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canetoad

(21,202 posts)
1. This excerpt may explain WHY
Sat Jun 20, 2026, 10:09 PM
Saturday
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_File_System
Partition scheme

APFS uses the GPT partition scheme. Within the GPT scheme are one or more APFS containers (partition type GUID is 7C3457EF-0000-11AA-AA11-00306543ECAC). Within each container there are one or more APFS volumes, all of which share the allocated space of the container, and each volume may have APFS volume roles. macOS Catalina (macOS 10.15) introduced the APFS volume group, which are groups of volumes that Finder displays as one volume. APFS firmlinks lie between hard links and soft links, and link between volumes.

In macOS Catalina the System volume role (usually named "Macintosh HD&quot became read-only, and in macOS Big Sur (macOS 11) it became a signed system volume (SSV) and only volume snapshots are mounted. The Data volume role (usually named "Macintosh HD - Data&quot is used as an overlay or shadow of the System volume, and both the System and Data volumes are part of the same volume group and shown as one in Finder.


Can't offer any more than this - last mac was around the turn of century!

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