Guides: Mac drives on Windows

How to open APFS and Mac OS Extended drives on a Windows PC, get the files off safely, and what to do when Windows gets in the way.

• How to read a Mac drive on Windows 10 and 11The three ways to get at an APFS or HFS+ drive from a PC, and which to pick
• How to open an APFS drive on WindowsAPFS is the Mac format since macOS 10.13; Windows needs help to read it
• How to open an HFS+ (Mac OS Extended) drive on WindowsOlder Mac drives use Mac OS Extended; how to read one on a PC
• Copy files from a Mac external drive to a PCMove photos, video and documents off a Mac drive and check every copy
• Windows says "You need to format the disk": Mac drivesWhy Windows offers to format a Mac drive, and why you should cancel
• Mac external drive not showing up on Windows: fixesNo drive letter, nothing in File Explorer: how to tell a format problem from a hardware one
• Open an encrypted APFS drive on WindowsPassword-protected Mac drives: what can be unlocked on a PC and what cannot
• Can you open a Time Machine backup on Windows?Why backups are harder than ordinary drives, and what works today
• How to open a .dmg file on WindowsRaw disk images, compressed .dmg files and app installers are three different cases
• Get files off an old Mac's drive on a Windows PCSwitched to a PC, or the Mac died: which Mac drives a PC can read
• Format a drive for both Mac and Windows (exFAT)After the files are safe: how to set up one drive both computers can use

Comparing tools?

Diskferry compared with MacDrive, Paragon, TransMac, UFS Explorer, Linux Reader, HFSExplorer and the free workarounds, every fact linked to its source.