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PSA: macOS 28 will drop support for encrypted Mac OS Extended volumes
9to5Mac • • general
Key Points:
- Starting with macOS 28, Apple will only support the Mac OS Extended (HFS+) file system for unencrypted storage volumes, requiring users with encrypted HFS+ drives to decrypt or reformat them.
- This change is likely part of Apple's ongoing transition to APFS, which natively supports encryption and has been the default file system since macOS High Sierra.
- macOS 26 will begin notifying users if they have encrypted Mac OS Extended volumes that will become incompatible in macOS 28 or later.
- Users are advised to back up data and either decrypt their encrypted HFS+ volumes or reformat them to APFS (encrypted or unencrypted) to maintain compatibility with future macOS versions.
- Encrypted Time Machine backup disks are exempt from the decryption option, and detailed instructions for managing these changes are provided by Apple in their support documentation.
