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Bootcamp "The startup disk cannot be partitioned or restored to a single partition" error.

Hi, all. I'm trying to remove Windows from my Mac to free up more space. However, when I try to remove it the conventional way (by using Boot Camp), I get an error that says "The startup disk cannot be partitioned or restored to a single partition." It goes on to say "The startup disk must be formatted as a single Mac OS Extended (Journaled) volume or already partitioned by Boot Camp Assistant for installing Windows." I already tried erasing the disk and unmounting it in Disk Utility. Any help would be appreciated.

MacBook, macOS Sierra (10.12.5)

Posted on Jul 15, 2017 6:33 AM

532 replies

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Mar 2, 2019 6:37 AM in response to dalogrus

Nice. Glad to see this is still a viable method.

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Mar 13, 2019 8:01 PM in response to levharn

This is a bit more convoluted then OP. Can you start a new discussion, and post this output and the following additional command?

diskutil apfs list

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Apr 2, 2019 1:42 AM in response to sandios

Please start a new discussion. This discussion is now difficult to manage.

Proteinz

Level 1

8 points

May 19, 2019 3:03 AM in response to Loner T

I’m sorry for asking if the answer is obvious but what are some easy methods to check if disk0s4 is actually windows recovery?

Thanks, I really appreciate your input.

Proteinz

Level 1

8 points

May 19, 2019 7:25 PM in response to Loner T

Thanks Loner, followed your instructions and proceeded to use bootcamp software to remove/restore. During the partitioning process there was an error message:

"Your disk could not be partitioned"

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

May 20, 2019 4:15 AM in response to Proteinz

I suggest starting a new discussion. It is much cleaner without this 30+ page discussion.

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Jul 3, 2019 4:15 AM in response to Z1984-

Z1984- wrote:

Thanks

I suggest starting a new discussion. It is much cleaner without this 36 page discussion.

Bootcamp "The startup disk cannot be partitioned or restored to a single partition" error.