What is HFS+ | Differences between HFS+ and APFS, HFS+ and exFAT

What is HFS+? HFS+ is a file system developed by Apple, stands for Hierarchical File System Plus. It was first introduced in Mac OS 8.1 in 1998, replacing the previous HFS file system. Designed for disk storage and organization in macOS (formerly known as Mac OS), HFS+ supports long file names, file permissions, journaling, and other modern file system features. HFS+ uses clusters (blocks) as its basic unit of data storage and manages file and directory information with structures such as the Catalog File, Extent Overflow File, and Attribute File. It also introduced resource forks, a unique feature that allows files to contain additional metadata or resources alongside their data, such as images, fonts, or other binary data. Although HFS+ has been superseded by Apple's latest file system, APFS (Apple File System), it can still be found in use on older versions of macOS and external hard drives.

HFS+ is the file system that has been used on all Mac computers since 1998 for all mechanical and hybrid hard drives. Older versions of macOS default to HFS+ for all drives by default. When Apple released macOS 8.1, HFS+ superseded the original Hierarchical File System (HFS) as the primary file system for Mac. On a Mac, you'll see HFS+ referred to as Mac OS Extended (Journaled).

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HFS+ and HFS

HFS+ is more compatible than its predecessor, HFS, and supports larger files. Here's a table outlining the differences between HFS+ and HFS:

HFS+ Structure

An HFS+ volume contains nine major structures:

• Volume Header: Contains information about the volume, such as its creation date and file number.
• Allocation File: Keeps track of which allocation blocks are in use or free.
• Directory File: Describes the file structure on the volume.
• Attributes File: A B-tree containing additional branch information.
• Overflow Extents File: A B-tree for other extensions not stored in the Directory File.
• Boot File: Used to boot non-Mac computers.
• Backup Volume Header: Similar to HFS's Backup Master Directory Block.
• Boot Block: Identical to the Boot Block in HFS.
• Apple reserves the last sector for use during computer manufacturing.

HFS+ (Hierarchical File System Plus) is a file system developed by Apple Inc. for use in the Mac OS operating system. Here are some key features of HFS+ translated into English: 1. Dynamic space allocation: HFS+ employs dynamic allocation to manage disk space more efficiently. 2. File pre-fetching: It supports file pre-fetching, enhancing data access speed. 3. Delayed writing: Allows multiple small write operations to be combined into one larger write, improving performance and reducing disk fragmentation. 4. File extended attributes: HFS+ supports extended attributes, such as resource forks, for storing information unrelated to file content. 5. Disk permissions: Provides access control lists (ACLs) for files and directories, enhancing security. 6. Unicode support: Uses Unicode for filename encoding, ensuring cross-language compatibility. 7. Hard and symbolic links: Supports hard links (multiple filenames pointing to the same data block) and symbolic links (pointers to other files or directories). 8. File system journaling: Records changes to the file system in a journal, increasing system stability and reliability. 9. Disk utility support: Compatible with Apple's disk utility software, like Disk Utility, for disk management and repair. 10. Large file support: Capable of handling files larger than 4 GB. Please note that starting with macOS High Sierra, Apple introduced the new APFS (Apple File System), which is gradually replacing HFS+.

In summary, the key features of the HFS+ format include:

Better use of disk space: More allocation units mean a smaller allocation unit size, especially on volumes of 1 GB or more, which means less average wasted space, and because available space can be parceled out to more files in smaller increments, you can have more files.

International-friendly filenames: HFS+ uses Unicode rather than Mac OS Roman to store filenames, allowing up to 255 characters and making it much easier to use descriptive names, as well as accommodating the long, computer-generated filenames that can result from scientific work.

Support for named forks: HFS+ uses an attributes file to store additional information about a file. This data is preserved when the file is moved or renamed, and deleted when the file is deleted.

Simplified booting for non-macOS operating systems: HFS+ treats specific boot files as unstructured forks, making it easier for the system to find them during startup. This is convenient for macOS and other operating systems that don't have HFS/HFS+ support built into their ROM. It generalized the HFS boot block in many ways, providing a larger, variable-sized storage space.

HFS+ for Windows, HFS+ for Mac, and HFS+ for Linux

Files formatted as HFS+ can be read from and written to by any Mac computer running macOS 8.1 or later. However, note that HFS+ is not natively readable by Windows without third-party software, and Linux only supports reading HFS+ in read-only mode. Some advantages of HFS+ include:

It uses the Unicode character set for filenames instead of Mac OS Roman or one of several other character sets. It stores most volume metadata in a B-tree. It supports hard links to directories. It allows filenames up to 255 characters long. It uses a full 32-bit allocation map, instead of the 16-bit map used by HFS. It improves space usage on large disks.

In 2017, Apple released macOS High Sierra and replaced APFS (Apple File System) with HFS+, a disk format optimized for SSDs. However, HFS+ remains a popular disk format for Mac.

Note that you can't use an APFS disk for Time Machine backups, so formatting the disk as HFS+ is a good choice.

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Comparison of HFS+ and APFS

Apple File System (APFS) is the file system for solid-state drives and flash storage in macOS High Sierra and later, introduced in 2017. It offers several advantages over HFS+ and HFS, which it replaced, including:

• Copies and pastes of folders are faster in APFS because the file system immediately points to the same data.
• The improved metadata in APFS means that it's much quicker to determine how much space a folder is taking up on your drive.
• Many of the reliability improvements in APFS make issues like file corruption much less common.

