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How do I rename the startup disk?

Hello, I recently created a secondary Volume to install macOS Big Sur on it. Later I decided to rename the volume to "Macintosh HD ➁" in the finder and disk utility. After restarting and resetting nvram/..ram with option-cmd-p-r the names still haven't changed on the boot menu. Does anyone know why this happens? Thanks :)


btw: I am from Germany but I hope the US Community Site is more active:)


MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 11.7

Posted on Jun 19, 2023 1:21 PM

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Posted on Jun 20, 2023 1:16 PM

Use Disk Utility to try to rename it. See if you can rename the Volume Group for that installation assuming you created a separate Container (aka partition) for it. macOS doesn't do well with renaming macOS boot volumes since the macOS boot volumes for macOS 10.15+ consist of a read-only system volume named "Macintosh HD" by default and a data volume for the home User folders called "Macintosh HD - Data" or with some later versions of macOS it may not be just "Data". Rename the main part of the volume name, but make sure to keep " - Data" part of any name intact. I honestly don't know if it is still possible to rename the read-only system volume since it is a signed & sealed volume beginning with macOS 11.x+.


Apple used to keep a hidden file on the boot volume which contained the name to be used for the Option Boot menu, but I don't know where this file is located for macOS 11.x+.


Before you make any attempts, make sure to have a good backup just in case something goes wrong.


These days I make sure to give the macOS boot volume the name I want to see when I erase the drive prior to installing macOS 11.x+ because it is just so hard to make the change later on.


Edit: If you cannot rename the Volume Group, then rename both of the APFS volumes for that installation....sounds like one of them has already been renamed.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jun 20, 2023 1:16 PM in response to developer241

Use Disk Utility to try to rename it. See if you can rename the Volume Group for that installation assuming you created a separate Container (aka partition) for it. macOS doesn't do well with renaming macOS boot volumes since the macOS boot volumes for macOS 10.15+ consist of a read-only system volume named "Macintosh HD" by default and a data volume for the home User folders called "Macintosh HD - Data" or with some later versions of macOS it may not be just "Data". Rename the main part of the volume name, but make sure to keep " - Data" part of any name intact. I honestly don't know if it is still possible to rename the read-only system volume since it is a signed & sealed volume beginning with macOS 11.x+.


Apple used to keep a hidden file on the boot volume which contained the name to be used for the Option Boot menu, but I don't know where this file is located for macOS 11.x+.


Before you make any attempts, make sure to have a good backup just in case something goes wrong.


These days I make sure to give the macOS boot volume the name I want to see when I erase the drive prior to installing macOS 11.x+ because it is just so hard to make the change later on.


Edit: If you cannot rename the Volume Group, then rename both of the APFS volumes for that installation....sounds like one of them has already been renamed.

Jun 20, 2023 8:48 AM in response to developer241

I'd consider that a cosmetic thing.


You might fix it right away or maybe with less hassle in the next macOS major upgrade:


Backup as usual. Then use Carbon Copy Cloner to make a "legacy" bootable clone of the old macOS to an external disk (works OK on Intel Macs but silicon Macs might be more picky). Then option-boot to it and the use the Disk Utility to erase the old internal device as APFS with a carefully chosen name, and then use CCC to re-clone a "legacy" bootable macOS back to the internal disk.


If someone has a more elegant way, please chime in.

How do I rename the startup disk?

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