Best Partition Manager Apps for Mac (2026)

For years, “partitioning a Mac” was considered a normal maintenance task — something you did to install another OS, organize files, or prepare an external drive. In 2026, that assumption no longer holds.

Modern Macs run on APFS, a file system designed to eliminate much of the friction traditional partitions once solved. Instead of carving a disk into fixed slices, macOS now encourages using APFS volumes that dynamically share space, work seamlessly with snapshots, and integrate tightly with system security — especially on Apple silicon Macs.

That shift changes the question entirely.

Most Mac users today don’t actually need a partition manager. What they need is the right tool for the right storage job — whether that’s creating an APFS volume, formatting an external drive, working with NTFS or BitLocker disks, or recovering from a failed resize that Disk Utility can’t handle.

In this guide, we focus on when partition managers still make sense, when Apple’s built-in tools are enough, and which third-party apps are actually worth using on modern macOS — without breaking your data or fighting the system.

Editor’s note: This guide focuses on Mac partition software. If you’re a Windows user, check out our guide to the best partition managers for Windows here.

TheSweetBits’ Key Takeaways

• Disk Utility is still the best starting point for most Mac users, especially for APFS volumes and basic formatting.
• Traditional partition managers are now niche tools, mainly useful for external drives, mixed file systems, or recovery scenarios.
• EaseUS Partition Master for Mac is the most practical all-around third-party option in 2026, particularly when Disk Utility fails silently.
• GParted is powerful but only recommended for advanced users who need boot-level control.
• Paragon Hard Disk Manager remains relevant mainly for Intel Macs.
• If your goal is simple separation and flexibility, APFS volumes are often the better choice than partitions.

A Quick Comparison

App	Disk Utility	GParted	EaseUS Partition Master	Paragon Hard Disk Manager
Type	Built-in macOS tool	Open-source tool	Dedicated partition manager	Partition manager for Intel Macs
Platforms	macOS	macOS, Linux, Windows	macOS (Silicon & Intel)	macOS (Intel only)
Use Cases	APFS volumes, basic formatting	Boot-level recovery, mixed OS disks	External drives, stubborn APFS, NTFS	Boot Camp & Intel Macs
File System Support	APFS, macOS Journaled	macOS, Linux, Windows FS	APFS, HFS+, FAT, NTFS	macOS, Windows Bootcamp
Ease of Use	High	Moderate	High	Moderate
Cost	Free	Free	$49.95	$39.95

Before You Choose a Tool

Before you install a partition manager, ask this:

• Do you just need separation without fixed space? → Use APFS volumes (Disk Utility is often enough)
• Do you need hard isolation, a different file system, or Boot Camp? → You may need a true partition manager
• Are you working with NTFS, BitLocker, or legacy disks? → Third-party tools make sense

Our Favorite Partition Managers for Mac

Partition managers still matter — but only in specific, increasingly narrow scenarios.

To select the best partition managers for Mac, we conducted thorough testing on a MacBook Air with M2 chip running macOS Sequoia, simulating typical user scenarios. Each app was carefully evaluated and reviewed by our team. For more details on our process, read the full rundown of how we select apps to feature on TheSweetBits blog.

#1 Disk Utility: A basic, built-in tool

Disk Utility is the official built-in disk management solution for macOS. You can use this app to manage the multiple partitions and storage devices connected to your Mac. It follows the same UI design that you see on other apps from Apple, making it easy to take care of devices and partitions.

For instance, you can create new partitions or add another volume to the container. You also get options to Erase, Restore, and Mount/Unmount devices. However, many options are intentionally disabled when the underlying file system (such as NTFS or BitLocker) is not natively writable by macOS.

However, we use Disk Utility to fetch accurate information about connected drives most of the time. So, if you already have a drive with the APFS (Apple File System), or macOS Journaled file system (which are optimized for Apple devices), you may find Disk Utility just right. It does not require much technical expertise, either.

The problem? You don’t get options like disk/partition transfer or cloning. It offers the First Aid feature that can check the drive for potential issues. In summary, Disk Utility may not be enough if you need advanced drive/partition management options.

On the bright side, it’s completely free and integrates well with macOS.

#2 GParted: Best open-source option

GParted is a boot-level partition manager that works on macOS, Linux, and Windows. This open-source app is convenient when you cannot start up your Mac. In those cases, you can load GParted from bootable media and explore options like creating/deleting, checking, copying, pasting, etc.

However, the biggest difficulty is that you need boot-level access to use GParted in the first place. It doesn’t have a GUI-based design that runs on macOS. For most Mac users, boot-level disk management is inconvenient — but for recovery and cross-platform scenarios, it’s unmatched.

