How to Erase a Disk from the Command Line of Mac OS

When it comes to erasing and formatting a disk on a Mac, there are two ways to do so - using the standard interface of Mac OS X or through the command line. While the latter may seem intimidating at first, it can be a more efficient and precise way to erase an entire disk. However, before we dive into the steps, it's essential to remember that the command line is unforgiving, and any mistakes made during this process will result in permanent data loss.

Therefore, if you're not comfortable with using the command line, it would be advisable to use Disk Utility in the standard interface of Mac OS X. This approach will erase all data on the target disk, including volumes, partitions, and files. The entire disk will be erased, leaving no data remaining.

Before proceeding, make sure you have backed up any important data on the target disk to an external drive or cloud storage service, as formatting the drive will erase all data on it.

To erase a disk using the command line, follow these steps:

1. Open the Terminal application on your Mac.

2. Type `diskutil list` and press Enter to view the list of available disks.

3. Identify the device name of the target disk you want to erase. For example, if you see `/dev/disk2s1` in the list, this is the target disk you will use for the rest of these steps.

4. Type `sudo diskutil eraseDisk 'device_name'` and press Enter, replacing `'device_name'` with the name of your target disk.

5. You will be prompted to select a format type. Choose 'Mac OS Extended (Journaled)' as it is the most commonly used file system format.

6. Once you've selected the format type, you'll be asked if you want to erase the entire disk or just a volume on the disk. Select 'Entire Disk' to ensure that all data on the target disk is erased.

7. Confirm your selection by typing `y` and pressing Enter.

8. The disk will now begin the erase process. This may take some time depending on the size of the disk and the speed of your Mac.

9. Once the erase process is complete, you can use the `diskutil info 'device_name'` command to verify that the disk has been successfully erased and formatted.

It's important to note that formatting a drive will erase all data on it, so make sure you have backed up any important files or data before proceeding. Additionally, if you need to use your Mac with Windows, it's recommended to format the drive as ExFAT, as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) does not work natively with Windows.

In conclusion, erasing and formatting a disk from the command line of Mac OS can be a more efficient and precise way to erase an entire disk. However, it's essential to remember that any mistakes made during this process will result in permanent data loss, so make sure you're comfortable using the command line before proceeding.

Macbook disk utility erase