Disk Utility won't format SSD

Question

Disk Utility won't format SSD

I just bought a 4 TB SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD. I've tried to erase/format it with Disk Utility on two different computers: a new 14" MacBook Pro, and a 2017 iMac Pro. I clicked on the external volume, selected erase, then AFPS for file system, then clicked the "Erase" button.

The drive disappears from the desktop, but Disk Utility seems to get stuck on the "Unmounting Disk" step. It says "Erasing 'Extreme SSD' (disk4s1) and creating 'Photos'" and then under that it says "Unmounting Disk", but after 10 minutes nothing has happened.

What's going on?

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.12

Posted on Nov 7, 2021 5:35 AM

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Answer 1

Nov 7, 2021 5:40 PM in response to s_w_i_t_t_e_r_s

A lot of users are reporting issues with various external drives with Monterey. The issues & resolutions are quite varied from disconnecting all other external devices to using a different USBC cable. One user did report that Apple did tell them that they are aware of the issue. You may want to contact the drive vendor to see if they have any information to assist you. Last year a lot of users reported drive issues with the M1 Macs and/or Big Sur. Seems Apple didn't learn anything.

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Answer 2

Nov 7, 2021 5:52 AM in response to s_w_i_t_t_e_r_s

Update: I did a bit of research and saw a suggestion in another thread to select "Show All Devices" in the "View" menu in Disk Utility, and then click on the parent drive/volume and erase that. In this case, I selected AFPS and then GUID Partition Map. It unmounted the disk, but is now hung up on the "Creation the partition map" step. I have to force-quit to get out of Disk Utility and stop the process.

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Answer 3

Nov 7, 2021 6:15 PM in response to HWTech

Thanks. Someone on another forum suggested formatting it on a Mac running Big Sur. My wife's MacBook Air still is, so I was able to do that without a problem. Must be a Monterey bug as you suggested.

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Disk Utility won't format SSD

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