This is an article for Mac, it is erasing a hard drive from a Mac command line, it is not a Windows tutorial. You can, however, format a Windows hard drive from a Mac if you connect the Windows hard drive to the Mac and format it through Disk Utility, or the command line as described above.
Swapping out your old hard drive for a modern SSD is surprisingly affordable and results in 5X better performance: a reputable 500GB MacBook SSD can be had for around $150, while 1TB options are available for around $300 — both considerably cheaper than a new MacBook. It’s also surprisingly easy, even if you don’t know your way around the insides of a Mac.
Do I really need to upgrade my Mac hard drive?
Fitting a solid state drive in your MacBook Pro is a quick and simple way to boost performance but an upgrade might not always be needed.
If you only really use your Mac to browse the web and do some word processing, your current hard drive is probably fine. If your system feels a bit sluggish, try running CleanMyMac X first to clean away any resource-hogging junk. That might be the only fix you need (this way junk that is clogging up your system, such as old files, images, apps, duplicates and iPhone backups will be cleared away).
If, however, you’re noticing any of the following issues, an SSD upgrade will most certainly help:
- Slow startup
- Sluggish performance in resource-intensive apps such as Adobe Photoshop
- System crashes
- Permission denied errors to files that were previously fine
What to consider when choosing a MacBook Pro SSD
To reap the benefits of an SSD, you need a drive that’s up to the task. Here’s what to consider:
Read/write speed — SSDs are rated on their reading and writing speed. The higher the speed, the better the performance. Something in the range of 500MB/s and above is good, although actual speed will be about a third less than what’s advertised.
Memory — MLC (multi-level cell) and SLC (single-level cell) are the two options available. The former is cheaper and capable of holding more information but the latter is more reliable.
Capacity — Get as much space as you can afford. The greater the capacity of an SSD, the more it will benefit Mac performance.
Reliability — Read the reviews. See what the experts and other users say about SSD performance and reliability. You’ll typically find that brand name SSDs rank the highest. Samsung, SanDisk, Crucial, KingSpec, and Transcend are standout brands.
How to fit a new MacBook Pro SSD
Okay, let’s get down to business. SSD aside, here’s what you’ll need to fit your new hard drive:
SATA-to-USB cable
Small Phillips screwdriver
Torx T6 screwdriver
Step 1: Format the SSD
To perform a MacBook Pro SSD upgrade you’re first going to need to clone your existing hard drive so that the new one runs like clockwork when it’s installed.
Before you do this, you should use CleanMyMac X to perform a Smart Cleanup. This will clear your system of any junk files so that they’re not transferred over unnecessarily. You can download CleanMyMac X for free, here.
Cloning the hard drive can be done with a tool such as SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cleaner, or with Apple’s own Disk Utility program. Here’s how to do it with the latter:
- Connect the SSD to your Mac using the SATA-to-USB cable.
- Go to Applications > Utilities and open the Disk Utility.
- Click on the SSD icon, followed by the Partition tab and select 'Partition 1' from the Partition Layout.
- Click on Options and select GUID Partition Table in the next window.
- Click on the First Aid tab, followed by Verify Disk Permissions.
- Click Verify Disk, followed by Repair Disk.
- Shutdown your MacBook and restart it, holding the Option key as you do. Choose the option to boot to Recovery Disk.
- Click on Reinstall Mac OS X and choose the SSD as the destination.
- Copy your files over from the installed hard drive to the SSD. When asked to restore files from another disk, choose the currently installed hard drive.
Step 2: Remove the hard drive
Now it’s time to get hands-on.
- Make sure your MacBook is shut down.
- Locate and remove the 10 screws using the Phillips screwdriver. Put the screws in a small bowl so that you don’t lose any.
- Remove the cover and touch a metal part to release the static electricity.
- Locate the hard drive and remove the plastic bracket securing it. This is held in place with two screws.
- Gently remove the hard drive and disconnect the SATA ribbon. Do this by wiggling the connector. Don’t yank on the ribbon.
- Remove the four Torx screws attached to the hard drive and screw the posts into the SSD.
Step 3: Fit the SSD
- Carefully attach the SATA ribbon to the SSD and lower it in place.
- Fix the holding bracket back in place.
- Replace the MacBook cover and screw in the ten tiny screws.
- Switch on your MacBook Pro, go to System Preferences > Startup Disk and make sure the SSD is selected.
- Restart your computer.
See, we told you it was easy!
Enjoy a faster, smoother MacBook Pro
A new SSD drive for your Mac will make an instant impact. Apps will launch faster, files will save quicker, and multitasking will be a much smoother experience. Use CleanMyMac X to regularly remove junk files from your system and you’ll enjoy slick performance for many a year to come.
CleanMyMac X finds and removes junk files from your MacBook Pro to free up space and keep your system running to its full potential. Make it the first app you install on your new SSD!
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by Shirly Chen, 2017-12-01
A Solid State Drive is primarily used on Mac machine. If you want to recycle a SSD, formatting is the best way to remove all history data from the SSD. Today, we will talk about how to format or reformat SSD on Mac. You can run easy-to-use Mac disk formatting software to easily format internal SSD or external SSD under Mac OS.
Solution 1: format & quick format SSD on Mac
Disk Utility is a useful application inside your Mac system. It can help you format & quick format SSD on Mac. First of all, open it from Launchpad. It will list all hard drives and external hard drives on the Mac. Select the SSD and click on 'Erase' button. Then Disk Utility will quickly format the SSD on your Mac.
Format Ssd For Mac Terminal
Disk Utility can’t format the system SSD. And please note that after the SSD is formatted by Disk Utility, the data still can be recovered by Mac data recovery software. This is very easy solution to format or quick format Mac SSD. If you only want to recycle or reuse the SSD, this is the best solution to remove all old data on the Mac SSD. But if you are going to sell your Mac SSD, this is not the reliable way to remove sensitive data.
External Ssd For Mac
Solution 2: reformat or do high-level format on Mac SSD
If you want to sell, donate, lend or abandon a Mac computer/SSD, you should sure all the sensitive data on the Mac SSD has been permanently erased. Reformat or high-level format can help you permanently erase all data information on Mac SSD. Mac disk formatting software – DoYourData Super Eraser for Mac offers secure solution to reformat or high-level format Mac solid state drive. It will reformat the SSD on Mac and permanently erase all data on the SSD without affecting the service life of the Mac SSD.
DoYourData Super Eraser for Mac is pretty simple to use. You can reformat your Mac SSD by only 1 click. First of all, just download and install DoYourData Super Eraser for Mac on your Mac computer. Then run it to quickly reformat your Mac SSD.
Step 1: Launch DoYourData Super Eraser for Mac on your Mac.
When you run DoYourData Super Eraser for Mac, you will see three data erasure modes. Choose this mode 'Wipe Hard Drive'.
Format Ssd For Mac Os Mojave
Step 2: Reformat Mac SSD by 1 click.
DoYourData Super Eraser for Mac will show all hard drives on your Mac. Select the SSD and click on 'Wipe Now' button to reformat the SSD on your Mac.

Once the Mac SSD is reformatted by Mac SSD, all data on the SSD will be permanently lost, can’t be recovered by data recovery software. You also can’t reformat the system SSD. But DoYourData Super Eraser for Mac offers another solution to permanently erase data on the system SSD. It can erase the free disk space of the system SSD. Then all deleted or lost data on the system SSD will be permanently erased.
Format Ssd For Mac Using Terminal
Format Ssd For Macbook
If you are going to dispose your old Mac computer or old SSD, DoYourData Super Eraser for Mac is the best tool for you to format the SSD on Mac and permanently remove all private data on the SSD.
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