Partitioning Mac hard disks can be completed through disk tools. Before operation, data must be backed up to ensure sufficient power and avoid excessive partition breakage. Open Disk Utility and select the hard disk, click "Partition" and add a new partition, set the name, format and size to confirm the application. Be careful not to interrupt the operation. It is recommended to perform the startup disk partition in recovery mode. Macs equipped with M1 chips no longer support Boot Camp. You can use a virtual machine or official boot conversion tool to install Windows. Intel chip models can still be installed with Boot Camp Assistant with USB flash drive and ISO files. There should not be too many partitions, generally 2 to 3, and some SSDs also have partition counts.

Partitioning a hard drive on a Mac is actually not too difficult, but you have to understand the idea before operation. If you want to separate the space for macOS to install Windows, backup data, or separate the system and files to improve management efficiency, partitioning is a feasible way. The key is to complete the operation without affecting the existing data.

Use Disk Utility to partition

This is the most commonly used method and is suitable for most users. Open "Applications → Utility → Disk Utility", select the hard disk you want to partition (be careful not to select the wrong one), and then click the "Partition" button.

• Select the current volume and click the " " sign to add a new partition.
• Sets the name, format (usually APFS or Mac OS extension) and size of the new partition.
• After confirming, click "Apply" and the system will start to adjust the space.

Do not force interrupts during operation, otherwise it may cause damage to the hard disk or data loss. If it is the hard disk where the boot disk is located, it is recommended to operate more securely in recovery mode.

What should you pay attention to before partitioning?

Back up the data first. Although modern systems are safer to partition, risks always exist, especially when using old mechanical hard drives.

Ensure sufficient power. If it is a laptop, it is best to plug in the power supply to avoid power outages in the middle.

Don't cut the partitions too much. Each partition occupies a certain amount of system resources, and subsequent adjustments are also troublesome. Generally, it is enough to divide it into 2 to 3 pieces.

Some SSDs do not support too many partitions. Especially for M1 and Macs with updated chips, some restrictions need to be paid attention to.

Boot Camp has become a past tense? How to divide it now?

Boot Camp was once the preferred way to install Windows, but now Apple has gradually deprecated this feature. For devices equipped with Apple Silicon (M1 chip and later), Boot Camp is no longer supported. You can consider running Windows with a virtual machine (such as Parallels Desktop), or manually divide an idle partition, and then install it through Apple's official startup conversion tool.

If you are still an old Mac with Intel chips, Boot Camp can still be used, but the setup process needs to be done step by step:

• Download the latest version of Boot Camp Assistant
• Insert a USB drive to create a Windows boot disk
• Follow the prompts to allocate space and start installing

However, the whole process is a little complicated and requires you to prepare the ISO files and drivers in advance.

Basically that's it. Partitioning is not complicated, but details are easy to ignore, especially when newbies may be nervous when they first operate. Just follow the steps and don’t rush to confirm, there will be basically no problems.

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