Partition a hard drive

Although it’s best to start a backup with a brand-new drive, partitioning off the free space on an old one (effectively creating a second, virtual drive) can be a worthwhile alternative.

1 Open Disk Utility

To partition a hard drive on your Mac you’ll need to use a built-in app called Disk Utility. If you have never used it, the easiest way to locate it is through a Spotlight search.

2 Select your drive

Select the hard drive and ensure it has enough free space for the partition you want and then (ideally) back up its contents before you get started on the process.

3 Slice the pie

Click on ‘Partition’ then click on the ‘+’ icon to split up the pie representing the drive. Adjust the segment size and name to suit, then click ‘Apply’ button to start partitioning.