Mac: enlarge partition - how it works

Partitions on a hard drive can be easily enlarged and reduced in Mac OS X Mavericks using the hard disk utility. We'll show you how.

Mac: enlarge hard disk partition

1. Preparation: In order to avoid data loss, you should first make a backup of the data on the corresponding hard disk.
2. Then open the hard disk utility: Press [cmd] + [Space] and type "firm". Select the relevant entry.
3. Click on the hard drive on the left whose partitions you want to change.
4. Go to the "Partition" tab. Here you can see the "partition layout" of the hard disk. The graphic also shows you how much memory is already used on the individual partitions. You should only shrink the other partition to such an extent that there is still enough space for the files already saved and for others.
5. In the lower right corner of the graphic you can see three dashed lines (see picture). Click and hold the corner with the mouse. Drag the partition to the size you want. You can see this in GB to the right of the graphic.
6. Finally click on "Apply".

In another practical tip, we will show you how to create a new partition on Mac.