Comparisons & alternatives · Files, links and archive formats
Should I archive old files in a disk image or as plain folders on my external drive?
Short answer: Plain folders are easier to browse, search and copy from; a disk image makes sense when you want the archive encrypted or sealed as one item. Either way, keep a second copy elsewhere.
Plain folders are simpler for most archives; a disk image is worth it mainly when you want the archive encrypted or kept as one sealed item.
- Plain folders — open from any Mac, searchable with Spotlight, easy to copy a single file out of, and Storage Studio can move or back them up like any other folder.
- Disk image — one file you mount to use. Disk Utility can encrypt it with a password, which is handy for sensitive material on a drive you carry around. But it must be mounted to read anything, and damage to the image can affect everything inside it.
Whichever you choose, keep a second copy somewhere else — an archive on one drive is still a single copy. See moving vs zipping old folders.