A summary of the known benefits and current limitations of Time Machine backups to APFS, with links to more detailed accounts.
APFS
Sparse bundles, sparse files, and sparse matrices explained in a nutshell, and how a sparse bundle could have a band which is a sparse file containing a sparse matrix.
Does Big Sur’s Time Machine preserve sparse files and clones when backing up to APFS volumes?
Adds support for reporting whether a file is a sparse file, or has been cloned, in Big Sur.
New version searches for sparse files and clones, reporting their individual sizes and totals for the folder or volume examined.
Can APFS really store more on disk using sparse files and clones? Is there such a thing as a free lunch, or do these tricks have a cost?
APFS can ‘clone’ files when copying or duplicating them within the same volume. But how can you tell whether any given file is a clone?
It’s common to want or have to change either the source or destination disk for backups. How well does Time Machine to APFS cope with that?
If there’s one thing we’re learning about APFS, it’s that file sizes are flexible. That means that free […]
Mac OS X has come a long way in the last 20 years, and APFS has just had its 4th birthday. But has this brought the changes we expected?
