Create dmg file on macOS 10.14 that can be opened on macOS 10.11

Question

Running

$ hdiutil create -size <size>b <.dmg-file> -srcfolder <directory> -ov -format UDBZ

on macOS 10.14 creates a dmg file that can't be opened on macOS 10.11. Is there an option that creates the dmg file that way that it can be used on macOS 10.11?

Answer 1

If the source folder is in a APFS volume, then by default a APFS volume will be created in the dmg file. This type of volume can not be read by El Capitan. The solution would be to create a dmg file which uses JHFS+ format. The correct command you should be using is given below.

hdiutil create -size <size>b -fs JHFS+ <.dmg-file> -srcfolder <directory> -ov -format UDBZ

Note: When testing this answer, I used the -megabytes option instead of the -size option. Also, I tested while running High Sierra instead of Mojave.