HFSExplorer allows you to browse your Mac volumes with a graphical file system browser, extract files (copy to hard disk), view detailed information about the volume and create disk images from the volume. HFSExplorer can also read most.dmg disk images created on a Mac, including zlib / bzip2 compressed images and AES-128 encrypted images. Jul 16, 2019 HFSExplorer is an application that can read the file systems HFS (Mac OS Standard), HFS+ (Mac OS Extended), and HFSX (Mac OS Extended with case sensitive file names).
HFSExplorer is an application that can read Mac-formatted hard disks and disk images.
It can read the file systems HFS (Mac OS Standard), HFS+ (Mac OS Extended) and HFSX (Mac OS Extended with case sensitive file names).
HFSExplorer allows you to browse your Mac volumes with a graphical file system browser, extract files (copy to hard disk), view detailed information about the volume and create disk images from the volume.
HFSExplorer can also read most .dmg / .sparsebundle disk images created on a Mac, including zlib / bzip2 compressed images and AES-128 / AES-256 encrypted images. It supports the partition schemes Master Boot Record, GUID Partition Table and Apple Partition Map natively.
Requirements: A Java SE Runtime Environment (version 5.0 orgreater).
For discussions, please use the mailing list, or optionally the sourceforge forum.
What is HFSExplorer?
HFSExplorer is an application that can read Mac-formatted hard disksand disk images.
It can read the file systems HFS (Mac OS Standard), HFS+(Mac OS Extended) and HFSX (Mac OS Extended with casesensitive file names).
HFSExplorer allows you to browse your Mac volumes with a graphicalfile system browser, extract files (copy to hard disk), view detailedinformation about the volume and create disk images from the volume.
HFSExplorer can also read most .dmgdisk images created on a Mac, including zlib / bzip2 compressed imagesand AES-128 encrypted images. It supports the partition schemes MasterBoot Record, GUID Partition Table and ApplePartition Map natively.
You may be interested in the application if you're:
- A user of an Intel Mac running Windows with Boot Camp in need ofaccessing the files on the Mac OS X hard drive.
- Ownersof HFS+-formatted iPods, that wish to access their content from withinWindows or elsewhere (a user emailed me and verified that this works).
- Usersof PearPC or similar Mac emulation/virtualization software that wish toaccess the contents of their virtual hard disks (will only work if thedisk image is stored in raw format, as in PearPC).
- People that need to access the contents of HFS+-formatted .dmgfiles.
HFSExplorer is written mostly in Java 5, optionally using some Java6 features, with some Windows-specific parts written in C in order tobe able to get raw access to block devices, and to create a practicallauncher application.
Linux and OS X users should in most cases not need HFSExplorer forbrowsing file systems on devices, since there are native file systemdrivers available on those systems, but it seems to work fine if youneed it. Linux users might find use for opening .dmg files.
Installing
First make sure you have Sun's Java SERuntime Environmentversion 5.0 or greater (OpenJDK works fine). Second, make sure you haveadministrator or equivalent privileges if you're going to accessphysical disks.
Windows users only need to download the convenientinstaller (see the download links the top of the page), which will doeverything for you.
The installer will place two shortcuts to HFSExplorer in its start menufolder.
The first, 'HFSExplorer', simply opens the application. If you are anadministrator running Windows XP or Windows Vista with User Account Control disabled, you will be able toaccess block devices.
The second shortcut, 'Run HFSExplorer in Administrator mode', makes itpossible to elevate your privileges. In Windows Vista, this is donewith the User Account Control dialog, and in Windows XP a similar butnot as fancy dialog is shown to make it possible authenticate as anadministrator.
If you want to access a partition on the disk of your computer, and yourun Windows Vista, you should always start HFSExplorer in'Administrator mode'.
Users of Linux, Mac OS X, FreeBSD (and Windowsusers too, if they can not run an installer by any reason) can downloadthe zip-file binary distribution (see top of page).
Extract the zip file to a directory of your choice. *nix systems canuse the runfsb.sh script to start the application, andWindows users can use the file runfsb.bat. Windows Vistausers can conveniently invoke UAC by running the VBScript runfsb_vista.vbs.
Hfsexplorer Java
There is also a minimal unmaintained text mode program for HFS+only, which is started by invoking hfsx.bat/hfsx.sh. Invoking thescript file with no arguments prints usage instructions.
Usage
All users will have the File menu item:- Load file system from file
This is for when the HFS+ file system is located on a file insidethe current file system. One example is when you want to load a .dmgdisk image. Another example is when you're on a UNIX-like system andwant to access a block device (the file would be something like /dev/disk0or /dev/hda). Partition systems (Apple Partition Map, GUIDPartition Table and Master Boot Record) will be autodetected if present.
Requirements: A Java SE Runtime Environment (version 5.0 orgreater).
