In the upcoming version of macOS—codenamed Golden Gate—Apple is officially deprecating its long-established Terminal tool hdiutil, signaling that the command will eventually be removed. Users and developers are being urged to switch fully to the newer diskutil image command for handling disk images. Deprecation means hdiutil remains available for now, but it will no longer receive updates and may not be included in future macOS releases. ([appleinsider.com](https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/08/24/handy-disk-image-tool-is-to-be-removed-from-macos/))
What hdiutil is and what’s changing
Since the early days of Mac OS X, hdiutil has been the go-to command-line utility for working with disk images—managing operations like creating, attaching, formatting, ejecting, and inspecting them. Though many regular users never touch Terminal, the tool is frequently used behind the scenes by more advanced users and utility apps for disk management and repair. ([appleinsider.com](https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/08/24/handy-disk-image-tool-is-to-be-removed-from-macos/))
Apple’s warning isn’t subtle: when viewing the manual pages in Beta releases of Gold Gate, the section for hdiutil now begins with a caution. It states that macOS 27.0 deprecates hdiutil and instructs users to use diskutil image for all disk image operations. Among other changes, only diskutil image supports Apple Sparse Image Format (ASIF); hdiutil will no longer handle those. ([appleinsider.com](https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/08/24/handy-disk-image-tool-is-to-be-removed-from-macos/))
Risks, differences, and why Apple is doing this
Though many features overlap between the two tools, differences in behavior could lead to broken scripts or utility tools when hdiutil is removed. For example, in certain backup workflows, hdiutil prompts for authentication if a file is owned by the root user. The newer diskutil image, on the other hand, does not prompt—it simply fails with a generic error. This can be confusing for users and scripts that expect a prompt. ([appleinsider.com](https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/08/24/handy-disk-image-tool-is-to-be-removed-from-macos/))
The deprecation may also be rooted in security concerns. In October 2025, Apple patched a vulnerability in macOS Sonoma: a bug in hdiutil that could allow arbitrary code execution. The fix removed vulnerable code, but the security incident appears to have contributed to the decision to move operations to a more modern tool. ([appleinsider.com](https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/08/24/handy-disk-image-tool-is-to-be-removed-from-macos/))
Utility apps that embed hdiutil in their workflows are especially at risk. When Apple pulls hdiutil entirely, the apps won’t just throw warnings—they could simply fail. Disk repair tools in particular may need to be rewired to invoke diskutil image instead. Developers are being given this heads-up so they can begin adapting to the change. ([appleinsider.com](https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/08/24/handy-disk-image-tool-is-to-be-removed-from-macos/))
This move follows Apple’s pattern of removing or deprecating older technologies. Earlier, the Apple Filing Protocol (AFP) was deprecated in macOS Sequoia 15.5, which set the stage for AFP’s eventual removal. Much like AFP’s phase-out, hdiutil is now officially on notice. ([appleinsider.com](https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/08/24/handy-disk-image-tool-is-to-be-removed-from-macos/))
What to watch: Golden Gate is still in beta. As of that stage, hdiutil remains available but set to be phased out. Apple hasn’t confirmed exactly when the removal will occur, so users and app makers should test their workflows early and move to diskutil image proactively. ([appleinsider.com](https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/08/24/handy-disk-image-tool-is-to-be-removed-from-macos/))
This change marks a turning point in how macOS handles disk images via command-line tools. While many casual users won’t notice the switch, anyone who automates disk image workflows—whether in shell scripts, backup tools, or utility apps—needs to adapt. The removal of hdiutil underscores Apple’s ongoing push toward more secure, consolidated tools. It’s a reminder that keeping up with macOS updates isn’t just about new features—it’s about what you’ll lose. What matters now is how clean the transition to diskutil image will be, and whether Apple addresses remaining gaps between the tools during the deprecation period.