If the restriction does not affect you, GParted makes perfect sense. It definitely offers more control than the built-in disk utility on macOS. More importantly, you can access a variety of file systems, including the ones used on macOS, Linux, and Microsoft Windows.

Another reason to use GParted is the regular updates the free tool receives. For instance, the latest stable version of GParted Live was released in September 2024. It also keeps adding more features to each version, including added support for environments.

Given that it is free to use, you can consider GParted if you find it convenient.

#3 EaseUS Partition Master for Mac: Best overall

EaseUS Partition Master for Mac is a dedicated partition manager app for macOS devices. It works with both Apple Silicon and Intel-series Mac devices and offers the best of both worlds. First, the tool provides a lot more features than disk utility. More importantly, you get a GUI that does the job.

In our testing, EaseUS Partition Master for Mac became most useful when Disk Utility failed silently — especially on external drives with a long history, mixed file systems, or multiple APFS resizes.

In addition to helping you manage disk partitions, EaseUS Partition Master for Mac will provide features for cloning and copying disk content. It is a convenient feature for SSD upgrades. You can access BitLocker-formatted drives, including read access to encrypted volumes (write support depends on configuration). As a cherry on top, this tool makes NTFS drives writeable on your Mac.

Furthermore, you can use EaseUS Partition Master for Mac to create a macOS installer on a removable drive. Compared to the manual process, this one doesn’t take more than a few clicks. We also loved the format-to-format conversion options, especially since they do not incur data loss.

As far as support is concerned, this app from EaseUS works with HFS, HFS+, APFS, FAT, ExFAT, and NTFS. In this package, you get disk benchmark software for Mac as well. This feature will let you find the maximum speed of your hard drives.

You can get the yearly license of EaseUS Partition Master for $49.95, and you can use it on up to two Macs. Overall, we found it a worthwhile investment, mainly if you deal a lot with OS installation and disks.

Also: Read our full EaseUS Partition Master for Mac review.

#4 Paragon Hard Disk Manager for Mac: Ideal for Intel Macs

The next paid option on this list is the Paragon Hard Disk Manager for Mac. This nifty tool from Paragon can easily become your buddy for all things hard disks on Intel-based Macs. Though you can use the app to manage partitions, it also offers advanced options for data recovery.

This means you will find more dedicated data/partition recovery options for Mac using Paragon Hard Disk Manager. You can use many of these features while migrating data between two Macs or virtual containers. It is a trusted way to resize and manage the Windows Bootcamp installation as well.

As you may guess, Paragon Hard Disk Manager for Mac lets you create bootable media for macOS and other drives. So, this single partition manager app can replace multiple apps that you may have on your Mac. Given the experience Paragon has in this niche, you can expect best-in-class performance and compatibility.

We should remind you that Paragon Hard Disk Manager does not support Apple Silicon Macs, though. This means that only those with an older Mac can use all the features mentioned earlier. As far as compatibility is concerned, the app works on macOS 10.12 Sierra to macOS 12 Monterey.

On the bright side, Paragon Hard Disk Manager for Mac costs only $39.95. This one-time purchase is an excellent option for those who have an Intel Mac.

#5 Bonus: iBoysoft NTFS for Mac: Best for NTFS-formatted drives

We have included iBoysoft NTFS for Mac as a bonus entry. While it is not a fully-fledged partition manager, you have the option to control drives and containers. This is more important when you want to manage an NTFS drive/container from your Mac.

You also get the easiest way to have writeable NTFS drives on a Mac. Yet, its core partition management features are available only for NTFS drives. So, if you have an ExFAT or macOS Journaled drive, you are out of luck.

As you may already know, iBoysoft NTFS for Mac has an impressive User Interface, which makes it easy for anyone to handle partition management, among other tasks. You may also want to check our article on the different ways to read and write NTFS on macOS.

You can get iBoysoft NTFS for Mac through a lifetime license costing $49.95 or a yearly subscription worth $19.95. You can get it via Setapp subscription as well.

The Bottom Line

Apple has deliberately moved storage management toward APFS volumes, snapshots, and system-managed containers. For everyday tasks, Disk Utility — despite its limits — is often the safest and most compatible option. Installing a third-party partition manager should be a conscious decision, not a default habit.

That said, real-world Mac use isn’t always clean. External drives, legacy file systems, NTFS disks, failed resizes, and cross-platform workflows still exist — and that’s where specialized tools like EaseUS Partition Master or GParted earn their place.

Our advice is simple:

use the lightest tool that solves your actual problem.

Partition only when you must. Prefer volumes when you can. And don’t fight APFS unless you truly need to.

That’s how you keep your Mac storage flexible, reliable, and future-proof.

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