macOS
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Backing up to Apple File System
Q I have a 2TB external SSD formatted in Apple File System (APFS), on which I want to make Time Machine backups of one important folder. Is there any way to do that before Big Sur?
by MIKE O’DWYER
A In macOS Mojave and Catalina, you can set Time Machine to make its backups to a sparse bundle in HFS+J format, which can be stored on an APFS disk. That isn’t the way that Big Sur uses to back up to APFS, though.
First decide the largest total size for the virtual volume to contain your backups, then create a sparse bundle in HFS+ Journaled format. An easy way is using Spundle from bit.ly/mac356spndl, or in Terminal using hdiutil, saving it to the APFS volume. Add that to your Login Items in the Users & Groups pane to ensure it always gets mounted when you log in.