The partition is grayed out in Disk Utility on Mac | How do you fix it? (2024)

If your partition, hard drive, or Disk Utility's own tools are grayed out, that's a good indication that something is wrong. It could be as simple as an incompatible file system or a port that doesn't work. While troubleshooting the cause of the problem is quite simple, it primarily depends on identifying the right problem in the first place.

In this article, I'll show you six ways to fix grayed out items in Disk Utility based on the specific problems they caused, with detailed analysis and step-by-step screenshots. Read more!

How to avoid losing your data when repairing gray partition

Before we move on to troubleshooting the gray partition in Disk Utility, I highly recommend that you secure your data first. By nature, many solutions (that actually work) will eventually lead to data loss (e.g. formatting).

Using a tool called data recovery software, you can directly access and extract your data from your Mac's file system, even if it is grayed out or misbehaving in some way.

I will demonstrate this process using an app calledDisk drill. It is highly optimized for Mac and has been proven to work even when Disk Utility has trouble interacting with the user's drive.

Trin 1. To retrieveand install Disk Drill, then launch it from the Finder > Applications folder.

Trin 2.Scan your drive. Don't worry - Disk Drill can recognize and scan partitions that are grayed out in the Finder.

Trin 3.Select the files you lost while formatting your drive and clickTo recover. We recommend that you save your data on a separate drive to prevent overwriting.

The steps above are the essentials, but you can also do other things with Disk Drill, like view your files (even videos), check your drive's health, and more.

Common solutions for grayed out items in Disk Utility

Apart from partitions, many users report that other Disk Utility items are grayed out. While they may not directly prevent you from accessing your data (for example, a partition tool), they do indicate that something is wrong.

In the sections below, I'll demonstrate six common and proven solutions for various grayed out items in Disk Utility.

Prolapse #1:The partition is grayed out

If your Disk Utility partition is grayed out in the left sidebar, it means it is not mounted. Possible reasons for onedrive not mountedinclude a shutdown of the macOS mounting system due to the lack of CPU resources. The solution is to mount your partition manually using Disk Utility's mount tool.

First, launch Disk Utility (Finder > Applications > Utilities). Then select your partition from the left sidebar and clickTo rise.

Tip: If it doesn't work the first time, restart your Mac and try to mount your partition again.

Prolapse #2:The Mount button is gray

If the Mount button is grayed out in Disk Utility, there are two possible reasons for it. First, you may have accidentally selected an unpartitioned drive. If not, the partition's file format is likely incompatible with macOS. The solution is to format it to a Mac compatible file system (such asAPFSofHFS+) using Disk Utility's erase tool.

Prolapse #3:Volume +\- The setting is gray

The Volume +\ button is a tool that allows users to easily create "volumes" (think of them as a resizable version of partitions) on a drive. This tool is only available for APFS partitions. If it is grayed out, it means you are using another file system (such as HFS+, exFAT, FAT32, or NTFS) for which the utility is not available.

To create a volume on your drive, format it to APFS. To seeProlapse #2for instructions and warnings.

Prolapse #4:The partition function is grayed out

If you're using Disk Utility and can't partition your hard drive on your Mac, it could be a formatting problem. If Disk Utility's Partition button is grayed out, you may be trying to partition a drive using the Master Boot Record (MBR) scheme.

In this case, format your drive and select GUID Partition Map as the scheme. To seeProlapse #2for instructions and warnings.

Another case of "Disk Utility won't let me partition" is when the disk being partitioned is at full capacity. In this case, the Partition button will not be grayed out, but Disk Utility will offer to partition your drive at the cost of erasing your data.

Prolapse #5:The Delete, Restore and Unlink buttons are greyed out

The Wipe, Restore and Dismount buttons are only available for internal and external drives and partitions that do not belong to the system, to prevent users from affecting macOS. If Erase is grayed out in Disk Utility (or Restore or Umount), you've probably selected your system drive or partition currently running macOS.

The solution if the Erase option is disabled in Disk Utility or if all options are grayed out in Disk Utility is to select a non-system drive from the Disk Utility sidebar.

Prolapse #6:First Aid is grayed out in system drive recovery mode

If the First Aid button is grayed out in Disk Utility when you select your partition, the partition map (which determines how your data is organized) is likely damaged. To fix the problem, run the First Aid tool on your entire drive instead.

Conclusion

A grayed out partition in Disk Utility can be caused by user error, corruption, or even the natural lifespan of a drive. Fortunately, there are usually solutions to the various cases of gray partitions, such as the ones we discussed in this article. However, it's best to make routine backups with Time Machine. Without keeping a close eye on your drives, Time Machine backups are the best way to protect your data before it's too late.

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