The Finder’s Get Info figures allow for sparse files when giving size ‘on disk’, but don’t take into account shared data in clone files. This can prove misleading, as shown here with VMs.
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All APFS volumes in a single partition/container share its free space. How can that be measured? How much could be purged, and how do special file types affect it?
Nothing in macOS protects you from fraudulent apps. They’re commonly notarised, and some have even been supplied from the App Store. Firewalls and keeping macOS up to date are also no protection. Here’s practical advice.
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.
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.
Distinguishing conventional copies, clone files, symlinks, hard links and Finder aliases can be confusing. Here’s how to tell them apart with using Terminal.
How do clone files and sparse files cope with being backed up and restored? Can they save space in iCloud Drive? Some of these answers may surprise.
Deleting clone files saves no space, but converting copies into clones could free up plenty of storage. Sparse files can also be highly efficient, and squeeze 285 GB into just 16.5 GB.
Running older macOS, support for Intel apps and kernel extensions, booting from an external drive, Boot Camp and Windows support, cloning, and startup key combinations.
Deciding which file system to use for hard disks can be difficult. Here are the advantages and disadvantages explained in detail, for HFS+ and APFS.
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