mkapfs(8)

📦
version 0.2.1 · 4 versions
, in arch rolling, nixos 26.05, nixpkgs unstable, ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

✨ mkapfs — create an APFS filesystem ✨

okay so bestie, gather round, because this one is a little experimental icon 💖

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

mkapfs [-sv] [-L label] [-U UUID] [-u UUID] [-F tier2] [-B tier2-blocks]
device [blocks]

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

mkapfs is an experimental tool that creates an APFS filesystem with a single volume on the device you hand it. Yes, one volume. She's monogamous. 💅

And the block count? You can tell her how many blocks to use for the device by passing blocks, but if you don't, she just takes the whole disk. No notes, no hesitation, main character energy. 👑

🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

  • -s — turns on case sensitivity for the volume. she notices your capitals, fr fr 🔍
  • -z — turns on normalization sensitivity for the volume. yes she's real, and no she's not in the synopsis line up there, we don't talk about that 🙈
  • -L label — gives the volume a label. max length is 255 bytes, so keep it cute but keep it short 🏷️
  • -U UUID — sets a UUID for the container, in the standard format. if you don't, the value gets chosen by /proc/sys/kernel/random/uuid 💫
  • -u UUID — sets a UUID for the volume, in the standard format. same deal: leave it out and /proc/sys/kernel/random/uuid picks for you ✨
  • -v — prints the version number of mkapfs and dips. that's it, that's the whole job 👋
  • -F tier2 — specifies the tier 2 device for a fusion drive 🔥
  • -B tier2-blocks — specifies the size (in blocks) for the tier 2 device that you gave with the -F option. by default the whole disk is used, because she does not do half measures 🫶
ngl, container UUID and volume UUID are two different flags (-U vs -u) — case matters, bestie, do not mix them up or you will simply be creating the wrong thing 😭

😭 REPORTING BUGS 😭

Found a bug? Please report it via email or, if that's more your vibe, file a github issue at https://github.com/eafer/apfsprogs/issues. She wants to hear from you, genuinely. 🐛💌

👑 AUTHOR 👑

Written by Ernesto A. Fernández <ernesto.mnd.fernandez@gmail.com>. the literal blueprint, the moment, the legend 🌟

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

  • apfsck(8) — go check her out, they're a set 🫶

and that's the whole page, babe! this is apfsprogs 0.2.1, dated June 2025, and it's the mkapfs(8) manual — now go make a filesystem, you absolute icon 💜✨🎀

📦 where this page comes from