macOS 28 to End Support for Encrypted HFS+ Volumes, Promoting Transition to APFS

Apple has announced in a support document dated July 9, 2026, that macOS 28 will no longer support encrypted Mac OS Extended (HFS+) volumes. According to a report by BeauHD on Slashdot, this change means users relying on external drives or legacy Mac-formatted volumes in the encrypted HFS+ format will need to either decrypt their data or reformat the drives to APFS (Apple File System).

The Background of File System Transition

Mac OS Extended (HFS+) was introduced in 1998 with Mac OS 8.1 as a successor to the original HFS file system and served as the standard format for Macs for many years. Encrypted HFS+ was widely used in applications such as FileVault 2 and remains prevalent for external storage and Time Machine backups.

Since macOS High Sierra (2017), Apple has transitioned its standard file system to APFS. Designed for SSDs, APFS offers features such as cloning, snapshots, and native encryption capabilities. This latest step marks the final phase of Apple’s transition to the APFS ecosystem.

Specifics of the Change

According to Apple’s support document, macOS 28 and later will “only support the Mac OS Extended file system format for unencrypted volumes (disks and other storage devices).” As a result, encrypted HFS+ volumes will likely lose both read and write functionality.

Apple has not explicitly stated the reasons behind this change. However, given that APFS incorporates encryption as a built-in standard feature, it is reasonable to assume the move aims to unify encryption methods and simplify the security architecture.

Migration Process and Notification Alerts

Users will need to take one of the following steps to address the change:

• Decrypt encrypted HFS+ volumes and continue using them as unencrypted HFS+.
• Reformat the volumes to APFS (requires data backup).

Starting with macOS 26, Apple plans to introduce a notification feature that will inform users if they are using encrypted HFS+ volumes that will become incompatible in the future. These notifications will identify affected volumes by name, and users will also have the option to manually check whether their volumes are encrypted HFS+.

Unencrypted HFS+ volumes will continue to be supported even after the release of macOS 28. Apple has clarified that “Mac OS Extended is also referred to as HFS Plus (HFS+).”

Main Use Cases Affected

Encrypted HFS+ is still commonly used in the following scenarios:

• External drives migrated from older Macs (connected via FireWire or USB).
• Bootable external drives encrypted using FileVault 2.
• Encrypted disk images created by certain third-party backup solutions.
• Time Machine backups configured with encryption options that use HFS+.

Practical Steps for Transition

Users should first verify the file system and encryption status of the storage they own. By checking the “Format” field in the Disk Utility app, users can determine whether a volume is HFS+ or APFS and whether it is encrypted.

If an encrypted HFS+ volume is detected, the following steps are recommended:

1. Back up important data to another APFS volume or cloud storage.
2. Use Disk Utility to decrypt the volume (a password will be required).
3. Once decrypted, reformat the volume to APFS if necessary.
4. Restore the data from the backup.

Depending on the size of the volume and the amount of data, this process may take several hours or even a full day. While macOS 28’s release date has not yet been announced, it is typically expected in the fall of the same year, providing users with over a year to prepare.

Editorial Opinion

In the short term, the introduction of notification features in macOS 26 will likely bring the issue of file system format to the attention of many users for the first time. In enterprise environments, where older backup drives or storage systems integrated with legacy systems are common, this change will necessitate the planning of a broader migration strategy. Apple’s lack of clarity on the reasons for the change may create uncertainty, particularly for enterprise users.

In the long run, achieving full standardization on APFS will unify encryption implementations, making security audits and performance optimization more straightforward. With APFS’s native encryption integrated with hardware acceleration, this move will likely serve as a foundation for stronger security measures in the future. However, there is also the risk of losing compatibility with older software and hardware.

While the editorial team views Apple’s migration strategy as rational, we believe the company should provide more proactive support for users during this transition. Specifically, there is concern about the lack of warnings regarding potential performance degradation during decryption and the risks of disk failure during the process.

References

• “macOS 28 Will Drop Support For Encrypted Mac OS Extended Volumes”, by BeauHD — Slashdot, 2026-07-09T17:00:00.000Z (ARR)
• Source URL: https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/26/07/09/1641225/macos-28-will-drop-support-for-encrypted-mac-os-extended-volumes?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed