16TB external SSD not able to format to AFPS in Disk Utility on MacBook Air

Fresh 16 TB SSD out of the box attached USB-C to USB-C directly into port.


"The disk you attached is not readable by this computer"

Clicked 'Initialize'

Clicked External 'Drive Name'

Chose 'APFS'

Scheme: 'GUID Partition Map'


"unmounting disk...

creating the partition map...

Unable to write to the last block of the device. :(-69760)


Operation failed..."


It keeps failing at the last sector when trying to convert. First Aid passes. I've tried Erase and switching to APFS but nothing works.


Anybody have any ideas?


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 14.3

Posted on Feb 2, 2024 04:42 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Similar questions

5 replies

Feb 3, 2024 06:50 AM in response to Fslayton1

The number of responders here that have that specific brand and capacity 16 TB SSD probably approaches zero, so how could anyone determine another course of action other than exchange the drive for a replacement and try to format it as APFS again.


Did you select the drive identity entry in the Disk Utility side bar?


Apple does not ship 16 TB SSD and may not have tested Disk Utility against a drive of that capacity, or the drive is flawed.

Feb 3, 2024 08:10 AM in response to Fslayton1

It would help if you provide the exact make & model of the SSD.


The error message would seem to indicate a problem with the SSD.


But you could try an alternate path ... in Disk Utility, select the Device, then Partition and make sure you have a GUID partition. Then format it as MacOS Extended Journaled (GUID partition map). If that is successful, then either convert the SSD to APFS (using Disk Utility) or reformat it as APFS.


Even so, I would be suspicious of the SSD and consider returning it for credit or exchange.

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

16TB external SSD not able to format to AFPS in Disk Utility on MacBook Air

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.