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I'm upgrading a 2011 Mac Mini to the 2023 Mini. I have an Iomega external hard drive I've been using for SuperDuper backup that I need to erase and convert to APFS format, but when I use Disk Utility to erase, APFS isn't an option. Is there a way to do this? Or does this mean I need to get a new external drive?
IIRC, in older versions of Disk Utility you first have to select the partition 'scheme' before the APFS format options are offered. The scheme you want for APFS is GUID.
Being that the drive is thirteen (!) years old, I strongly advise you to find a replacement. It would be a shame if the drive were to fail just when you need it. And that's usually how those things go.
IIRC, in older versions of Disk Utility you first have to select the partition 'scheme' before the APFS format options are offered. The scheme you want for APFS is GUID.
Being that the drive is thirteen (!) years old, I strongly advise you to find a replacement. It would be a shame if the drive were to fail just when you need it. And that's usually how those things go.
I've explored this a bit with one of my external drives.
Try this:
1- Partition the drive as MS-DOS (FAT-32) or ExFAT.
2- Now you can Erase the drive and select the scheme.
Select the Scheme (GUID Partition Map), then the Format (APFS), name it and click 'Erase'.
What macOS version are you using when you look to reformat that drive. APFS is be an option for Disk Utility in macOS High Sierra and newer.
File system formats available in Disk Utility on Mac - Apple Support
How old is that Iomega drive? (I thought Iomega disappeared many years ago.)
Even if you do get the drive reformatted, I suspect it may be old enough that you may not want to trust it with your backups. All drives fail. Older drives fail soonest.
Is SuperDuper requiring you to change the format from Mac OS Extended (Journaled) to APFS...?
If not, just erase and re-format it Mac OS Extended (Journaled), then start new backups on it.
I'm not sure about SuperDuper, but spinning Hard Drives can stay Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for Time Machine and CarbonCopyCloner.
Also as mentioned, I would not rely on that old of an external drive as my only backup.
I probably got the Iomega drive when I got the 2011 Mini - 2011.
I'm trying to use it with the 2023 Mini running OS 15, but APFS is not appearing as an option.
When you erase, make sure that Scheme is set to GUID Partition Map and not Master Boot Record (MBR) or Apple Partition Map.
Hope this helps.
I expected it to ask me to select a scheme but it didn't - just gave me a choice of Mac extended or 2 Windows formats. I'll buy a new one.
Did you...
In Disk Utility>View, select Show all Devices, highlight the top left entry for that drive?
Can't convert external drive to APFS
