
As part of the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) standard, GUID is a bootable standard for systems with EFI firmware such as macOS. This is a standard for the layout of the partition table on a storage disk using globally unique identifiers (GUIDs). On every drive there are multiple partitions, and for this you will need a partition table or partition map – maintained by the operating system – to detail the status of the partitions. The fixed-sized subset of a disk drive treated as an individual unit by the operating system (in our case macOS) is defined as a partition.


In this article we will explain what a partition scheme is and which one to pick when formatting a drive.

When you attach a storage disk to a Mac with the purpose of erasing or repartitioning it, you'll be presented with the option of selecting one of the three available partition maps: GUID Partition Map, Master Boot Record, and Apple Partition Map.
