Still getting "This volume is not formatted as APFS" message?
If you are not familiar with APFS, it is a new file system developed by Apple which stands for Apple File System. Since the advent of microdesign computers, they have found a way to optimize SSD and flash memory through it. It is faster when it comes to transferring data compared to older version file systems.
However, this new and improved file system has a small drawback. Several Mac users have reported problems of constantly getting the "This volume is not formatted as APFS"Message. Now it is important to note that the APFS format is not backwards compatible with file systems. Transferring files from a disk using the old version file systems to an APFS formatted disk is not supported. So we need to convert your drive to APFS to remove that message that keeps getting thrown in your face. But the question is how to convert your drive to APFS.
In this guide, we'll explain how to fix the issues and share some alternative ways including formatting your existing drive to APFS to get rid of the annoying pop-up message once and for all.
Without wasting another second, let's dive in!
INDEX
- Use the Disk Utility app to Delete and format
- Convert the drive with a bootable backup drive
- Format the drive using Internet Recovery
- Contact Apple for support
HHow to Fix This Volume Is Not Formatted as APFS: 4 Ways
1. Use Disk Utility to erase and format.
If you know someone who uses macOS Sierra or a similar macOS, you can use your computer to convert your drive to APFS format. The possible reason why your option to convert to APFS is grayed out is that you are using disk for processing. The concept is similar to your computer's operating system. Your computer does not allow you to manipulate system files to avoid malfunctions during use.
However, since you are doing this on another computer, the conversion process is now possible. But it's important that you know how to remove the hard drive from your computer and put it in a drive case (sounds complicated, we know, but be patient 😅). If you know how to do it, you can use this method to convert your hard drive. The same process also applies to converting external hard drives and flash drives to APFS. Even if all this sounds complex and geeky to you, just follow the steps below to achieve it.
Use
We strongly recommend that youBack up your files on your macOS computerbefore proceeding with the following steps. This is because we are wiping the hard drive and reformatting it to APFS format which will erase all data on your Mac. Alternative and less risky solutions are provided later in this post. So, read the entire guide first before committing to any solution!
See how you can do this:
- Go ahead and click on theMost Searched Searchicon and search forDisk Utilityto launch the app.
![Fix: This volume is not formatted as APFS issue [2020] - Saint (1)](https://www.saintlad.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/this-volume-is-not-formatted-as-apfs-3.png "Fix: This volume is not formatted as APFS issue [2020] - Saint (1)")
- Then find your external hard drive in the list of hard drives on the left and select it. click on itextinguishPossibility.
- Finally, rename the erased disk and change the value inFormatoption forAPFSFormat. click on itextinguishTaste.
![Fix: This volume is not formatted as APFS issue [2020] - Saint (2)](https://www.saintlad.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/this-volume-is-not-formatted-as-apfs-5.jpg "Fix: This volume is not formatted as APFS issue [2020] - Saint (2)")
Once the old format is erased and your drive is converted to APFS, the file system compatibility issues as well as the annoying "This volume is not formatted as APFS" message you keep getting should definitely be gone. For your hard drive, you can install the latest version of macOS that uses the APFS file system.
2. Convert the drive with a bootable backup drive.
Another method you can use is to convert your drive to use a macOS bootable disk. If you don't have another macOS computer to format your drive, this method is suitable.
However, you still need to load the Disk Utility application from another source to make changes to your hard drive. Use your external hard drive or maybe a flash disk if you have enough capacity to make this happen.
Again, before doing this, you need to back up your data on your Mac as it will clone the hard drive once it's done backing up and then delete all the large files on your computer to speed up the cloning process. Don't worry, you can restore all your files from backup after the process, so basically you don't lose anything in this attempt. 🇧🇷
See how you can do this:
- First, connect your computer to the Internet using a WiFi or Ethernet cable. Download theToo muchapp on your macOS computer.
