It is also the primary default file system for Mac drives until APFS replaced it. Mac OS Extended (Journaled) also known as HFS+, HFS Plus, or HFS Extended, is a journaling file system.

Also, APFS is designed mainly for solid-state and flash drives. Since your device is an M1 MacBook Air 2022, you don't have to worry about if the APFS is compatible with your Mac. It is the default file system for Mac used in macOS 10.13 and later versions. Among them, FAT and exFAT are a little bit special cause they are developed by Windows, but are supported by both macOS and Windows.ĪPFS (the full name is Apple File System) is a proprietary file system developed by Apple. But it not means Mac OS Extended is a worse file system compared to APFS, on the contrary, it is a really nice file system.Īctually, no matter whether it is APFS, Mac OS Extended, or FAT and exFAT, they are all common file systems used for Mac computers. Google results are just bringing up similar but separate issues.If you want to choose a file system for your external SSD, I recommend APFS. My understanding is that encryption normally gives you an encryption key that you can then use on any computer to use the hard drive, but I can't seem to find any search results on how to get/use that in this situation.

Is this because the older Mac is too old to use the format, or because the information needed to open it is stored on my main Mac? My concern is that if my Mac stops working, I won't be able to access any of the data on this hard drive again.

On the older Mac, it shows up in Disk Utility but it never gives me the option to enter the password so I can't actually use it. But I've tried connecting it to a PC and an older Mac and neither work. I encrypted a LaCie external hard drive with Disk Utility (APFS Volume) and password protected it. Basically, how do I encrypt an external hard drive in such a way where I can still use it if my computer bites the dust?

Mac os 10.12 exfat