How to Partition a Hard Drive on Mac

Partitioning a hard drive on your Mac allows you to divide it into multiple sections, each acting as a separate storage volume. This can be useful for a variety of reasons, such as allocating space for different operating systems, organizing data, or creating a separate backup section. In this tutorial, you will learn how to partition a hard drive on your Mac using the built-in Disk Utility tool.

Prerequisites

Before you begin the partitioning process, make sure you have:

1. A Mac computer running macOS (version 10.3 or later).
2. Sufficient free space on your hard drive to create the new partitions.
3. Back up all your important data to an external drive or cloud storage.

Step 1: Open Disk Utility

1. Open Finder by clicking on the Finder icon in the Dock.
2. Navigate to Applications > Utilities and double-click on Disk Utility to launch the application.

Step 2: Select the Drive to Partition

1. In the Disk Utility window, locate the drive you want to partition from the left sidebar.
2. Select the drive by clicking on its name, not any specific volume under it.

Step 3: Choose Partition

1. Click on the Partition button located at the top toolbar of the Disk Utility window.
2. You will see a graphical representation of your current drive layout, as well as the available free space.
3. Note that partitioning a drive will erase all the existing data on it, so make sure you have a backup.

Step 4: Configure the New Partition

1. In the Partition window, click on the + button to add a new partition.
2. Enter a name for the new partition in the Name field.
3. Use the Format dropdown menu to choose a file system format for the partition (e.g., Mac OS Extended, APFS).
4. Adjust the size of the partition by dragging the resize handle left or right.
5. Repeat steps 1-4 to create additional partitions if desired.

Step 5: Set Partition Options (Optional)

1. Select a partition from the graph.
2. Click on the Options button.
3. Choose the desired partition scheme:
   • GUID Partition Map (recommended for Intel-based Macs)
   • Apple Partition Map (for PowerPC Macs)
4. Click on OK to save the changes.

Step 6: Apply Changes

1. Verify that the partition layout and settings are correct.
2. Click on the Apply button to start the partitioning process.
3. A warning will appear stating that the operation will erase all data on the selected drive. Ensure that you have a backup and click on Partition to confirm.

Step 7: Wait for Partitioning to Complete

1. Disk Utility will partition and format the selected drive according to your specifications.
2. The process might take some time, depending on the size of the drive and the number of partitions.
3. Once completed, you will see a success message indicating that the partitioning process has finished.

Congratulations! You have successfully partitioned your hard drive on a Mac using Disk Utility. You can now utilize the new partitions for different purposes, such as installing a different operating system or keeping your data organized. Remember to always back up your important data before making any changes to your storage configuration.