Note the identifier for the disk you want to erase.

Launch Terminal and type this command: diskutil list.

Here’s how to do that for a disk you want to format as HFS+ Journaled with the name ‘MacPaw.’ You can replace ‘MacPaw’ with whatever name you want and ‘JHFS+’ with ‘APFS’ if you want to format it like that. To erase a disk in Terminal, you’ll need first to get its identifier using the ‘diskutil list’ command and then tell Terminal to erase it, reformat using the format you specify, and give it the name you specify. Rather than selecting the whole disk in Disk Utility’s sidebar, choose volume beneath it (you might have to click the dropdown arrow next to the disk’s name to see it), then click Erase. If you are trying to erase an external disk with more than one volume on it, try doing it one volume at a time.

If there is an update available, click Update.Įrase a volume rather than the whole disk Click on the Apple menu and choose About this Mac.To check if there is an update available, follow the steps below. There’s a possibility that a problem with Disk Utility or the disk you’re trying to erase has already been fixed in the latest version of macOS.

Once the process is completed, try erasing it again. Wait for Disk Utility to finish disk repairing.Launch Disk Utility and select the disk you are trying to erase (if you can’t see it in the sidebar, click the View menu and choose Show all Devices).The first thing to do, assuming you are trying to erase an external disk and not your startup volume, is to use Disk Utility to try and repair it. Once it’s mounted, you’ll be able to erase it. The solution to this one is simple, just choose the disk in Disk Utility’s sidebar and click Mount in the toolbar. If a disk is connected to your Mac but not mounted in the Finder, Disk Utility won’t be able to erase it. If the disk you’re trying to erase is badly damaged, Disk Utility may not be able to access the information needed to erase it. If you want to erase your startup disk, you’ll need to either boot in Recovery mode or boot from an external USB disk or USB stick. The disk you’re trying to erase is the disk you booted from.There are a few reasons why the erase process may have failed on your Mac. Whatever the reason is, I’ll show you how to deal with it. That could happen because the Disk Utility erase greyed out or unable to complete the task. Occasionally, however, Mac users run into a problem: Disk Utility doesn’t let erase a disk. You can use it to partition, repair, completely erase, or reformat a disk. But to help you do it all by yourself, we’ve gathered our best ideas and solutions below.įeatures described in this article refer to the MacPaw site version of CleanMyMac X.ĭisk Utility is one of the most valuable tools in your Mac’s Utilities folder. So here’s a tip for you: Download CleanMyMac to quickly solve some of the issues mentioned in this article.

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