However, note that macOS Sierra is the first operating system that can read from and write to APFS, which means that older Macs running earlier versions of the OS won't be able to write to an APFS-formatted drive. If you need to work with an older Mac, then APFS isn't the right choice for that Mac's hard drive. Also, neither APFS nor Mac OS Extended is readable or writable by a Windows PC.

Also, APFS is not compatible with Time Machine, so you'll need to format your backup disk as HFS+. Otherwise, you'll have a difficult time restoring files from an APFS drive with Time Machine.

HFS+ and exFAT

exFAT, or the Extended File Allocation Table format, is a file system created by Microsoft in 2006. exFAT is used for drives that will be used with both Windows and macOS computers for cross-platform compatibility with older FAT32 formatting, without the limitations on file and partition sizes.

exFAT isn't a particularly optimized format, and it's more prone to file fragmentation than APFS or HFS+. But there's a big advantage to formatting a volume as exFAT: both Windows and macOS can read and write to it.

The differences between HFS+ and exFAT are as follows:

Note that files on HFS+ formatted drives are not readable or writable on Windows machines; to access HFS+ formatted drives on Windows, you will need third-party software such as the Apple HFS+ Drivers.

Data Recovery for HFS/HFS+

As the most popular disk format on Mac, HFS or HFS+ is used to save important data and files on Mac. Under certain conditions, you may lose your data, like accidentally deleting HFS/HFS+ files, HFS+/HFS+ partition corruption, and more.

Normally, you could recover data from Trash or restore from Time Machine on Mac. If the above methods don't work, I'd like to introduce a data recovery software tool – Data Recovery Wizard for Mac to you.

After downloading and launching tools Data Recovery Wizard on your Mac, you can easily locate the HFS/HFS+ partition where you previously stored the lost data. The HFS/HFS+ partition recovery operation is quite simple and can be handled even by users with no computer experience. Just follow these 3 steps:

Step 1: Select the HFS+/HFS partition from which you wish to recover and click on “Scan” to look for lost data.

Step 2: Preview the scan results and select the lost data you want to recover.

Step 3: Click “Recover” to save the lost data to another secure location on your Mac HD.

Conclusions

HFS+ is a file system that Apple introduced in 1998, and you'll see it on a Mac as Mac OS Extended. All Macs have been able to use it since macOS 8.1. However, Windows can't read or write to HFS+, and Linux can only read from it, not write to it.

If you're using a Windows computer, you'll need third-party software to read HFS+ formatting. In 2017, Apple introduced the Apple File System (APFS) to replace HFS+. However, as of 2019, HFS+ is still a common disk format for Mac computers.

Frequently Asked Questions about HFS+ 1. What is HFS+? HFS+ stands for Hierarchical File System Plus, a file system developed by Apple Inc. It is primarily used in the Mac OS operating system to organize and manage files and data. 2. When was HFS+ introduced? HFS+ was first introduced in 1998 with the release of Mac OS 8.1, replacing the earlier HFS file system. 3. What features does HFS+ support? - Space allocation: HFS+ preallocates space when creating files, reducing fragmentation. - Unicode support: HFS+ uses Unicode encoding, allowing filenames to contain characters from multiple languages. - File extended attributes: It allows adding metadata and extended attributes to files. - Hard and symbolic links: Similar to link mechanisms in Unix systems. - Disk quotas: Limiting user disk usage in multi-user environments. 4. Does HFS+ have journaling support? Yes, HFS+ includes journaling, which enhances file system stability and reliability, especially during sudden power failures or system crashes. 5. Is HFS+ compatible with Windows? Not natively. Windows requires specific software, like Paragon HFS+ or Tuxera NTFS, to read and write to HFS+ formatted disks. 6. What file system has macOS updated to? Apple introduced the new Apple File System (APFS) starting with macOS Sierra as a replacement for HFS+. 7. How can I convert HFS+ to APFS? In macOS High Sierra and later, you can use Disk Utility to perform a non-destructive conversion of HFS+ partitions to APFS format. 8. Is HFS+ still in use? Although APFS is now the recommended file system, HFS+ is still used in older versions of macOS and in certain specialized scenarios.

If you have an HFS+ partition on your Mac, you might be wondering what HFS+ is and whether you can use an HFS+-formatted USB drive on a Windows PC. Here are some questions people also ask when searching for information about HFS+.

1. Is HFS+ the same as Mac OS Extended?

Yes. Mac OS Extended (also known as HFS+) was the default file system for Mac hard drives, first introduced in 1998. Starting with macOS High Sierra and later, Mac OS Extended is the default file system format for mechanical and hybrid hard drives.

2. What is HFS+ used for?

HFS+ is a file system developed by Apple Inc. for storing and organizing files on Mac OS.

3. Can Windows read HFS+?

No, Windows cannot read from or write to HFS+ formats. If you need to read HFS+ on a Windows computer, installing third-party software may help.

4. Which is better: NTFS or HFS+?

The NTFS file system is mainly used for Windows system drives, internal HDDs, or external hard disks, while HFS+ is used for macOS on USB drives or Fusion drives.