Snapshot from Jul 26, 2026 at 07:00 UTC. For live data and tracking: View Live
Events / Technology / Apple drops encrypted HFS+ support
Tech technology deprecation

Apple drops encrypted HFS+ support

Analysis based on 6 articles · First reported Jul 08, 2026 · Last updated Jul 09, 2026

Sentiment
-5
Attention
1
Articles
6
Market Impact
General
Live prominence charts, article sentiment distribution, and event development timeline available on the Ergen Dashboard
Market Impact

The change has minimal market impact as it affects a legacy format used by a shrinking user base. Apple's gradual transition to APFS is expected and unlikely to affect its stock or revenue.

technology data storage
Event Summary

Apple announced that starting with MacOS 28 (expected in 2027), encrypted Mac OS Extended (HFS+) volumes will no longer be supported. Users must decrypt or reformat affected drives to APFS before upgrading. The change is part of Apple's long-term shift to APFS, introduced in 2017. MacOS 26 may begin warning users about incompatible drives. Unencrypted HFS+ volumes remain supported. The move affects older external drives and backups using Core Storage encryption.

Key Actions
70 Apple Inc. announced dropping support HFS Plus
30 Apple Inc. published support document
Entities Involved
stock
Apple Inc.
Apple is phasing out encrypted HFS+ support to simplify its codebase and encourage migration to APFS. The move is consistent with its strategy of retiring legacy technologies.
Importance 100.0 Sentiment -5.0
oth
HFS Plus
HFS+ encrypted volumes will become incompatible with MacOS 28. Users must decrypt or reformat to APFS. The format is being deprecated after 25 years of use.
Importance 70.0 Sentiment -20.0
oth
Apple File System
APFS is the recommended replacement for encrypted HFS+. It offers native encryption and better performance. The change reinforces APFS as the standard for MacOS.
Importance 60.0 Sentiment 10.0
oth
Core Storage
Core Storage, the encryption layer for HFS+, is being phased out. Users must decrypt drives before upgrading to MacOS 28.
Importance 40.0 Sentiment -15.0
oth
Time capsule (disambiguation)
Time capsule (disambiguation) devices are not directly affected by this change, but MacOS 27 already dropped AFP support, impacting Time capsule (disambiguation) connectivity.
Importance 20.0 Sentiment -10.0
oth
Apple Filing Protocol
AFP is being removed in MacOS 27, which is related to the broader retirement of legacy technologies but not directly tied to the HFS+ encryption change.
Importance 10.0 Sentiment -5.0
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