---
id: external-drives.how-do-i-add-a-volume-to-an-external-drive
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/how-do-i-add-a-volume-to-an-external-drive
category: "External drives"
subcategory: "Drive formats"
question: "How do I add a second APFS volume to an external drive?"
alt_questions:
  - "Add APFS volume Disk Utility"
  - "Create another volume on external SSD"
  - "APFS volume vs partition external drive"
  - "separate volume for Time Machine on same drive"
short_answer: "In Disk Utility, select a volume on the APFS drive and click + (Add Volume). The new volume appears as its own drive without erasing anything, and all volumes share the drive's free space unless you set a reserve or quota."
tags: ["apfs volume", "disk utility", "partition"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/can-i-split-one-drive-into-storage-studio-and-other-uses", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/can-i-encrypt-just-part-of-an-external-drive", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/can-i-use-my-time-machine-drive-as-the-fast-drive"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# How do I add a second APFS volume to an external drive?

In Disk Utility, select an existing volume on the APFS drive and click the **+** (Add Volume) button in the toolbar, then name it and choose its format. It appears as a separate drive in Finder straight away, without erasing anything.

Unlike partitions, APFS volumes **share the drive's free space**, so you don't have to decide sizes in advance (you can set a reserve or quota if you want limits). That makes a separate volume a tidy way to keep, say, Time Machine backups apart from other files. See [splitting one drive for Storage Studio and other uses](https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/can-i-split-one-drive-into-storage-studio-and-other-uses).