Why is "partition" grayed out? I want to partition this SSD and use half for Time Machine backup, half for drag n drop storage. I already tried erasing and I'm unclear why it still says 827 MB is being used.
[Edited by Moderator]
MacBook Air 13″
Based on your screen shot it’s formatted with Master Boot Record which does not support partitioning. Reformat the Device to HFS+ or APFS and use GUID Partition Map instead of Master Boot record.
Another thing, what version of macOS are you running on your MBA? If it’s Big Sur or later you cannot use it as a Time Machine volume unless it’s formatted as APFS. In addition most volunteers here always recommend that the Time Machine volume be dedicated to Time Machine only, not shared with other data.
APFS formatted drives negate the need for classic partitioning as well. You can create as many volumes as you want within the main ‘container’. If you insist on using the SSD for two purposes then format it as APFS and create two volumes.
So what version of macOS are you running pn your MBA?
Which format would I need to choose?
Update: I tried formatting it using all 4 options available (MS-DOS, Ex Fat, MacOS Extended, MacOS case-sensitive), and after each one, the Partition option was still grayed out.
I did that, but it won't let me partition the device either.
I've tried every suggestion so far including unmounting, selecting the device, or using a different format, no success yet.
You have no idea what you are talking about. The original poster wants to use the drive as a Time Machine volume and ExFAT will not work.
Why can't I partition this external drive?
