Summary :

• Soccer But Better Mac Os X

Which Mac operating system is the best is a topic of numerous debates among Apple fans. Since the mission of this blog is to refute myths and legends around Macs, it’s time for me to provide my 2 cents about the issue on hand. While everything below is just my opinion, as a long-time Mac user and v. This gets me out of trouble when certain apps don’t play well with Mac Os and don’t properly switch out of full screen mode or won’t resize between screens easily. It’s also a quick way to get things out of the way. I make use of all trackpad gestures, and in any ways, this makes Mac Os a breeze.

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.

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: Introduction to APFS and 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. You may ask what are the differences between APFS and Mac OS Extended, right?

APFS vs Mac OS Extended

APFS refers to Apple File System, which is a proprietary file system used by Mac devices running macOS 10.13 or later. Mac OS Extended is a journaling file system used by macOS 10.12 or earlier. APFS is best for solid state and flash drives while Mac OS Extended is best for mechanical drives, or drives used on older macOS.

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 wasn’t compatible with Time Machine for a long time in the past. Users of older Mac versions 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:

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.

Make your Mac invincible

Let's just say it: 2020 is a weird year — messing with an ordinary state of things to the extent that you no longer know what's ordinary. So don't panic if you google 'What is the latest macOS 2021?' and can't find the macOS version 10.16. It doesn't exist.

This year, Apple hosted its first virtual-only WWDC event where they announced a transition to macOS 11, hence ending the era of Mac OS X generation. The new macOS Big Sur version 11.0 arrives with an overhauled design that features lots of iOS elements. Also, macOS 11 will be the first operating system to support Macs with Apple silicon chips. So just like anything 2020, macOS Big Sur is pretty unusual — but is it really worth an upgrade?

Big Sur upgrade assistant

Before you switch to a new macOS, install Setapp. It’s a suite of apps that will keep your data protected on any system.

macOS Big Sur review: What's new

Before we look at the pros and cons, let's focus on the major changes that Apple Big Sur is bringing to the table. The following section will help you understand whether an upgrade to Big Sur makes sense in your case. If you decide to skip it over, we won't judge you — but make sure you check the infographic below for a quick summary.

macOS Big Sur requirements: Will your Mac run macOS 11?

Full disclosure: This article only makes sense if you can give a positive answer to the question 'Can my Mac run Big Sur?' If it's a no, breathe out and continue enjoying Catalina. Or, get a new Mac. If you compare device compatibility in macOS Big Sur vs Catalina, you'll notice a change. Essentially, Big Sur moves a year to two years ahead, cutting off support for all Macs released prior to 2013.

Here’s the full list of macOS Big Sur compatible devices:

• MacBook (2015 or later)

• MacBook Air (2013 or later)

• MacBook Pro (2013 or later)

• Mac Pro (2013 or later)

• Mac Mini (2014 or later)

• iMac (2014 or later)

• iMac Pro (2017 or later).

You’ll find more on macOS Big Sur system requirements here.

Design changes that change it all

Apple calls it the biggest design change in the last 20 years. We call it an iPad marries a Mac. Here's a quick dive into why macOS Big Sur is very different from what you experience with Catalina:

• New Control Center featuring quick access to settings and controls on Mac

• Full-size sidebars across apps

• Notifications grouped by apps

• Three new widget layouts

• Widgets and notifications can be combined within one view

• Translucent Dock icons and the menu bar

• Rounded corners across windows and app icons.

It looks like macOS Big Sur takes a content-first approach, removing visual complexity and helping you customize lots of things on a desktop. It also has that sweet homely iOS vibe about it, which you’ll recognize instantly if you’re an iPhone/iPad user.

The iPadification of Mac

Apart from the design change, the latest macOS is embracing more iOS apps via Catalyst. For instance, Maps and Messages have been redesigned with the Mac Catalyst app — and Catalyst itself is getting some major enhancements. Particularly, it arrives with access to more iOS frameworks, new APIs, and the ability to control Mac Catalyst apps using just the keyboard.

The Catalyst era kicked off in 2019, with the release of macOS 10.15 Catalina. Apple made it possible to port iOS apps to macOS, and introduced Screen Time as the first native app to undergo the Catalyst transition. With macOS 11, Catalyst apps continue arriving — easy to port and fitting the Big Sur design perfectly.

What’s more, Macs with Apple silicon chips will be able to run iOS apps natively on Big Sur. This means one thing: In the battle of Big Sur vs Catalina, the former certainly wins if you want to see more iOS apps on Mac.

Safari reborn on macOS Big Sur

Apple introduced some great Safari improvements with macOS Catalina, including weak password flagging and tab switching. But compared to what they did this year, Catalina updates were just the beginning of a major Safari transformation. On macOS Big Sur, Safari is crazily customizable and 50% faster than Chrome. Here are some key changes:

• Customizable start page. You can set any background picture and choose what should appear on your Safari start page.

• Preview tabs. Hover over any tab for a quick website preview.

• Bring extensions from anywhere. Developers can easily migrate third-party extensions to Safari.

• Translate an entire web page. Translate a website page across seven languages in a flash.

• See who’s tracking you. The new built-in Privacy Report gives you access to the list of trackers on any website, which is a huge leap forward in terms of safer browsing.

Is it safe to update to Big Sur?

Many users are wondering whether it’s safe to download and install Big Sur at this point. We’ve dived into the depths of Reddit and Twitter, searching for any hints about macOS Big Sur misbehavior. So far, there have been some reports on installation problems and Safari crashing. But considering betas are generally buggy, it seems normal.

According to Apple, macOS Big Sur will offer even more control over users’ personal data. Developers will be asked to provide extensive information on their privacy practices when bringing apps to the App Store — so that you know what types of data an app collects before installing it. And with the new Privacy Report in Safari, you can expect a safer browsing journey on Big Sur. So we believe it’s pretty safe to upgrade to Big Sur.

Make your macOS perform better

Read more about how to upgrade mac os the right way

The only recommendation is to make sure your Mac is prepared well in advance. Free up storage with CleanMyMac X — you’ll need at least 20GB of free disk space — and back up data with Get Backup Pro just to be sure nothing disappears from your Mac. Both tools are on Setapp and available with a 7-day free trial.

Catalina vs Big Sur: Final verdict

The question “Should I upgrade to Big Sur or not?” doesn’t have an easy answer. But we say give it a try if you like the new iOS-inspired design and enhanced Safari. Also, macOS Big Sur is the best operating system for porting iOS apps — and, hopefully, running iOS apps in the near future. Summing it up, here’s the final look at Big Sur vs Catalina features:

Soccer But Better Mac Os X