Diskferry

Free ways to read APFS on Windows: 7-Zip and Linux

Two free workarounds come up again and again: open the drive or an image with 7-Zip, or boot Linux and mount it with apfs-fuse. Both can work. Both have limits worth knowing before you trust them with the only copy of your files.

7-Zip

Since version 22.00, 7-Zip "can extract APFS (Apple File System) images that can be used in DMG files" (7-Zip history, checked 30 October 2026). It is built for archives and image files rather than for browsing a connected drive, and it does not unlock encrypted volumes.

We tested 7-Zip 26.03 on 27 October 2026 against Mac-made images with known contents:

  • Plain APFS and HFS+ files came out correctly; symbolic links were skipped as a "Dangerous link path".
  • Six compressed files on an APFS image were all extracted as 0-byte files, and 7-Zip still finished with exit code 0, meaning success.
  • On HFS+, two hard-linked files were extracted as 0 bytes, also without an error.
  • A password-encrypted APFS volume did not open: "Cannot open the file as [APFS] archive".

macOS compresses some files on its own, so this is not only a theoretical risk. If you use 7-Zip, compare file sizes afterwards.

Linux with apfs-fuse

apfs-fuse is "a read-only FUSE driver for the new Apple File System" that "also supports software encrypted volumes and fusion drives". It does not support "Hardware-encrypted volumes (internal drives of Macs with T2 chip)", and it is a Linux tool: you boot a Linux live USB, build or install apfs-fuse, mount the drive from the command line and copy to a drive Linux can write. It reads APFS only; HFS+ needs Linux's own HFS+ support.

Other free options

Where Diskferry fits

Diskferry is free to find, browse and preview, so you can see your files without paying. Copying out is a one-time US$14.99, and every copied file is read back and compared with the original by SHA-256. A file that cannot be read is reported as failed and never left as an empty copy.

DiskferryMicrosoft Store

Facts about other products were checked on 30 October 2026 on the pages linked above. Products change; check their current pages before buying. Names are trademarks of their owners and are used only to compare.

Questions

Can 7-Zip open a Mac external drive directly?

Its history says that since version 9.04 it "can open/copy/compress disk images (like \\.\c:) from \\.\ folder", but it is built for archives and images. For a connected Mac drive an app made for it is simpler, and our test found silent 0-byte results on compressed files.

Is apfs-fuse available for Windows?

No. It is a FUSE driver for Linux. On Windows you would need to boot Linux from a USB stick.

Last updated 30 October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell support.

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