We knew this was coming for some time. In May 2025, we wrote about Apple’s then-announced decision to deprecate AFP (Apple Filing Protocol) and eventually remove support for the AFP client from macOS. At the time, Apple had not specified which future macOS release would remove the support.
Now we know. With the release of macOS 27 Golden Gate, Apple has removed AFP client support.
ELEMENTS environments
If you try to mount an AFP workspace in the ELEMENTS Client on macOS 27, you will be presented with the following message: Error: Operation not supported.
However, the discontinuation of AFP has minimal impact on ELEMENTS systems, as macOS users have always been able to mount workspaces using SMB or NFS. In fact, we know of many customers who have been using SMB as their default network protocol across both Windows and Mac environments for a long time.
To manually change the mounting protocol for an existing workspace, navigate to the workspace’s settings, open the Mount tab, select SMB, and save the settings.
For new workspaces, the default network protocol can be configured in two ways:
1. System setting for all new workspaces – navigate to the System menu and open the General tab. In the Sharing section, select the default macOS mount protocol for workspaces. We recommend using SMB.
2. Using workspace templates – navigate to the Productions menu and open the Templates production. Create a new template workspace and use the Mounts tab to select SMB as the default mounting protocol.
When creating a new workspace in any production, this template can then be selected. The new workspace will inherit the template’s settings, including mounting parameters, access permissions, and other configuration options. It will also contain all files and folders saved on the template workspace.
If required, the AFP service can also be stopped altogether in the node settings on the Status page. Simply open the Services tab and stop the AFP service.
