{"id":38191,"date":"2016-10-12T09:35:05","date_gmt":"2016-10-12T14:35:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?p=38191"},"modified":"2017-05-03T17:22:35","modified_gmt":"2017-05-03T22:22:35","slug":"rocket-yard-guide-using-macos-sierra-disk-utility-to-partition-erase-drives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/38191-rocket-yard-guide-using-macos-sierra-disk-utility-to-partition-erase-drives\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use macOS Sierra Disk Utility to Partition, Erase Drives"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-38024\" src=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/DiskUtilityIcon-e1475079522192.jpg\" alt=\"diskutilityicon\" width=\"240\" height=\"240\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/DiskUtilityIcon-e1475079522192-120x120@2x.png 240w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/DiskUtilityIcon-e1475079522192-120x120.png 120w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/DiskUtilityIcon-e1475079522192-190x190.png 190w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px\" \/>At the end of September, the Rocket Yard gave you the scoop on the new version of Disk Utility that is now in macOS Sierra. While we got into <a href=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/38008-rocket-yard-guide-using-macos-sierra-disk-utility-to-verify-or-repair-disks\" target=\"_blank\">the details of how to verify or repair disks using Disk Utility<\/a>, we didn\u2019t cover the new partitioning tool. In this article, we\u2019ll take a look at how to partition and erase drives using macOS Sierra\u2019s updated Disk Utility.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why Partition?<\/strong><br \/>\nPartitioning a drive essentially breaks it up into distinct, named regions so that an operating system like macOS can manage information in each of those regions separately. Partitioning is usually done before installation of an operating system; in most cases, Apple and other computer manufacturers tend to leave the drive as one big partition. So why would you want to divide a drive into two or more partitions?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Separating macOS and application files from user files, which means that clones of the operating system and apps can be made separate of the documents created by the Mac.<\/li>\n<li>Creating a multi-boot setup, with different operating systems on the same computer. When using Apple\u2019s Boot Camp environment, two partitions are set up \u2014 one for macOS, <a href=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/32985-rocket-yard-guide-installing-windows-using-boot-camp\" target=\"_blank\">the other for Microsoft Windows<\/a>. At startup, it\u2019s possible to select which operating system is to be loaded.<\/li>\n<li>Running beta operating systems in their own boot partition. During the macOS Sierra beta, my \u201ctest machine\u201d was partitioned with Mac OS X El Capitan on one partition and <a href=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/37097-first-impressions-taking-macos-sierra-public-beta-for-a-test-drive\" target=\"_blank\">macOS Sierra beta<\/a> on another.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Launching Disk Utility<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/38008-rocket-yard-guide-using-macos-sierra-disk-utility-to-verify-or-repair-disks\" target=\"_blank\">Disk Utility<\/a> can be launched several different ways. First, one can go to Finder &gt; Go &gt; Utilities, then double-click on the Disk Utility icon. Next, there\u2019s a keyboard shortcut to get to the Utilities folder \u2014 Command + Shift + U from the Finder. Or, since you\u2019re running macOS Sierra, you can just click on the Siri icon and say \u201cLaunch Disk Utility\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The partition tool is one of six buttons at the top of the Disk Utility window (see image below). If it\u2019s not currently highlighted, it\u2019s because Disk Utility usually shows the current Mac volume information, not the Mac disk information.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_38192\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-38192\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-38192\" src=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-1.jpg\" alt=\"Disk Utility, with the Partition button highlighted\" width=\"640\" height=\"124\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-1.jpg 640w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-1-284x55.png 284w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-1-190x37.png 190w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-1-284x55@2x.png 568w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-1-190x37@2x.png 380w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-38192\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>(Disk Utility, with the Partition button highlighted)<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As you can see above, I\u2019ve gone ahead and clicked on the drive named \u201cFusion Drive\u201d \u2014 it\u2019s currently partitioned into one big volume called \u201cMacintosh HD\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Partition Tool<\/strong><br \/>\nWith the drive (not the volume) selected, clicking on the Partition button displays this window:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-38193\" src=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-2.jpg\" alt=\"partition-2\" width=\"640\" height=\"370\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-2.jpg 640w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-2-208x120.png 208w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-2-284x164.png 284w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-2-190x110.png 190w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-2-208x120@2x.png 416w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-2-284x164@2x.png 568w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-2-190x110@2x.png 380w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The big blue circle indicates the Fusion Drive in this iMac, and there\u2019s currently just one partition and logical volume that makes up the whole of the drive \u2014 Macintosh HD, at 2.12 TB. See that crosshatched area on the right side of the &#8220;pie chart&#8221; circle? That indicates just how much space is currently in use on the Mac \u2014 exactly half of the 2.12 TB capacity.<\/p>\n<p>Before we start looking at some of the ways the partition tool can be used, it\u2019s important to know what you should <i>not<\/i> use the tool for \u2014 setting up a Boot Camp partition. That needs to be done using the Boot Camp Assistant app that is also found in the Applications &gt; Utilities folder.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Adding a volume to a device without erasing existing data<\/strong><br \/>\nLet\u2019s say we want to add a partition to this iMac for the purpose of running an older version of Mac OS X. Here\u2019s what you do:<\/p>\n<p><strong>1)<\/strong> Select the drive by clicking on it, then click the Partition button.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2)<\/strong> Click the Add button ( + ) below the &#8220;pie chart&#8221;. By default, this splits the volume into two equally-sized partitions. The first has the name \u201cMacintosh HD\u201d that was created when the Mac was first set up, while the other has the vague name \u201cUntitled\u201d (see image below).