Remove or Hide "Macintosh HD" from the Desktop on Mac

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Are you concerned about keeping their desktop/computer free of unnecessary clutter? The Macintosh HD icon is one of the files or folders found on the hard drive.

You accidentally find the Macintosh HD disk icon on your desktop, and you can't remove or eject it. What's going on? One of the first things we do when setting up or upgrading a Mac is to get rid of or hide the Macintosh HD icon.

Although the process is quite simple, this article will explain how to remove the “Macintosh HD” icon from your Mac's desktop. Let's dive in!

"Macintosh HD" is the default name of the hard drive on an Apple Mac computer. "Macintosh" refers to Apple's early line of personal computers, and "HD" stands for "Hard Drive." In modern Mac operating systems, "Macintosh HD" typically designates the primary storage device where the operating system, applications, and user files are stored.

"Macintosh HD" refers to the built-in hard drive of a Mac computer running macOS 10.15 Catalina, macOS 11 Big Sur, or macOS 12 Monterey.

On systems running macOS 10.15 or later, the built-in Mac hard drive is configured by default to contain two volumes. The drive name, Macintosh HD, is used for storing the computer's system and software-related data.

The other, called “Macintosh HD - Data,” stores user data like documents and photos. In the Finder and on the desktop, however, the two volumes appear as a single volume named “Macintosh HD.”

How to Remove/Hide the Macintosh HD Icon from the Desktop

The Macintosh HD on your desktop cannot be deleted. However, if you don't want Macintosh HD to appear on your desktop, you can adjust your Finder preferences to make it disappear. Here are the steps to remove the Macintosh HD icon from your desktop in macOS Monterey, Big Sur, and Catalina: 1. Open Finder. 2. In the menu bar, click on "Finder" and then select "Preferences." 3. In the "Finder Preferences" window that appears, click on the "Desktop" tab. 4. In the list on the right side, uncheck the checkbox next to "Macintosh HD." 5. Click "OK" to save the changes. After completing these steps, the Macintosh HD icon will vanish from your desktop. However, please note that this does not mean you have deleted the hard drive itself; it simply won't be displayed on your desktop anymore.

Step 1: Click on the "Finder" tab from the menu bar.

Step 2. Click on the top menu bar and select Finder then Preferences.

Step 3: Click General in the Finder Preferences window.

Click “Hard Disk” to uncheck the box. If you want to remove an external hard drive from your computer, also uncheck the “External Disks” box on the Desktop.

Step 5: Close the Finder Preferences window, and then quit the application.

When you restart your MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or other Mac model, the "Macintosh HD" icon should no longer appear on the desktop.

Can I erase Macintosh HD?

"Macintosh HD" refers to your computer's built-in hard drive where the operating system is stored. You cannot uninstall, remove, or delete the Macintosh HD.

Unlike other files on your Mac, you can't delete the Macintosh HD by right-clicking its icon in Finder and selecting “Move to Trash.” You also can't press Command + Delete or drag the Macintosh HD icon into the Trash. However, you can erase it using Disk Utility, like this:

First, start up your Mac in macOS Recovery by pressing the command-R keys while it's starting up. Enter an administrator password if asked, and choose Disk Utility.

Caution: Make sure to back up your data before deleting Macintosh HD. If you lose data in the process of removing Macintosh, don't worry, there is a powerful data recovery software - tools Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, that can easily recover deleted or lost files, hard drive, or even the whole operating system. You can get the trial version by clicking the button below.

Step 1: Look for Lost Files

Select the disk location where you lost files on macOS Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, and the latest Sonoma. It can be an internal HDD/SSD or a removable storage device. Then, click the “Search Lost Files” button.

Note: Before data recovery, it is recommended that you click “Disk Backup” from the left sidebar to create a backup of your Mac to prevent further data loss. After the backup, the software can recover data from the Mac backup, and your computer can write new data again.

Step 2: Browse the scan results

Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will scan the disk volume you select immediately and display the scanning results.

Step 3. Select the files and recover them

In the scan results, select the files you want to preview, and then click the "Recover" button to get them back.

Step 2: Select “Macintosh HD” from the Disk Utility sidebar, then click the “Erase” button.

Note: You might be asked to enter your Apple ID and password.

Step 3: Once the wipe is complete, you can remove the volume from the sidebar.

Step 4: From the Utilities menu, choose Reinstall macOS, then follow the onscreen instructions to reinstall macOS.

[macOS Guide] How to Reinstall macOS

Are you wondering how to reinstall macOS without using a USB flash drive or CD/DVD on your iMac/MacBook Pro/Air? Successfully installing macOS on your Mac device in one go is like passing the toughest exam you've ever taken.

The difference between "Macintosh HD" and "Macintosh HD - Data"

Many Mac users have found it difficult to distinguish between Macintosh HD and Macintosh HD Data, a common source of confusion. Apple's new macOS Catalina operating system divides the Mac's operating system disk into two separate entities: Macintosh HD and Macintosh HD Data.

This separation keeps system files separate from your user files, helping protect the macOS operating system from accidental changes, malware, and system corruption. Here's the difference between Macintosh HD and Macintosh HD Data:

Macintosh HD: A volume on the hard drive used to store macOS data and applications. This disk is read-only, so when it's mounted, Mac users cannot create, delete, or modify any system files.

Macintosh HD - Data: This is in contrast to how Mac users see their data, which is displayed on the disk volume itself. Because they have read and write permissions, Mac users have control over files on the drive.

Conclusions

Removing the Macintosh HD icon from your Mac's shortcuts is simple. If you're unfamiliar with the steps to remove it from your computer's desktop, refer to this site for detailed instructions.

Note that "Macintosh HD" refers to the built-in hard drive of your Mac. Deleting it can result in loss of personal data. It is recommended to back up your data first, or use Data Recovery Wizard for Mac to recover deleted or lost files.