HFSleuth for Mac

HFSleuth — macOS disk-inspection utility

HFSleuth is a free macOS tool created to examine volumes formatted with HFS+ and HFSX. It reads disk images and physical drives, letting users explore the on-disk structures of these file systems. The interface is straightforward, making it accessible for casual users while still offering depth useful to technicians.

Main capabilities

• Ability to open and extract data from disk images and connected drives
• Detailed analysis of file system structures and metadata
• Tools that aid in assessing file system integrity and locating objects on disk
• Support for the specific layouts used by HFS+ and HFSX volumes

Typical uses and who benefits

HFSleuth is useful in several scenarios:

• Forensic examiners needing visibility into how files and directories are laid out on HFS-based volumes
• Data-recovery attempts where understanding metadata and allocation information helps retrieve lost items
• Developers or system administrators who must inspect low-level file system details for debugging or validation

Alternative option

If you want a simpler, more visual way to organize and identify folders (rather than low-level file system inspection), consider Folder Colorizer — a free tool for macOS that adds color-coding to folders to improve visual organization.