![Fix: This volume is not formatted as APFS issue [2020] - Saint (3)](https://www.saintlad.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/this-volume-is-not-formatted-as-apfs-2.png "Fix: This volume is not formatted as APFS issue [2020] - Saint (3)")
- Then click on the I agree to the license terms option.A tiethe SuperDuper app forformsfolder and launch it.
- Then create a clone of your hard drive and select primary hard drivehard diskin the first drop-down menu. Then select thebackup drivein the second drop-down menu andBackup - all filesoption on the third.
![Fix: This volume is not formatted as APFS issue [2020] - Saint (4)](https://www.saintlad.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/this-volume-is-not-formatted-as-apfs-3-e1583732321727.jpg "Fix: This volume is not formatted as APFS issue [2020] - Saint (4)")
- Now click on thecopy nowoption and wait for the cloning process to complete. This will take a few hours, depending on how many files you have on your computer.
- Once the process is complete, click onapple menuicon, thensystem settingsand click onboot disk🇧🇷 Select the backup disk as a bootable drive and restart your computer.
![Fix: This volume is not formatted as APFS issue [2020] - Saint (5)](https://www.saintlad.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/this-volume-is-not-formatted-as-apfs-1.png "Fix: This volume is not formatted as APFS issue [2020] - Saint (5)")
- Press and hold during startupcommandeRkeys until the computer restarts and open therecovery modeBodies.
- then clickDisk UtilitynomacOS Utilitiesscreen and click the buttonContinuePossibility.
![Fix: This volume is not formatted as APFS issue [2020] - Saint (6)](https://www.saintlad.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/macbook-will-not-start-up-after-macos-update-1.jpg "Fix: This volume is not formatted as APFS issue [2020] - Saint (6)")
- Select your computer's main hard drive from the list of drives in the left pane of the screen.
- tighten>Icon next to the hard drive label to indicate the drive partitions currently installed on the drive.
- Then select theoperating system partitionand click onFileoption and then clickdisengage🇧🇷 Do the same process for theanother partitionit's atTrainingPartition under the hard drive, if any.
![Fix: This volume is not formatted as APFS issue [2020] - Saint (7)](https://www.saintlad.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/this-volume-is-not-formatted-as-apfs-7.jpg "Fix: This volume is not formatted as APFS issue [2020] - Saint (7)")
- After that, select the main partition and click on theTo editoption in the top menu. Locate and click onConverter para APFSoption from the drop-down menu.
- Finally click onConverterButton on the message prompt to confirm the operation. Wait for the conversion process and click on the buttonFinishedPost processing option.
You can now install the latest macOS via the bootable disk. Restart Mac and hold while Mac restartspossibilitykey on the keyboard to select the startup disk. You can now click on your bootable disk with macOS installed in the list of startup disk options. then clickContinueto install macOS on your computer. Agree to the license terms and your computer will function normally.
3. Format the drive using Internet Recovery.
Alternatively, you can also make changes to your hard drive to load Disk Utility using the Internet restore method. Again, this method does not rely on your hard drive to load the utility application. Instead, it gets the data from the Internet. So, you can convert your hard drive from your computer without any limitations.
It is also possible that the reason why your option to convert to APFS is not available is because your Mac version is out of date. Since this method is loaded from the Apple server over the Internet, you can be sure that the Disk Utility application is up to date. With the latest version, there is an option to convert your hard drive to APFS.
See how you can do this:
- Go ahead and make sure you connect your computer to the internet using a WiFi or Ethernet cable.
- Then shut down the computer by clicking onapple menuicon and click the buttonto switch offPossibility.
- Then press and hold thepossibility+command+R(or Alt + Command + R on other Mac keyboards) and press theperformanceTaste.
- Now hold these keys down until onespinning globeappears on the screen and the message "Launch Internet Recovery. This will take a while" ask for.
![Fix: This volume is not formatted as APFS issue [2020] - Saint (8)](https://www.saintlad.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/this-volume-is-not-formatted-as-apfs-1-e1583732551237.jpg "Fix: This volume is not formatted as APFS issue [2020] - Saint (8)")
- Please wait for the progress bar to fill up before viewing thismacOS Utilitiesfabric appears.
