Should I use APFS or macOS journaled?

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Should I use APFS or macOS journaled

The two main file system formats available for Mac are APFS (Apple File System) and macOS Extended (also known as HFS Plus or HFS+). APFS is a more modern file system introduced in 2017, while macOS Extended is an older format that has been around since 1998. Both formats have their own sets of features, compatibility, performance, and use cases that Mac users should be aware of when deciding which to use. This article provides an overview and comparison of APFS and macOS Extended to help determine which file system is best for your needs.

What is APFS?

Apple File System (APFS) is a proprietary file system developed and deployed by Apple Inc. for macOS Sierra (10.12.4) and later, iOS 10.3, tvOS 10.2, and watchOS 3.0 or later [1]. APFS replaces HFS+ as the default file system for these operating systems running on SSDs or flash drives. It is optimized for flash/SSD storage and offers features such as strong encryption, space sharing, snapshots, fast directory sizing, and improved file system fundamentals.

APFS was first announced at Apple’s developers conference (WWDC) in June 2016 as the replacement for HFS+, which had been in use since 1998. Some of the key features and improvements of APFS over HFS+ include [2]:

  • Improved performance and optimization for solid state drives (SSDs)
  • Stronger encryption using AES-XTS
  • Space sharing – allocates disk space within a container on demand
  • Snapshots – makes read-only snapshots of the file system
  • Cloning – nearly instant duplication of files and directories
  • Fast directory sizing – calculates folder sizes immediately

Overall, APFS offers improvements in performance, security, and reliability compared to the older HFS+ file system.

What is macOS Journaled?

macOS Journaled is Apple’s proprietary file system format that has been around since the classic Mac OS days. It was previously known as HFS+ Journaled before being renamed to macOS Journaled in macOS 10.12 Sierra. The “Journaled” refers to the journaling feature that was introduced in 2002 with Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar.

Journaling provides extra protection against data loss and corruption by keeping a log of file system transactions. If the system crashes or loses power, the journal can help restore the file system to the last consistent state. This makes macOS Journaled much more reliable than the older non-journaled HFS+ format.

Some key features of the macOS Journaled format include:

  • Case sensitivity – file and folder names are case sensitive.
  • Fast directory sizing – calculates folder sizes on the fly instead of scanning contents.
  • Unicode support – allows for non-English filenames and languages.
  • Permissions and ACLs – Unix-style read/write permissions and access control lists.
  • Hard links – allows a file to have multiple directory entries.

While macOS Journaled has served Macs well for many years, Apple has moved on to the more modern APFS format. But macOS Journaled is still available as a format option and continues to work with older Macs running High Sierra or earlier.

Compatibility

APFS is compatible with macOS High Sierra 10.13 and later. It was designed to replace the older HFS+ file system on Macs. Apple does not recommend using APFS on macOS versions earlier than 10.13.

The macOS Extended (Journaled) file system is compatible with all versions of macOS prior to macOS High Sierra 10.13. It has been the default file system for Macs running Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and later. macOS Extended provides backwards compatibility so older Macs can read and write to APFS drives.

In summary, APFS requires macOS 10.13 or later, while macOS Extended (Journaled) works with all versions of macOS but does not support new APFS features.

Performance

APFS generally has better performance than macOS Extended in terms of speed and efficiency due to its more modern codebase and optimization for solid state drives. APFS uses 64-bit inode numbers and nanosecond-precision timestamps compared to macOS Extended’s 32-bit inodes and 1 second timestamps, allowing much larger storage capacity and faster file operations 1.

Benchmarks have shown APFS can be over 2x faster at file copying, duplicating, and cloning versus macOS Extended. It also handles large numbers of small files better thanks to improved metadata handling. However, for traditional hard drives, macOS Extended may be faster for certain workloads like heavy sequential reads/writes since it was designed and tuned for rotational media 2.

Overall, APFS is recommended for best performance on SSDs and flash storage. macOS Extended is acceptable on HDDs, especially in older Macs, if top speed is not critical. For a mix of HDD and SSD like a Fusion drive, results can be inconsistent.

