Why does my Mac have two data volumes?

MacOS now splits the operating system and data files into two volumes, but they should never appear on the desktop. Apple took system protection to the next level in macOS 10.15 Catalina by splitting your normal boot volume into two pieces. The new main volume is read only and contains only operating system files.

How do I merge partitions without losing data Mac?

1. Backup or copy files on the D drive to a safe place.
2. Press Win + R to start Run. Type diskmgmt.
3. Right click D drive and select Delete Volume. All data on the partition will be wiped.
4. You’ll get an unallocated space. Right click C drive and select Extend Volume.
5. The partition is extended. Now, you can restore the files.

How do I merge two volumes on a Mac?

Merge Mac partitions to single hard drive volume

1. Select the partition you want to merge and click on “-” button.
2. Once Volume 1 is removed, resize Macintosh HD to takeover the spaces left by Volume 1.
3. Again resize Macintosh HD to take over unused spaces left by Volume 2.

How do I get rid of extra data on my Macintosh HD?

(It’s possible your drive is called something else, like Home HD for example). Click on this Macintosh HD – Data drive to select it. Either click on the – button or go to the menu and choose Edit > Delete APFS volume. You will see a message warning you that this will permanently erase your data.

How do I merge Macintosh HD data?

1. Reboot the Mac and right after the boot chime sound, hold down the COMMAND + R keys together to boot into Recovery Mode.
2. Select Disk Utility at the macOS Utilities screen.
3. Choose “Macintosh HD” (or what the Mac drive is named), then select the “Erase” button.
4. Select the Mac drive to erase.

How do I merge Macintosh HD and Macintosh HD data on Big Sur?

Can I merge Macintosh HD and Macintosh HD data?

Either use Carbon Copy Cloner to backup all the hard drives data before merging. Select the partition you want to merge and click on “-” button. For instance, you have 3 partitions namely – Macintosh HD, Volume 1 and Volume 2. Once done, the hard drive will restore to a single volume namely – Macintosh HD.

Do I Install Big Sur on Macintosh HD or Macintosh HD data?

If the installer offers you the choice between installing on Macintosh HD or Macintosh HD – Data, choose Macintosh HD. Allow installation to complete without putting your Mac to sleep or closing its lid.

How do I get rid of other volumes on my Mac HD?

3. Delete the extra volume

1. Open Disk Utility on your Mac.
2. Select the APFS Volume you want to remove.
3. Click the Delete Volume button ‘—’ in the toolbar. If the button is dimmed, the selected volume is in use, which means you can’t delete it. To delete this volume, you need to enter Disk Utility in macOS Recovery.

What happens if I erase Macintosh HD data?

If you removed the volume, then you have to install macOS from scratch. If the volume is still there, but erased, then you can restore it from a backup if you have one. Otherwise, you will have to install macOS from scratch. To do that, please follow the instructions from me earlier post.