Whether you could higher arrange your arduous drive or resolve disk errors, Disk Utility is the software for the job. Built into macOS, Disk Utility is tucked away within the Utilities folder, which is discovered contained in the Applications folder, however is simple to find utilizing Spotlight – which you set off by urgent Command+Space Bar after which simply kind Disk Utility.
The software shows particulars and a graph of your arduous drive configuration, exhibiting the general capability in addition to the used and free house and the assorted volumes.
Over the years Disk Utility has been overhauled a number of occasions, so the choices could also be barely completely different relying on the model of macOS you’re utilizing. For instance, in Mac OS X El Capitan Disk Utility was redesigned and most of the options advanced or had been eliminated. There had been additionally a number of modifications in macOS High Sierra due to the brand new file format Apple launched: APFS. And when Catalina arrived a brand new Macintosh HD – Data quantity began exhibiting alongside a read-only Macintosh HD system quantity.
Why use Disk Utility
You can use Disk Utility to do the next:
- Erase, format or handle inner disks and exterior storage gadgets. (Read: How to format a drive on a Mac)
- Diagnose and repair issues with a disk or broken volumes. (See: How to confirm your Mac’s drive well being utilizing Disk Utility).
- To erase, format or partition a disk or quantity. (See: How to partition a Mac drive or create a APFS quantity).
- To encrypt storage gadgets or add a password to guard a drive.
- To mount, unmount, or eject a disk.
- To change the file system – for instance to allow or disable journaling.
- Working with RAID units. Combining a number of disks right into a RAID set that acts as a single disk can improve efficiency, reliability and space for storing.
- Creating a disk picture of recordsdata that you simply wish to transfer to a distinct laptop, archive or again up.
- Disk Utility was once used to confirm and restore permissions, however since El Capitan that is pointless.
You may wish to use Disk Utility it in case you expertise the next:
Below we’ll run by how one can carry out the most typical Disk Utility duties.
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How to search out out in case your disk is defective utilizing Disk Utility
If you assume there’s a downside with the drive inside your Mac or an exterior storage gadget, you should use the First Aid function in Disk Utility to test.
The First Aid function in Disk Utility will run varied checks and if it detects a difficulty along with your disk it would restore it.
Note which you can can’t use First Aid to repair your Start Up drive whereas it’s working the working system. We’ll run by how to try this subsequent.
Here’s how one can run First Aid in your Mac or on an exterior drive to test if there’s a downside with the disk:
- Open Disk Utility.
- Select your gadget that you’re having issues with from the sidebar. Click on Show All Devices (within the dropdown above View) in case you don’t see it.
- Click on First Aid.
- Disk Utility will test the quantity for errors and restore it if essential. Click on Run.
- While Disk Utility checks the quantity you received’t be capable of use your Mac – beware that it may take a very long time.
If it finds an issue with the disk, Disk Utility will try and restore it.
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If Disk Utility is unable to restore the drive, or it believes that the disk is about to fail it would warn you. Should this be the case it’s best to again up your information earlier than it’s too late. Read this text on backing up your Mac. You might also discover this convenient: How to recuperate and delete information from a failed arduous drive, SSD or exterior drive.
If Disk Utility experiences that the disk is OK meaning there isn’t an issue with the disk.
How to restore your boot disk/startup disk with Disk Utility
You can run First Aid in your startup drive following the steps above, but when Disk Utility finds any errors it received’t try to repair them.
If you could restore your Mac’s startup drive (the boot quantity) you received’t be capable of as Disk Utility can’t restore the mounted quantity (the one which all the pieces is working from).
In this case you could begin up your Mac in Recovery Mode and restore the disk from there. This means issues can run from the Recovery HD quantity that was created when macOS was put in.
The methodology for accessing Recovery is determined by your Mac:
- If you’ve got an M1-series Mac then shut down the Mac, then press and maintain down the facility button because it boots.
- If you’ve got an Intel Mac restart your Mac and maintain down Command-R on the keyboard.
We have a detailed tutorial on utilizing Recovery Mode right here.
To restore your startup disk:
- Start up in Recovery by following the steps above.
- Once your Mac has booted up in Recovery you will note a Utilities display screen. Choose Disk Utility.
- Select the disk you want to restore from the menu and clink on First Aid.
- As above, Disk Utility will run its checks and attempt to restore if it will probably.
The restore course of could take some time.
For extra data learn How to confirm your Mac’s drive well being utilizing Disk Utility.
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How to format a disk utilizing Disk Utility
There are numerous the reason why you may wish to format a drive. Perhaps you wish to wipe your startup drive so you possibly can carry out a contemporary set up of OS X, possibly you wish to encrypt an exterior storage drive that you simply use for work, otherwise you may want to create a partition for Windows or a distinct model of the Mac working system.
There are varied file codecs that you simply may wish to use together with:
- Apple File System (APFS) – Apple’s submitting system since macOS 10.13.
- Mac OS Extended – Apple’s submitting system previous to macOS 10.13.
- and MS-DOS (FAT) and ExFAT – for compatibility with Windows.
We have a step-by-step information to formatting a drive on the Mac right here.
When you’re formatting a drive you can even add encryption and different security measures.
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How to make use of Disk Utility when a drive received’t mount
If you plug a tough drive or flash drive in to your Mac and doesn’t see it and received’t allow you to entry the information learn: What to do if a tough drive received’t mount.
How to create a Disk Image utilizing Disk Utility
Disk Utility is ready to create a disk picture of contents of a folder which you’ll be able to then switch to a different Mac, an archive, or any location that doesn’t settle for folders.
It’s much like compressing the folder into a zipper archive, however the profit is which you can not solely use disk picture compression to save lots of house, however may also make the most of Apple’s encryption for the disk picture.
Follow these steps to create a disk picture utilizing Disk Utility.
How to partition a disk or create a quantity
You could want to partition a disk to divide it into separate containers or since you wish to set up a number of working programs. How you do that will depend upon the model of macOS you’re working. On newer Macs somewhat than create a partition it’s best to create a quantity.
Read our information to how one can partition a Mac.
Source: www.macworld.com