For discussions, please use the mailing list, or optionally the sourceforge forum.
What is HFSExplorer?
HFSExplorer is an application that can read Mac-formatted hard disksand disk images.
It can read the file systems HFS (Mac OS Standard), HFS+(Mac OS Extended) and HFSX (Mac OS Extended with casesensitive file names).
HFSExplorer allows you to browse your Mac volumes with a graphicalfile system browser, extract files (copy to hard disk), view detailedinformation about the volume and create disk images from the volume.
HFSExplorer can also read most .dmgdisk images created on a Mac, including zlib / bzip2 compressed imagesand AES-128 encrypted images. It supports the partition schemes MasterBoot Record, GUID Partition Table and ApplePartition Map natively.
You may be interested in the application if you're:
- A user of an Intel Mac running Windows with Boot Camp in need ofaccessing the files on the Mac OS X hard drive.
- Ownersof HFS+-formatted iPods, that wish to access their content from withinWindows or elsewhere (a user emailed me and verified that this works).
- Usersof PearPC or similar Mac emulation/virtualization software that wish toaccess the contents of their virtual hard disks (will only work if thedisk image is stored in raw format, as in PearPC).
- People that need to access the contents of HFS+-formatted .dmgfiles.
HFSExplorer is written mostly in Java 5, optionally using some Java6 features, with some Windows-specific parts written in C in order tobe able to get raw access to block devices, and to create a practicallauncher application.
Linux and OS X users should in most cases not need HFSExplorer forbrowsing file systems on devices, since there are native file systemdrivers available on those systems, but it seems to work fine if youneed it. Linux users might find use for opening .dmg files.
Installing
First make sure you have Sun's Java SERuntime Environmentversion 5.0 or greater (OpenJDK works fine). Second, make sure you haveadministrator or equivalent privileges if you're going to accessphysical disks.
Windows users only need to download the convenientinstaller (see the download links the top of the page), which will doeverything for you.
The installer will place two shortcuts to HFSExplorer in its start menufolder.
The first, 'HFSExplorer', simply opens the application. If you are anadministrator running Windows XP or Windows Vista with User Account Control disabled, you will be able toaccess block devices.
The second shortcut, 'Run HFSExplorer in Administrator mode', makes itpossible to elevate your privileges. In Windows Vista, this is donewith the User Account Control dialog, and in Windows XP a similar butnot as fancy dialog is shown to make it possible authenticate as anadministrator.
If you want to access a partition on the disk of your computer, and yourun Windows Vista, you should always start HFSExplorer in'Administrator mode'.
Users of Linux, Mac OS X, FreeBSD (and Windowsusers too, if they can not run an installer by any reason) can downloadthe zip-file binary distribution (see top of page).
Extract the zip file to a directory of your choice. *nix systems canuse the runfsb.sh script to start the application, andWindows users can use the file runfsb.bat. Windows Vistausers can conveniently invoke UAC by running the VBScript runfsb_vista.vbs.
Hfsexplorer Java
There is also a minimal unmaintained text mode program for HFS+only, which is started by invoking hfsx.bat/hfsx.sh. Invoking thescript file with no arguments prints usage instructions.
Usage
All users will have the File menu item:- Load file system from file
This is for when the HFS+ file system is located on a file insidethe current file system. One example is when you want to load a .dmgdisk image. Another example is when you're on a UNIX-like system andwant to access a block device (the file would be something like /dev/disk0or /dev/hda). Partition systems (Apple Partition Map, GUIDPartition Table and Master Boot Record) will be autodetected if present.
Windows users will have an additional alternative:
Hfs Explorer Mac
- Load file system from device
This is because block devices in Windows are not as easilyaccessible as under UNIX-like systems. The user will be presented witha dialog where it can choose which partition to read.
The easiestway to find your HFS+ volume is to press the 'Autodetect' button, butin case it doesn't work, you can specify the device manually. Thenaming scheme is as in the following examples:
- Harddisk0/Partition0 - The entire first hard drive
- Harddisk0/Partition1 - First partition on hard drive 1
- Harddisk0/Partition2 - Second partition of hard drive 1
- Harddisk1/Partition1 - First partition on hard drive 2
Hard disks are enumerated from 0 upwards. Partitions, on the otherhand, are enumerated from 1 and upwards, with Partition0 representingthe whole drive. Keep that in mind when looking for your Mac partition.
If there's nothing in the list, take a look in your system using WinObj from Sysinternals to see if you can findwhat you are looking for.
The program is released under the GPL version 3.Itoperates in read-only mode so it is virtually impossible for it tocause any harm. I'm always in need of feedback, so please email me ifyou have any suggestion on how to improve the application.
As usual with software like this: It is provided for free with nowarranties.
Please report any bugs that you encounter to:
Erik Larsson ()
