Hazel and APFS Snapshots

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Hazel and APFS Snapshots Wed Jul 08, 2026 3:52 am • by annawonka
Hi,

I'm using Hazel to automatically clean up old project folders, but I recently started using APFS snapshots as part of my backup workflow. Before I enable permanent deletion rules, I'd like to understand how Hazel interacts with files that are still referenced by local APFS snapshots.

If Hazel deletes a file, does it simply remove it from the live filesystem while the snapshot keeps its own copy until the snapshot expires, or is there anything I should be aware of regarding disk space reporting and cleanup? Has anyone noticed any unexpected behavior when using Hazel together with APFS snapshots?

Thanks!
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annawonka
 
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Re: Hazel and APFS Snapshots Wed Jul 08, 2026 8:53 am • by Mr_Noodle
I've not tested this but it shouldn't be any different than deleting in Finder or elsewhere. I believe it only removes the link to the file from that location in the filesystem but I suggest running some tests of your own.
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