

It also doesn't require complicated ACLs and file attribution systems like NTFS.īut before you convert from HFS+ to APFS, consider the following factors: exFAT has no realistic file or partition size limits. exFAT is the preferred file format for flash storage drives that you share between Windows and Mac. Microsoft designed this to provide similar compatibility to FAT32 without the pesky limitations. Manufacturers like Seagate lets you read and write data interchangeably on Windows and Mac without formatting the external drive. You can only access drives formatted with HFS+ on Windows through third-party apps.Even if you’re using SSD as a Time Machine drive, it’s not compatible with APFS. For Time Machine backups, use MacOS Extended (Journaled) if it’s a mechanical hard drive or if you’re using macOS Catalina or earlier.If you have older Macs (pre–2016), particularly those too old to update to a recent version of macOS, choosing HFS+ will enable you to use your external drive with those machines.Here are some of the best apps that read-write APFS on Windows. You can only access drives formatted with APFS on Windows through third-party apps.If you connect that disk to Catalina, Time Machine won’t recognize it. Time Machine volumes formatted as APFS will only work with Macs running Big Sur or later.It’s fast, consumes less space, which means more room for backups, has greater resistance to data corruption, and copies cloned or sparse files efficiently. Time Machine backups to APFS are impressive when compared to HFS+.However, you won’t be asked for this option for the already formatted HFS+ disk.

