How to clear "Other Volumes"??

I just reformatted the HD on my Mac hoping to wipe it clean and start fresh. Unfortunately, it still shows that 435GB of my 500GB HD is still filled with "Other Volumes"... how can I clear that out??

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Feb 22, 2023 09:58 AM

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3 replies

Feb 23, 2023 09:08 AM in response to tdhoover

Hello tdhoover,


Welcome to Apple Support Communities!

We want to help you erase the Mac so you can start fresh.

It sounds like you might have other partitions on your drive.


You can use Disk Utility to locate the other partitions when erasing the disk. See here for the full steps:

"Use Disk Utility to erase your Mac

  1. Start up from macOS Recovery: Turn on your Mac, then immediately press and hold these two keys until you see an Apple logo or other image: Command (⌘) and R. 
  2. If asked, select a user you know the password for, then enter their administrator password. 
  3. From the utilities window, select Disk Utility and click Continue.
  4. Select Macintosh HD in the sidebar of Disk Utility. Don't see Macintosh HD?
  5. Click the Erase button in the toolbar, then enter the requested details:
    • Name: Macintosh HD
    • Format: APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled), as recommended by Disk Utility

6. Click Erase Volume Group. If this button isn't shown, click Erase instead.

7. If asked, enter your Apple ID. Forgot your Apple ID?

8. Optional: If you previously used Disk Utility to add internal volumes other than Macintosh HD, you can erase them individually using the same process. 

9. When done, quit Disk Utility to return to the utilities window.

10. If you want your Mac to start up again from the volume you just you erased, select Reinstall macOS in the utilities window, then click Continue and follow the onscreen instructions. Learn more about reinstalling macOS."


This Apple Support page has the full details: Use Disk Utility to erase an Intel-based Mac - Apple Support

We hope this helps to fully erase the drive so you can reinstall macOS to start fresh with your Mac again.

Please let us know if you have further questions.

Cheers!

Feb 27, 2023 11:01 AM in response to justin_900

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, trying these steps multiple times (and even deleting the volume and re-adding it) yielded no solution... Any further help?


EDIT: I should clarify - the first time I tried erasing it, it showed the "Erase Volume Group" and I accidentally clicked just "Erase." The next time it came around, the "volume group" option wasn't there and hasn't been since. Didn't know if that made a difference or not?


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How to clear "Other Volumes"??

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