How to Partition an External Drive as APFS on macOS 13

Partitioning an external hard drive on macOS 13 (Ventura) allows you to split a single physical drive into multiple independent sections, each capable of storing distinct sets of files or handling separate tasks like Time Machine backups. Using macOS Ventura’s built-in Disk Utility, you can format and divide your external storage using Apple File System (APFS), which offers fast file operations, strong encryption, and flexible space management. This guide provides a straightforward, step-by-step walkthrough to successfully create APFS partitions on your external drive.

Step 1: Connect the Drive and Open Disk Utility

  1. Plug your external hard drive into your Mac.
  2. Open Spotlight by pressing Command + Space, type Disk Utility, and press Return. Alternatively, navigate to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.

Step 2: Enable Device Viewing

  1. In the top-left corner of the Disk Utility window, click the View icon.
  2. Select Show All Devices. This ensures you can view the physical drive hardware as well as the containers and volumes beneath it.

Step 3: Select the Drive

  1. Look at the left sidebar under the External section.
  2. Select the top-level name of your external drive (the physical disk), not just the indented volumes below it.

Step 4: Erase the Drive (If Not Already Formatted for APFS)

Note: This process permanently deletes all data on the drive. Back up any existing files before proceeding.

  1. Click the Erase button in the top toolbar.
  2. Set the Name to your preferred label.
  3. Set the Format to APFS.
  4. Set the Scheme to GUID Partition Map.
  5. Click Erase, and when the process finishes, click Done.

Step 5: Add the Partition

  1. Select the top-level external drive or its main APFS Container in the sidebar.
  2. Click the Partition button in the top toolbar.
  3. If prompted to choose between adding an APFS Volume or creating a partition, click Add Partition. (APFS volumes share storage dynamically within a container, whereas a true partition allocates a fixed size).
  4. Click the Add (+) button under the pie chart to add a new partition.
  5. In the Partition Information pane on the right:
    • Enter a Name for the new partition.
    • Ensure the Format is set to APFS.
    • Specify the Size manually or drag the resize handle on the pie chart.
  6. Click Apply.
  7. Confirm the changes by clicking Partition, then click Done once the operation is complete.

Your external drive is now partitioned into independent APFS sections, each appearing as a separate disk on your desktop and in Finder.