This Mac Can Only Install Macos On Apfs-formatted Drives Work -

Starting with and all subsequent versions, Apple requires the startup disk to be formatted as APFS when installing on SSD, Fusion Drive, or PCIe flash storage . For certain older mechanical hard drives (HDDs), macOS may still allow HFS+ for installation , but the error you are seeing indicates that your current installer found a drive that is either:

You must install an older macOS that uses HFS+, such as El Capitan (10.11) or Sierra (10.12) . You cannot force APFS onto these Macs because the firmware lacks APFS drivers. this mac can only install macos on apfs-formatted drives

The message "This Mac can only install macOS on APFS-formatted drives" indicates that your Mac is only compatible with APFS-formatted drives for installing macOS. This is because newer Macs (those produced from 2017 onwards) use a different architecture that relies on APFS for optimal performance. Starting with and all subsequent versions, Apple requires

Identify your target drive (look for /dev/disk0 or /dev/disk2 based on size). The message "This Mac can only install macOS

If you are attempting to install macOS Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, or Sonoma, you might have been stopped dead in your tracks by a frustrating error message: