There are different ways you could create a backup of your Mac and one of the easiest one is to use Time Machine. Even though creating a new partition/volume is a safe process, mistakes can always happen, so it’s best to be prepared. Of course, you still need to have the needed free storage space on your Mac as a whole to contain the new macOS version.įor Macs with APFS file system, Apple recommends creating a new volume within your current partition when attempting to install a separate macOS version in addition to your current one.Įvery time you are about to make any significant changes in your system, it is best if you back up the data on your Mac to make sure that nothing gets lost in the process. The advantage here is that you won’t have to worry about assigning enough HDD space to the volume like it is when you’re creating a new partition because the volume would expand the storage space that it uses from the current partition if need be, making it a more flexible option.įor example, if you install macOS Big Sur beta on one of your volumes, that volume would expand to accommodate the new macOS version, leading to a redistribution of the storage space within the partition.

You can still install a different macOS version on it and this will not affect/replace the current stable macOS version that you are using. What is a volume?Ī volume is also a designated data container within your hard-drive, but it is stored within the same partition instead of being a new one. If your Mac has an HFS+ file system (Macs manufactured before macOS Catalina), it is advisable to create a new partition if you want to test macOS beta versions. It is recommended that you assign at least 50 GB of storage to the new partition.

If you are intending to create a separate partition for the purposes of installing a macOS beta version or the Windows OS on it, make sure that you assign to it enough free storage space. Once you partition your hard disk, the overall storage space on your Mac will be separated between the new partitions according to how much storage you have assigned to each partition. The amount of storage available on these partitions is predetermined by the user when they are partitioning the hard-drive and cannot be changed unless a new partitioning is performed. What is a partition?Ĭreating a new disk partition on your Mac practically splits your hard-drive into two separate parts (partitions) that could have different macOS versions or even different OS types (for example macOS and Windows) installed on them. Partitions and volumes are very similar and can be used for the same thing but there are some key differences that one must consider before deciding which of the two they are going to make. How to switch between partitions/volumesĭifference between a partition and a volume.

Difference between a partition and a volume.

Create partition mac