Reliability

APFS offers improved reliability over Mac OS Extended through enhanced data integrity, recovery, and corruption resistance. APFS uses copy-on-write metadata, crash-safe snapshots, cloning for files and directories, and improved checksums to detect data corruption. This results in better protection against data loss in the event of power failure or system crash compared to Mac OS Extended. According to Apple, APFS can prevent common causes of data loss like directory corruption, unlinked files, and bit rot (source: https://www.makeuseof.com/apfs-vs-mac-os-extended/).

However, Mac OS Extended (HFS+) also has built-in data integrity features like journaling that improve reliability. The journaling feature in HFS+ tracks file system changes so the file system can be restored to a consistent state after a crash. This prevents file corruption, but APFS improves upon journaling with faster crash recovery. Overall, benchmarks show APFS has lower latency and overhead for metadata operations, making it more resistant to corruption than HFS+ (source: https://www.securedatarecovery.com/blog/apfs-vs-mac-os-extended).

In summary, APFS has clear advantages in reliability through enhanced data integrity, crash protection, and corruption resistance compared to Mac OS Extended. However, HFS+ is still reasonably reliable for most use cases.

Security

The APFS file system provides enhanced security over macOS Journaled in several ways. APFS offers built-in encryption at the file system level, allowing users to encrypt their entire drive and all data at rest. This helps prevent unauthorized access to the drive. APFS also utilizes enhanced file system permissions to help prevent access to parts of the file system for unauthorized users or applications.

With APFS, each file has its own encryption key. This helps keep data more secure if part of a drive is compromised. macOS Journaled does not have the same ability to encrypt individual files. APFS also offers better crash protection. It can minimize data loss if the system crashes or loses power. macOS Journaled does not have the same crash protection built-in.

In summary, APFS provides better encryption, permission control, crash prevention, and individual file encryption compared to macOS Journaled. This makes it more secure overall for sensitive data.

Use Cases

Generally, APFS is recommended for most modern Macs running macOS 10.13 High Sierra and later. According to Apple (support page), APFS offers strong encryption, fast directory sizing, space sharing, snapshots, fast copy-on-write metadata, atomic safe-save primitives, and more. It is optimized for SSD and flash drives.

Mac OS Extended, also known as HFS+, is compatible with older Macs running macOS 10.12 Sierra and earlier. As noted in the MakeUseOf article (APFS vs Mac OS Extended), it works better for mechanical hard drives and Fusion drives. The journaling feature provides data integrity and helps recover data after crashes.

Specifically, use APFS if you have a newer Mac running High Sierra or later, or have an SSD or flash storage drive. Use Mac OS Extended for older Macs, mechanical hard drives, and Fusion drives that need compatibility with pre-High Sierra macOS versions.

Conversion

Converting between APFS and macOS Journaled (also known as HFS+) formats is possible using Disk Utility or the command line. Here are the basic steps to convert in Disk Utility according to iBoysoft:

  1. Open Disk Utility
  2. Select the drive to convert
  3. Click Erase
  4. Choose the new format (APFS or Mac OS Extended)
  5. Click Erase to convert the format

To revert from APFS to HFS+ using the command line, you can follow the steps outlined by OWC:

  1. Open Terminal
  2. Type diskutil list to identify the disk identifier
  3. Use diskutil eraseDisk JHFS+ DiskName diskIdentifier to erase and reformat the drive

This will perform an entire drive conversion. Make sure to backup data first. The format conversion process is generally quick and seamless.

Recommendations

In summary, APFS excels in performance, reliability, and security compared to macOS Extended Journaled. APFS is optimized for solid-state drives with faster read/write speeds, space allocation, metadata operations, and crash protection. It also offers strong encryption and simplified backups. However, APFS may not be compatible with older Macs, while macOS Extended Journaled works across all versions of macOS and supports Fusion drives.

If you have a newer Mac running macOS High Sierra or later, APFS is recommended for the increased performance and reliability. macOS can also automatically convert your drive to APFS during an upgrade. For older systems, macOS Extended Journaled is likely the better choice for compatibility. Fusion drive users should stick with macOS Extended as well. If advanced encryption is needed, APFS would be preferred.

In general, most newer Macs should use APFS unless there are specific legacy hardware or encryption needs. Older Macs, Fusion drives, and Boot Camp are cases where macOS Extended Journaled may be the better option for compatibility. Check your Mac’s specs and features when deciding on the optimal file system.