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APFS

Explainer: inodes and inode numbers

How APFS is the first Mac native file system to have true inodes and inode numbers. What they are, and how you can use them in volume groups and different types of file link.

October 4, 2025 Macs, Technology

How large is that file?

When the numbers simply don’t add up. How some extended attributes may be included in quoted file sizes, but others are ignored, and Sequoia hasn’t really changed this since Classic Mac OS of 25 years ago.

September 1, 2025 Macs, Technology

Beware the full startup disk

What do you do when you discover your Mac’s Data volume has run out of free space? A guide to working with snapshots, iCloud Drive, and other tricks to salvage your Mac. And how to prevent this from happening again.

July 24, 2025 Macs, Technology

Last Week on My Mac: A strategy for data integrity

How can you assure yourself that important files retain their data intact? Here’s a simple strategy for doing that, which works better on a file system that doesn’t check integrity.

July 20, 2025 Macs, Technology

Encryption and checking hashes slows faster SSDs

Does software encryption (APFS Encrypted) result in significant overhead when using faster SSDs with a faster Apple silicon Mac? What about computing SHA256 digests?

July 17, 2025 Macs, Technology

More updates for Tahoe: Aliases (Alifix), special files (Sparsity), file types (UTIutility) and language (Nalaprop)

T T Read More

Four little utilities now compatible with macOS Tahoes, covering repair of Finder aliases, creating test sparse files and checking special file types, looking up UTI types, and analysing language.

July 3, 2025 Macs, Technology, Updates

How keys are used in FileVault and encryption

How your password isn’t used to encrypt the Data volume on your Mac’s internal SSD, but is used to encrypt the key used for that encryption, and the benefits.

June 25, 2025 Macs, Technology

Boot disk structure in macOS, iOS and iPadOS, and AI cryptexes

There are substantial differences in the structure of the internal disks in macOS, iPadOS and iOS, as shown here. And there are at least 24 cryptexes now used to support AI.

June 20, 2025 Macs, Technology

When and how should you run First Aid in Disk Utility?

Should you run First Aid on your Data volume before updating macOS, or as routine housekeeping? And how should you run it?

June 17, 2025 Macs, Technology

How to tell the difference between copies, clone files, and hard links

T T Read More

Distinguishing conventional copies, clone files, symlinks, hard links and Finder aliases can be confusing. Here’s how to tell them apart with using Terminal.

May 13, 2025 Macs, Technology

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