how to delete partition on mac external hard drive

How to Delete a Partition on Mac External Hard Drive

Are you tired of wondering what those mysterious 'Other Volumes in Container' are taking up space on your Mac hard drive? You're not alone. Many Mac users have noticed these weird volumes, which can take up hundreds of gigabytes of space and seem to grow indefinitely. If you're struggling to free up space on your Macintosh HD, it's time to learn how to delete an APFS partition.

What are Other Volumes in Container?

If you've recently upgraded to macOS 10.13 High Sierra, 10.14 Mojave, or 10.15 Catalina, you may have noticed that your system drive has been automatically converted from HFS+ to APFS (Apple File System). This change brought with it new concepts for formatting and managing your Mac drives.

How to Delete an APFS Partition

Deleting an APFS partition, container, or volume can seem daunting, but it's a necessary step to free up space on your Mac. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Connect your external hard drive to your Mac.

2. Open Disk Utility, which can be found in Applications/Utilities or Spotlight search.

3. Select the APFS partition you want to delete from the list of available disks and volumes.

4. Click the 'Erase' button at the top of the Disk Utility window.

5. Choose the 'Quick Erase' option and confirm that you want to erase the volume.

How to Avoid Data Loss When Deleting an APFS Partition

Before deleting an APFS partition, container, or volume, make sure to back up any important files and data on that drive. This will ensure that your data is safe in case anything goes wrong during the deletion process.

By following these steps, you can safely delete an APFS partition and free up space on your Mac external hard drive. Remember to always be cautious when working with partitions and volumes, as deleting the wrong one can result in data loss or corruption.

How to delete partition on mac external hard drive