- then clickDisk UtilitynomacOS Utilitiesscreen and click the buttonContinuePossibility.
- Select the disk you want to edit from the list of drives on the left panel of the screen.
- tighten>Icon next to the hard drive label to indicate the drive partitions currently installed on the drive.
- Then select theoperating system partitionand click onFileoption and then clickdisengage🇧🇷 Do the same process for theanother partitionit's atTrainingPartition under the hard drive (if any).
- Then select themain partitionand click onTo editoption in the top menu. Locate and click onConverter para APFSoption from the drop-down menu.
- tightenConverterButton on the message prompt to confirm the operation. Wait for the conversion process and click on the buttonFinishedPost processing option.
You can also select the current startup disk and clickextinguishoption at the top of the screen. Label and select the unitAPFSin the list of file systems. After that just click on theextinguishbutton to confirm the deletion. This will erase the drive but convert it to the APFS file system.
You can now install your macOS in APFS format with a bootable disk. You can connect your external hard drive which contains your backup and restore it usingmigration assistantApplication.
4. Contact Apple for support.
If you're not familiar with the technical details of the process, it's best to let an expert do it for you. you can visit yournearest apple storewhere Apple-certified technicians can help. You are able to troubleshoot at application, operating system and hardware level. Be sure to check yourwarranty optionsto your Mac prior to your visit.
![Fix: This volume is not formatted as APFS issue [2020] - Saint (11)](https://www.saintlad.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/how-to-deal-with-iphone-11-screen-scratches-pictures-4-1024x504.png "Fix: This volume is not formatted as APFS issue [2020] - Saint (11)")
However, if you don't have an Apple Store near you,Check support available in your country🇧🇷 you can choosebook a repair appointmentonline so that Apple-certified technicians can remotely complete this process for you. The only caveat is that you must ship your device via a courier where they can repair it in their lab. Don't worry, you will be able tomonitor repair progressonline through its website.
And that ends our guide for today. We hope this article helped you to fix this volume in your problem not formatted as AFPSMac🇧🇷 Thank you for reading this guide and for your continued support. If you have any questions about this topic, feel free to leave a comment below.
If this guide helped you, please share it. 🇧🇷
FAQs
How do you fix this volume is not formatted as APFS error on any Mac? ›
Open Disk Utility (From Launchpad, Spotlight, or by opening Applications> Utilities > Disk Utility). Click on your hard drive on the left side and choose the Erase option at the top. Rename the drive (if needed), change the Format to APFS, make sure the scheme is GUID Partition Map. Click on Erase in the window.
Why won t my Mac convert to APFS? ›Solution: To fix the "Convert to APFS" not available or greyed out issue, you need to first confirm whether it is formatted with Mac OS Extended. If not, you need to format it to Mac OS Extended and then implement the APFS format work.
How do I Format my Mac hard drive to APFS? ›Add an APFS volume
If Disk Utility isn't open, click the Launchpad icon in the Dock, type Disk Utility in the Search field, then click the Disk Utility icon . Enter a name for the new APFS volume. Click the Format pop-up menu, then choose an APFS format.
- Press and hold Command+R to start the Mac in Recovery mode. Select Disk Utility > Continue. Choose your hard drive in the sidebar.
- Select Edit > Delete APFS Volume from the menu bar and Delete.
- Select your hard drive. Select Erase and name the drive. Under Format, choose a format. Select Erase.
- Step 1: Select "Finder"
- Step 2: Select "Applications"
- Step 3: Select "Utilities"
- Step 4: Select "Disk Utility"
- Step 5: Select a drive from the list on the left.
- Step 6: Select "Erase"
- Step 7: Name the drive.
- Step 9: Verify, if needed.
- Select the drive you wish to format from the list.
- Right click on the drive and select Format.
- Enter a name for the drive in Volume label and select the format type in the File system dropdown box.
- Click OK. It will take a short while to delete all the files and change the format of the disk.
macOS 10.13 or later supports APFS for both bootable and data volumes.
