How to use DriveDx

Introduction

Welcome to this User Tip on how to use DriveDx. DriveDx is a great App for checking the health of storage devices on your Mac.

Getting the DriveDx App

You can get DriveDx here (https://binaryfruit.com/drivedx). For a simple check of your drives, the free trial is fine. No need to pay. However, the premium version does include more features and you can use it indefinitely. You can read more here: DriveDx & DriveDx Store.

Using DriveDx and Uploading the Report

Once you have downloaded DriveDx, open the downloaded App.

In the App, select "Try Now" to start your trial and get the drive information you need.

You will then see a list of devices in the left sidebar. Select the device that you want to get a report for, and click "Save Report". If you have a Fusion Drive, there will be two entries of your internal drive listed, since one is the SSD and the other is the HDD. Click "Save Report" for both in this case.

The report(s) will be saved in a text format.

From here, copy the saved report. You can then use the Additional Text function on Apple Support Communities to paste the DriveDx report. If you have multiple reports, use the Additional Text function multiple times to upload both reports separately.

This should appear:

Give your DriveDx report a Title in the "Title" field, and paste the report in the "Add a note, error log, etc..." area.

This is what the final product of a DriveDx report should look like:

If DriveDx reports your Drive is failing

Should DriveDx report your drive is failing, back up all data immediately. Even if your drive isn't failing, it is still a good idea to have a backup. The best way to create a backup is using Time Machine: Back up your Mac with Time Machine - Apple Support. For Time Machine, you need an external hard drive. Apple sells external hard drives. Here are some options:

Mac computers with USB-A and/or USB-C Connectivity (these drives ship with USB-A and USB-C Cables):

• G-Technology G-DRIVE mobile USB-C Portable Hard Drive - Apple (available in 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, and 5TB)
• G-Technology 10TB G-DRIVE USB-C External Hard Drive - Apple (available in 10TB)

Modern Mac computers with USB-C Connectivity (these drives ship ONLY with a USB-C Cable):

• LaCie Rugged USB-C Portable Hard Drive - Apple (available in 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, and 5TB)
• LaCie Mobile Drive External Hard Drive USB-C - Apple (available in 2TB, 4TB, and 5TB)
• LaCie 8TB d2 Professional Desktop Hard Drive - Apple (available in 8TB)

If you need help understanding what connectivity and ports your Mac has, see: Identify the ports on your Mac - Apple Support.

Regardless of which drive you choose, it needs to be formatted. Follow these steps:

1. Go to Disk Utility (Finder > Go > Utilities)
2. In Disk Utility, select “View” > “Show All Devices”.
3. Select the top and non-indented drive in the external section of Disk Utility that matches the name of your external drive. 
4. Click Erase
5. Name: any name you want
6. Format: Use Mac OS Extended (Journaled) if you are using macOS Catalina or earlier, or APFS if you are using macOS Big Sur.
7. Scheme: GUID Partition Map
8. Click Erase

Finally, setup Time Machine: Back up your Mac with Time Machine - Apple Support.

After a backup, you can now get support at Apple for your failing drive, or find another solution, such as booting from an external SSD.

Closing

I hope you found this User Tip helpful. If you have any questions, you can ask below, or start a new question thread here on Apple Support Communities.

Thanks for reading!

Cheers,

Jack