<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-38194\" src=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-3.jpg\" alt=\"partition-3\" width=\"640\" height=\"370\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-3.jpg 640w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-3-208x120.png 208w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-3-284x164.png 284w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-3-190x110.png 190w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-3-208x120@2x.png 416w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-3-284x164@2x.png 568w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-3-190x110@2x.png 380w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Note that if the existing volume is less than half-full, Disk Utility creates two volumes of the same size. If the volume is more than half-full, it creates one volume large enough for the existing data and another volume with the remaining space.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3)<\/strong> Name the volume in the \u201cpie chart\u201d. Click on the Untitled portion of the \u201cpie\u201d and then type a new name for the partition into the Name field to the right of the &#8220;pie&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>For example, the new partition could be given the name ElCapitan. There\u2019s also a pop-up menu for\u00a0changing the format of the partition. It can be Mac OS Extended (Journaled) \u2014 the default for a Mac partition \u2014 Mac OS Extended (Journaled, Encrypted), Mac OS Extended (Case-Sensitive, Journaled), Mac OS Extended (Case-Sensitive, Journaled, Encrypted), ExFAT (Extended File Allocation Table, a Microsoft files system used for USB flash drives and SD cards), and MS-DOS (FAT).<\/p>\n<p>As mentioned before, <strong>if you\u2019re going to create a Windows Boot Camp partition, be sure to use Boot Camp Assistant<\/strong>. If you\u2019re creating a partition that will contain another operating system \u2014 perhaps some flavor of Linux, for example \u2014 check with the operating system\u2019s documentation to see what format is best.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4)<\/strong> Change the size of the partition if necessary. To do this, you can either grab the \u201cdot\u201d located between the partitions in the \u201cpie chart\u201d and move it left or right, or you can type a size into the size field.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5)<\/strong> Click \u201cApply\u201d. This will create the new partition in seconds. There\u2019s a \u201cShow Details\u201d button that can be clicked to view the process of creating the new volume if you wish.<\/p>\n<p><strong>6)<\/strong>\u00a0When the new volume is created, click Done.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Enlarge a volume<\/strong><br \/>\nYou can also enlarge a volume without losing the files on it. This is useful if you have multiple volumes on a device and have one that\u2019s running out of space.<\/p>\n<p>One caveat here: to enlarge a volume, the volume that comes after it on the device must be deleted; you can\u2019t delete the last volume on a device. So this basically works if you have more than two volumes. Also remember that when any volume is deleted, any data on it is erased and lost forever \u2014 be sure to have a backup or an empty volume.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1)<\/strong> Select the device (drive) that has the volume you want to enlarge, then click the partition button.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2)<\/strong> In the pie chart, click on the volume that you want to remove (as noted, you must have at least three volumes in the current device), and then click the Remove ( &#8211; ) button.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3)<\/strong> Click Apply, and the volume is removed, reformatted, and the newly available free space is assigned to the previous volume.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4)<\/strong> Click Done.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Erase and repartition a device<\/strong><br \/>\nThe next thing you can use Disk Utility\u2019s partition tool for is to erase all of the volumes on a Mac or external disk drive and create new ones. This can be helpful if you wish to change the partition map of a USB, Thunderbolt or other type of storage device from Master Boot Record (for Windows Partitions formatted as MS-DOS FAT or ExFAT) to GUID Partition Map (for Intel-based Macs).<\/p>\n<p>The erase and partition process destroys all data on all volumes of the device, so make sure you have a backup before proceeding.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1)<\/strong> Select the device (drive) that you want to erase and repartition, then click the Erase button. Note that you cannot erase the device that contains your startup volume.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2)<\/strong> Enter a name for the initial volume. In this example, it has been given the name &#8220;Macintosh HD&#8221;:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-38195\" src=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-4.jpg\" alt=\"partition-4\" width=\"419\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-4.jpg 419w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-4-192x120.png 192w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-4-284x178.png 284w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-4-190x119.png 190w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-4-272x170.png 272w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-4-192x120@2x.png 384w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Partition-4-190x119@2x.png 380w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 419px) 100vw, 419px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>3)<\/strong> Click the Format pop-up menu and select a format for the initial partition (once again, for macOS or Mac OS X, this defaults to Mac OS Extended (Journaled)).<\/p>\n<p><strong>4)<\/strong> Click the Scheme pop-up menu and select from GUID Partition Map, Master Boot Record, or Apple Partition Map. The latter partition map scheme is used for compatibility with older PowerPC-based Macs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5)<\/strong> Click Erase, then click Done when complete.<\/p>\n<p>Note that if you just want to erase a disk on a device that is being given away or sold, you should follow the same process through step 4. Before clicking Erase, click the Security Options button to select how many times you want to overwrite the erased data, then click OK. <strong>Related article:<\/strong>\u00a0<a title=\"Security First: Seven Steps to Take Before Selling, Giving Away a Mac\" href=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/36262-how-to-securely-prep-a-mac-before-selling-it-giving-it-away\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"bookmark\">Security First: Seven Steps to Take Before Selling, Giving Away a Mac<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Writing over the data three times meets the US Department of Energy standard for erasing magnetic media, while overwriting it seven times meets the US Department of Defense 5220-22-M standard. Overwriting data for a secure erase takes some time, so be prepared to wait\u2026sometimes for days for larger disk drives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At the end of September, the Rocket Yard gave you the scoop on the new version of Disk Utility that is now in macOS Sierra. While we got into the details of how to verify or repair disks using Disk Utility, we didn\u2019t cover the new partitioning tool. In this article, we\u2019ll take a look [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":38198,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"class_list":["post-38191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech-tips"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v20.2 (Yoast SEO v20.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Use macOS Sierra Disk Utility to Partition, Erase Drives<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Partitioning a drive breaks it up into distinct, named regions so that an operating system like macOS can manage information in each of region separately.\" \/>\n<meta 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