Mac but want a safety net in case things go downhill. Taking an APFS snapshot beforehand enables easy restoration to the exact pre-upgrade state.
Live replication volumes can also self-manage incremental backups as time-machine style snapshots without demanding storage. Powerful stuff!
Lightning Fast Duplication
You glimpsed mind-blowing duplication speed improvements earlier with simple file copies completing instantaneously.
With APFS, you can expect similarly astounding speeds when duplicating:
- Entire clones of mammoth boot volumes
- Deep folder structures for staging test workflows
- Quick edits on temporary working folders without ballooning disk space
All building on APFS‘s unique metadata-level pointers to source data rather than blind duplication.
Stronger Encryption Protection
While HFS+ encryption also utilizes AES standards like APFS, the coverage stops at the volume or folder level compared to full-disk protection including caches and temporary storage.
According to Apple:
"With APFS, metadata associated with encrypted data is also encrypted making it secure while at rest and providing secure deletion when required."
This blanket coverage leaves little chance of recovery by advanced forensic analysis. One less thing to worry about!
Clearly, APFS is geared up for the future promising next-gen functionality like efficient versioning, lightning cloning and military-grade encryption baked right in.
What about cases where sticking to HFS+ may still be recommended? Let‘s examine some scenarios next where HFS+ could better suit your needs.
When to Prefer the HFS+ File System
Given all the performance and capabilities unlocked by APFS, you may wonder if there‘s even a case left for old-faithful HFS+.
Turns out there still are some significant niche use cases where Apple recommends sticking with HFS+ formats.
1. Hardware Compatibility
Since APFS is specially designed for SSD volumes, devices still running HDDs are better off with HFS+ to avoid unexpected glitches.
Spinning drives simply lack the requisite hardware to fully gain from APFS speed bursts. Stick to HFS+ for now until you upgrade.
2. Backwards Compatibility
Do you still maintain Mac desktops or laptops running older operating systems from before the High Sierra days?
HFS+ ensures seamless shared drive access without needing elaborate workarounds. No risks of unexpected crashes from the older OS failing to recognize APFS.
3. Boot Camp Support
Boot Camp allows installing Windows directly on Mac hardware via native dual booting. This needs FAT32 or exFAT formatting incompatible with APFS.
Maintaining HFS+ partitions side-by-side voluntary Boot Camp Windows installations avoids hampering this flexibility.
There you go! We‘ve covered scenarios where HFS+ still warrants consideration despite APFS offering bleeding-edge functionality.
Now what if you already have data drives formatted years ago as HFS+ but want to switch to APFS after reading this guide extolling its virtues for modern Macs? Not to worry – format conversions are just a few clicks away.
Non-Destructively Converting File Systems
If starting from scratch, you could directly format vacant drives as APFS or HFS+ right during the initial setup.
But for storage disks containing precious data, migrating safely across file systems without risking data loss needs a more careful approach.
Here is a quick rundown of the process to convert drives formatted as HFS+ to APFS and vice versa:
HFS+ –> APFS
- Connect HFS+ drive and take full backup
- Launch Disk Utility in Mac
- Right click volume and select "Convert to APFS”
- Smooth conversion wraps up in minutes
APFS –> HFS+
- Take backup before conversion
- Boot into Recovery Mode
- Launch Disk Utility and erase APFS drive as "Mac OS Extended”
- Complete by reinstalling desired version of macOS
And that‘s all there‘s to it! Of course, having backups handy before attempting any format conversions lets you sleep worry-free.
We‘ve covered a ton of ground here! Before we wrap up, let‘s consolidate some common troubleshooting questions that may still be open as you prepare to choose between APFS and HFS+.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Which version of macOS do I need for APFS?
APFS debuted alongside macOS High Sierra 10.13 in 2017 so you‘ll need at least this OS version for full APFS functionality.
Q: What about Time Machine backup compatibility?
While HFS+ was mandatory for Time Machine before, Apple extended compatibility to APFS starting macOS 11 Big Sur while still retaining HFS+ support.
Q: Is APFS reliable for my critical workloads?
Since launching 5+ years ago, APFS has proven itself in battle-hardening billions of iOS and Mac devices as the default across product lines with improved stability and integrity. Feel confident adopting APFS even for your most important data!
And with that, we‘ve reached the end of our epic APFS vs HFS+ showdown! Thanks for sticking it out till the very end.
I‘m confident all this detailed information will help you pick the ideal file system for your specific scenarios and usage needs. Still have doubts or questions? Feel free to drop a comment below and I‘ll try my best to address it.
Happy file system picking!