What does APFS stand for on Mac? ›| Full name | Apple File System |
| Introduced | March 27, 2017 (iOS), September 25, 2017 (macOS), with iOS 10.3, macOS 10.13 |
| Partition identifier | 7C3457EF-0000-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC (GPT) |
| Structures | |
|---|---|
| Directory contents | B-tree |
What format should I use for a Mac external hard drive? It depends on your needs. If you want your PC to be faster, and more optimized then go for the APFS format. If you are looking for features like reverse compatibility, Time Machine, etc go for the Mac Os Journaled.
How do I fix a USB drive that won't format on Mac? ›If you can't format USB drive on Mac, it may be because macOS doesn't support the file system. So, you can set the format on Windows first, and then connect the USB drive on Mac. EaseUS Partition Master Free is a good choice. It is an all-in-one partition manager.
What is the difference between APFS and Mac OS Extended journaled? ›
The main difference between APFS and Mac OS Extended is that the former is faster and more reliable, whereas the latter is compatible with older macOS releases. Depending on how you'll use a given drive, both the APFS and Mac OS Extended can be viable.
Should I format my external hard drive to APFS? ›Using an External Hard Drive for Time Machine Backups
Ideally, the best file format is the one that covers your needs across all the platforms you use. For the best Time Machine compatibility, reformat your device with the GUID partition map scheme and HFS+ or APFS file format.
If you need to format a drive, use the APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format for best performance. If your Mac is running macOS Mojave or later, use the APFS format. When you format a drive, any data on the volume is deleted, so make sure you create a backup if you want to keep the data.
How do I format my internal hard drive for my imac? ›Click the Format pop-up menu, then choose a file system format. Enter a name. (Optional) If available, click Security Options, use the slider to choose how many times to write over the erased data, then click OK. Secure erase options are available only for some types of storage devices.
What format should I use for SSD Mac? ›The best performance on Mac is APFS. It is perfect for SSD and flash drives. exFAT and FAT32 are compatible with both Windows and Mac. So, if you want to transfer data or share files on Mac and Windows, you can format SSD FAT32 or exFAT.
How do I fix a USB drive that won't format? ›- Switch the USB lock to the OFF side and change a USB port.
- Change the USB drive letter to make it shows up on the PC.
- Clean up viruses and malware from the USB and computer.
- Run CMD attributes disk clear readonly to remove write protection.
Open System Information and disconnect the USB device from your computer. Wait a few minutes, and click File > Refresh Information. Reconnect the USB device. You should see a device disappear from System Information when you remove the USB device, and it should appear again when you reconnect it.
How do I get my Mac to recognize a USB drive? ›- Check the power, port, and cable connections: Make sure the USB device is turned on and its cables are properly connected. ...
- Check for missing software: Make sure you installed the latest software for your device.
- Open disk management, right-click on the volume you wish to format and select 'Format'.
- Set the new file system to the volume - NTFS or other formats, and tick 'Perform a quick format'.
- Click 'OK'.
...
Without further ado, let's fix the formatting volume error in three simple steps.
- Step 1: Format the Drive With the Disks Utility. ...
- Step 2: Create a New Partition. ...
- Step 3: Assign a File System.
How do I restore my hard drive volume? ›
- Run EaseUS Partition Recovery on your PC. Select the disk or device where you lost partition(s), click "Scan" to continue.
- Wait for the scanning process to complete. ...
- Preview and restore the lost partition(s). ...
- Click "Recover Now" to finish the partition recovery process.
If the "file system is a newer version" and is labeled as "Apple File System" then your startup disk is using APFS and is not currently rebuildable.
Does macOS Big Sur require APFS? ›With macOS Big Sur, you'll need a drive formatted with APSF (Apple File System) to use Time Machine for backing up your files (and you really should be backing up your files). If you have existing HFS volumes, you won't see them after you update, so you shouldn't update any such volumes.
