How can I merge two partitions on an external hard drive? One partition is empty, the other contains my Time-Machine backup. I can't figure out how in Disk Utility.
MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2016, 4 TBT3), macOS Sierra (10.12.4)
From the article machack posted a link to.
Enlarge a volume
If you have multiple volumes on a device and one of them is running out of space, you may be able to enlarge it without losing any of the files on it.
To enlarge a volume, you must delete the volume that comes after it on the device, then move the end point of the volume you want to enlarge into the freed space. You can’t enlarge the last volume on a device.
WARNING: When you delete a volume, all data on it is erased. Be sure to back up your data before you begin.
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.I can't click on the Partition button, it is inactive.
If the partition with your backup is above the empty partition in the list, delete the blank one and resize the first one to include the space previously used by it.
If the partition with your backup is below the empty partition in the list, copy the data on it to another location(this can be the blank partition if it's large enough, but should be on another drive), delete it, resize the earlier partition, and if needed, copy the data back.
(150038)
While Disk Utility supports partitioning "on the fly", I prefer reformatting the disk to accomplish it.
Disk Utility for Mac: Partition a physical disk using Disk Utility
How exactly do I resize the upper partition?
Are you selecting the external drive (top entry) and not the partition?
Yes, all three (the drive itself and both partitions) do not allow me to click Partition.
Have you tried running First Aid on the drive?
Merging two partitions of an external hard drive
