how to partition an external hard drive for mac

Using Disk Utility, the only way to do this that I know is to select the partition you want to split and then click '+' to 'add' a partition. I know that I cannot 'partition a partition.' But you can add a partition to a disk. I tried doing some internet searches but couldn't find anything that explains how it works and why. I'm actually interested in learning the 'why' not just the 'how to just get this task done.' Please feel free to explain or point me to some documentation. Would it work instead to reformat the entire drive as MacOS Extended, then split it into 3, 1 TB partitions and then reformat each partition to ExFAT? Is this true? Is there a way I can do this? It appears that macOS does not support partitioning (splitting) a partition formatted as ExFAT.

However, when I select the 1 TB partition (MacOS Extended), I can select the '+' and '-' buttons. But the '+' and '-' signs are grayed out. I'd like to split the 2 TB partition into 2, 1 TB partitions. I just now reformatted the 2 TB partition to ExFAT. There are two partitions,ġ TB - MacOS Extended (Journaled) - Time Machine back up partition Press Command+Space, type Disk Utility, and press Enter to open it.I'm trying to partition and format my Western Digital 3TB external drive. You’ll need to use the Disk Utility built into your Mac to work with partitions. You can also make the files partition an ExFAT partition, which means you can use it with Windows PCs and practically any other device you can connect an external drive to. This will ensure your Time Machine backups don’t grow too large, so you’ll always have room for your personal files. Use one for Time Machine backups and another for your personal files. The ideal way to do this is to create separate partitions on the external drive. RELATED: What's the Difference Between APFS, Mac OS Extended (HFS+), and ExFAT? A Better Option: Create Separate Partitions for Backups and Files

Time Machine will also work toward filling up the entire drive, not leaving extra room for your files. Bear in mind that Time Machine requires the drive be formatted with the Mac’s HFS+ file system, which means you won’t be able to easily access these files on Windows PCs or anything else that isn’t a Mac.

How to partition an external hard drive for mac