Some Macworld readers are concerned about upgrading to macOS High Sierra, which offers the new APFS (Apple File System) that replaces the nearly 20-year-old HFS+ filesystem. APFS offers a lot of advantages for SSD performance and durability, as well as encryption for any type of drive. But it’s not backwards compatible with older versions of OS X or macOS.
You’re required to upgrade any SSD startup volume when you install High Sierra—there’s no way to prevent it. There was a choice to bypass migrating to APFS while installing High Sierra during the beta period. However, Apple removed that checkbox for the final release. (An earlier version of this article misstated that the checkbox remained. My apologies.)
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