When the High Sierra version of macOS arrived, Apple introduced the file system known as APFS or (Apple File System) . This replaced the famous HFS + in the Mac computers of the brand of the bitten apple. When macOS is installed to disk it is automatically converted to the APFS file system, which as you can imagine, is not compatible with Windows 10. This means that, by default, from a PC with the latest version of Microsoft‘s operating system, it does not we can interact with an APFS unit. But there is a solution and that is why we are going to show you how you can read and write an Apple APFS drive from a Windows 10 computer.
The truth is that these types of incompatibilities between Apple and Windows are nothing new, since for a long time users of both platforms have encountered this type of problem when wanting to read drives with the file system of Windows on Mac and vice versa.
This can be a real chore if we work with both operating systems because we will not be able to read a hard disk from one system in the other. In any case, this is not so radical, since there are several software solutions that will allow us to interact in every way, that is, to access and modify the files that we find in the Mac units in Windows.
What is the APFS system?
APFS stands for Apple File System . This system is the one that has replaced the old HFS + used by Apple. This system uses 64 bts to offer much more secure storage. Encryption is another of its most interesting features, since it uses a special encryption using the AES-XTS or AES-CBS algorithms to no longer depend on the kernel.
The partitions are made easier than previously with this system, for example, for those users who want to install Windows on their Apple computer in order to have access to a multi-software team , that is, to be able to work with the two main ones operating systems currently on the market.
In addition to all this, we are also facing a file system in which better storage is achieved and therefore better use of the space on our Apple hard drive. Something that is very important today, since we have applications and games that take up more and more, so if the file system helps in this regard, much better.
Access an AFTS drive from Windows 10
If we need to access an APFS drive from a Windows 10 PC, we will have to use third-party software, since it is impossible to achieve it natively. That is why we are going to see some of the best programs for this need that currently exist.
APFS for Windows
It is the tool offered by the Paragon Software company. It is an application that offers a free version of the tool to be able to use it for 8 days.
If we want to use it, we must download and install it on our Windows computer. Thanks to this tool we can read and write to an Apple file drive without problems. It supports storage volumes created from macOS Catalina and is even capable of detecting drives that have been encrypted with FireVault , the file encryption system created by Apple. It is an application that allows us a free trial period and then we have to pay for it if we want to continue using it. For a license for 3 Windows computers they will charge us 49.95 euros.
MacDrive
This is one of the most used tools to read and write to Apple drives on the market. As soon as we run it, we see all the Apple disks that we have connected on a single screen , being able to enter the one we want directly, something that greatly facilitates the work.
Obviously before that we must download it , but once we have it installed we can open and modify the data that is in any of the drives, giving the same if it is APFS or if it was encoded in the old HFS + file system. In this case it happens as in the previous one, we have a trial version and to continue using it we must pay. There are two different paid versions, the Standard and the Pro . The main differences is that the Pro version can create Mac ISO files, can defragment for free, mounts SoftRAID sets, and is capable of burning Blu-ray, among other things. The Standard version costs $ 49.99 and the Pro version $ 69.99.
UFSExplorer
This is another very good application to read Mac hard drives in Windows, especially for its good visual experience , so simple that anyone can use it without any problem. That simplicity in its interface is essential, since it seems to us to be using the File Explorer itself that we see in Windows 10.
It is a very complete application, despite looking simple, since it can work with both APFS and HFS +, so we will have both Apple systems covered. It is a software that allows us to write and read all the files that are inside Apple units, we can even interact with the system itself, being able to save new files if we see it necessary. We have a free version to download on our computer , although after the test we will have to pay, as in all the previous cases. The Personal License, which is valid only for one computer and one user, costs 21.95 euros, while the Business License , which is for ten computers and ten users (oriented to the professional world), costs the amount of 64.95 euros.
With all these programs that we have just seen, we will be able to manage the files on an Apple hard drive with its APFS system in the best possible way. All of them will help us to read everything they have, write what we need and even add new files that can be useful when we put the hard drive back in an Apple computer.
