Disk Utility can’t image APFS volumes, and normally returns an error if you try to image a container. Here’s the workaround.
APFS
It’s got to be better than Catalina, so why not upgrade when it first comes out? Here are some suggestions to help you make your decision.
A complete guide to the structure and layout of APFS startup disks from High Sierra to Big Sur (Intel), together with tear-out PDF charts.
If something goes wrong with Catalina’s boot Volume Group, it seems there’s no way to repair it, or change the Data volume. Or is there?
How to hide text so that it can’t be searched or analysed, and how file naming almost brought APFS down.
Universal App which gives deep insight into Unicode normalisation problems, string comparison, and more.
Performs special analysis of Big Sur backups to APFS, and runs native on Intel and Apple Silicon Macs.
If your Mac still starts up in 10.13, now’s the time to start planning your upgrade when Apple’s support for it discontinues. Pros and cons.
Time Machine has been using snapshots since High Sierra. How can it then use them to make backups to APFS volumes in Big Sur?
Trying to discover the effective size of a snapshot proves baffling, particularly when the Finder claims it’s almost astronomical.