When did Apple switch to APFS? ›Apple File System (APFS) is a proprietary drive format system that Apple introduced in macOS High Sierra (10.13) in 2017. APFS volumes used by Macs can be managed through Apple's Disk Utility. APFS was also adopted in iOS 10. 3, tvOS 10.2, and watchOS 3.2.
What is best audio format for Mac? ›- A lossless audio file format is the best format for sound quality. These include FLAC, WAV, or AIFF. ...
- From a browser compatibility standpoint, . MP3 and . ...
- MP3 files are the most popular audio format. ...
- .
- Click the "Finder" icon from your Apple dock.
- Select "Go" and choose "Utilities" from the Apple file menu.
- Select "Disk Utilities."
- Highlight the disk, volume or image you want to convert.
- Select the "Partition" tab.
Apple File System (APFS), the default file system for Mac computers using macOS 10.13 or later, features strong encryption, space sharing, snapshots, fast directory sizing and improved file system fundamentals.
What is the best format for USB drive on Mac and Windows? ›exFAT is the ideal file system for USB flash drives. It doesn't have the 4GB file size limit and it's compatible with most Windows and Mac operating systems.
What is the maximum volume size for APFS? ›| Mac OS Extended (HFS+) | Apple File System (ApFS) | |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum file size | 2 63 bytes | 2 63 bytes |
| Time stamp granularity | 1 second | 1 nanosecond |
| Copy-on-write | ||
| Crash-protected | journaled |
- Insert the USB to be formatted to a Mac PC.
- Navigate to Applications > Utilities, and click it twice to open.
- Select the drive you want to format and click on Erase.
- Rename the USB drive (optional), and choose the MS-DOS(FAT) for format.
Can a corrupted USB be fixed? ›
If the USB drivers are corrupted or out-of-date, reinstalling them or updating them can fix the issue. Right-click the Start icon and click on Device Manager. Expand the dropdown for Disk drives, right-click your USB, and click Uninstall device. Unplug your USB then plug it back in.
Why can't I transfer files from my Mac to USB? ›There are two reasons. One is your external hard drive is formatted with NTFS. Microsoft NTFS is used for Windows and is only read support on Mac. The other is the external hard drive's permission on your Mac is read-only.
Can I upgrade old Mac to APFS? ›If you want your internal drives to be APFS you can convert those by restarting your Mac by using Command + R to boot into recovery mode. Then, from Disk Utility>View>Show All Devices> Select your parent drive (or external) then click Edit and Convert to. It will not impact your files.
Should I use exFAT or journaled for Mac? ›Here's a basic rundown of which format we recommend for your USB flash drive, broken down by use case. If you absolutely, positively will only be working with Macs and no other system, ever: Use Mac OS Extended (Journaled). If you need to transfer files larger than 4 GB between Macs and PCs: Use exFAT.
How do I format my hard drive to APFS on Windows? ›- Launch a new Command Prompt (cmd)
- Type the command diskpart.
- type list disk and note the number of the APFS formatted disk.
- type select disk X where X is the number noted in step 3.
- type clean. ...
- Go to Disk Management, by right clicking on the start menu button.
In general, almost all HDD formats are perfectly compatible with Windows. You can use APFS or HFS+. There is no difference.
Which external hard drive is better APFS or Mac OS Extended? ›APFS is also more reliable, leading to less file corruption when compared to Mac OS Extended. This, alongside its speed and optimization improvements, makes APFS a great file system format. The biggest downside to using APFS is that Macs with older macOS versions (macOS 10.12.
Can you reformat an external hard drive without losing data Mac? ›It's perfectly possible to wipe your hard drive without losing all your data. The process requires you to format your drive, then use data recovery tools to salvage your data. The methodology for the formatting part of the process differs depending on whether you're using a Windows computer or macOS.
Is APFS better than NTFS? ›This is because APFS is a modern file systen, design from the ground up to be used with the type of large files we see today. It is much more efficient than its predecessor. Some thing APFS offers, that NTFS doesnt, or is only available of the server OS: Disk deduplication - storeing identical blocks of data only once.
