This volume is not formatted as APFS

For ME, anyway, this converted my disk into something that wouldn't boot anymore, and couldn't be read or repaired. I had to spend the next 13 hours restoring from a Time Machine drive, just to get back to where I started. Sigh.

Victor_8888 wrote:

Hi there, How to solve this issue ?I created a partition and formatted in APFS, but it still don't work, please help.

I really want to upgrade to the latest version of mac os

What version of macOS are you trying to install and which method are you using to install macOS? What was the most recent version of macOS which was installed on your computer? What is the exact model of your computer?

What error are you receiving when trying to install macOS?

If you have a Mac with a third party PCIe based SSD installed, then you may not be able to install macOS since the installer may be unable to perform a required system firmware update while the third party SSD is installed. Temporarily installing an original Apple PCIe SSD may allow you to work around the issue.

I have multiple MacBook Pros in my family and an older Mac Mini. None had this issue with Mojave not being on an APFS volume, except for the one MacBook Pro that had been to Apple for repair (keyboard and replaced logic board). The one that had been repaired came back from Apple with Mac Journaled partitioning, not APFS.

I find myself in exactly the same position. Tried upgrading to OS Catalina and got the following error: This volume is not formatted as APFS. Come on Apple, why are you making this so difficult. I have always upgraded as normal before without any issues.

I agree that Apple might have done more but seems not to bother so if you want to upgrade your system the best option, if the proposed quick fixes don't work, is doing the steps me and openthreads did. It is a bit of work but after it's done you've got a smooth system running Catalina.

It's worse than I thought. Not only can we not upgrade to Catalina, but Mojave stops updating without APFS. So now there is built in OS software that has stopped working for me (iMovie, e.g.). All, essentially at Apple's choosing. Why would it update iMovie to a version that is incompatible with the Operating System that performed the auto-update? Stuff like this is why I left Microsoft for Apple.

On my MacBook Pro 15-inch 2016 I had Mojave and Disk Utility did not offer me an APFS transition option at all. I searched in recovery mode.

First I had to install Catalina on an external SSD, so the internal disk became a data one. Then I had to restart my computer from the external SSD to recovery mode. In this version of the Disk Utility, the option to convert to APFS will already appear and you can perform the conversion after unmounting the internal disk. However, after it is not possible to return this internal disk as a bootable disk after converting to APFS. Disk Utility reports an system error. However, it is possible to install Catalina on this internal disk. After installation and restart (it takes about 1 hour), the computer has already started from the internal disk. All my data remains and I have upgraded! Glory! I'm happy :-)

Nevertheless I would expect an easier way to upgrade to a newer version of the system. Apple experts did not invent this so well. I regret all ordinary users who are not as proficient at using computers as Apple programmers ...

奕帆YiFan wrote:

I have the same problem. And in the disk utility in the recovery mode, there is no "convert to apfs" option. That's strange. please fix this problem, Apple.

Did you check each of the menu options in Disk Utility?

If the GUI of Disk Utility does not have the "convert" option, then you may be able to try it from the Terminal command line version of Disk Utility "diskutil".

I know the "convert" feature exists in Mojave and High Sierra, but it is possible it could have been removed from Catalina. If this is the case, then you can create a bootable Mojave USB installer and try using the installer's Disk Utility to convert the drive.

Just make sure to have good verified working backups of your system before you attempt any type of file system conversion or even macOS upgrade. There is always a chance you could lose easy access to your data during the process. You should always have good regular backups anyway.

I have the same problem. Mojave has worked fine but can't install Catalina. Think I'll skip it for the time being unless someone has a solution

So i have to format my drive to install the new update. That seems a little much. I think apple should fix this them selves and allow user a simple update.

Just so you know, there seem to be a number of us that upgraded to Mojave by the software update process and the software didn't update to APFS. That's not our fault. That is a glitch by Apple.

You can let Apple know what you think here: Feedback - macOS - Apple

It is strange. Mojave should be formatted as APFS.

Apple can't fix how you wound up with Mojave on a HFS+ partition, since the normal installation of Mojave automatically changes HFS+ to APFS.

Agreed!