How do I format my Mac hard drive and reinstall OS? ›Choose Apple menu > Shut Down, press and hold the power button until “Loading startup options” appears, select Options, click Continue, then follow the onscreen instructions. In the Recovery app window, select Reinstall for your macOS release, click Continue, then follow the onscreen instructions.
How do I manually format a Mac? ›
From the Apple menu in the corner of your screen, choose System Settings. Click General in the sidebar. Click Transfer or Reset on the right. Click Erase All Content and Settings.
Do I need to format my hard drive for a Mac? ›On Mac computers, use the Finder app to browse and manage files on your computer and external hard drives. Before a hard drive can read or write data, it must first be formatted, or erased and reconfigured.
What format should I format my SSD? ›What is the best format for SSD? If you want to use the SSD on a Windows PC, NTFS is the best file system. If you are using Mac, then choose HFS Extended or APFS. If you want to use the SSD for both Windows and Mac, exFAT file system will be a good choice.
Is it OK to full format SSD? ›That's why it is important to make sure that the box marked Quick Format is checked before formatting an SSD. If unchecked, your computer will carry out a Full Format, which is safe for HDDs but would cause your computer to perform a full read/write cycle, which can shorten the life an SSD.
What is the proper way to format a SSD? ›- 1 Connect your SSD to PC or laptop.
- 2 Click the Documents icon on your PC.
- 3 Right click on the drive to be formatted and click Format.
- 4 From the drop down list select NTFS under file system. ...
- 5 The drive will be formatted accordingly.
- Run Disk Utility First Aid. ...
- Get Permission to Erase USB on Mac. ...
- Erase Selected Volumes. ...
- Erase USB Drive with Terminal Commands. ...
- Erase USB Drive in Recovery Mode. ...
- Reboot Mac in Safe Mode. ...
- Update the macOS. ...
- Lower the Security Level.
- Insert a USB drive into a USB port.
- Open File Explorer.
- Click on This PC from the left pane.
- Under the "Devices and drives" section, right-click the flash drive and select the Format option.
- Use the "File system" drop-down menu and select the preferred option.
- In the Disk Utility app on your Mac, choose View > Show All Devices. ...
- In the sidebar, select a volume, then click the First Aid button .
- In the First Aid dialog, click Run, then follow the onscreen instructions.
- When the First Aid process is complete, click Done.
- Press the "Windows" key and type cmd.
- Right-click "Comand Prompt" and choose "Run as administrator".
- In the CMD window, type chkdsk G: /f and hit "Enter". ...
- Then Windows will start checking and repairing disk errors and damaged files.
Just go to the Control Panel > System and Security. Now, click on “Create and format hard disk partitions.” Next, locate and select the unallocated storage space of the flash drive and right-click it. Then select New Simple Volume and follow the instructions on the screen.
How do I fix my USB drive that won't format? ›
- Switch the USB lock to the OFF side and change a USB port.
- Change the USB drive letter to make it shows up on the PC.
- Clean up viruses and malware from the USB and computer.
- Run CMD attributes disk clear readonly to remove write protection.
If you're trying to format a hard disk or memory card and you've encountered the "Windows was unable to complete the formatting" error message, your disk might be in the RAW file system structure. This could be because the disk became corrupted or because a previous format went wrong.
How do I change my audio format? ›Try different audio formats
Select Hardware and Sound from the Control Panel, and then select Sound. On the Playback tab, select and hold (or right-click) Default Device, and then select Properties. On the Advanced tab, under Default Format, change the setting, select OK, and then test your audio device.
- Click on Start or the Windows button, select Control Panel, then System and Security.
- Select Administrative Tools, then Computer Management and Disk management.
- Choose the disk you'd like to format, right-click and select Format.
It aims to fix core problems of HFS+ (also called Mac OS Extended), APFS's predecessor on these operating systems. APFS is optimized for solid-state drive storage and supports encryption, snapshots, and increased data integrity, among other capabilities.