How to eject a disk from a Mac?

To safely eject a disk from your Mac, click the Eject button (⏏) next to the drive icon on the desktop or drag the icon to the Trash, which turns into an Eject symbol. 2. Alternatively, open a Finder window, go to the File menu in the menu bar, and select Eject [Drive Name] to send a safe-removal signal. 3. If the drive is visible on the desktop, select it and press Command (⌘) E to quickly eject it using the keyboard shortcut. 4. For drives that won’t eject normally, open Disk Utility, select the drive, and click Eject; if needed, unmount it first via the gear icon before ejecting. 5. As a last resort, force eject by pressing Option Click on the drive to reveal a forced Eject option, or use the Terminal command diskutil eject /Volumes/DRIVE_NAME, replacing DRIVE_NAME with the actual volume name in quotes if necessary. Always wait a few seconds after ejecting before disconnecting the drive, avoid unplugging without ejecting to prevent data corruption, and for optical discs, use drutil tray eject in Terminal or restart while holding the mouse button if the disc is stuck. Using the Finder Eject button or drag-to-Trash method is recommended as it is simple, safe, and reliable.

If you need to eject a disk from your Mac—whether it’s an external hard drive, USB flash drive, DVD, or SD card—there are several reliable methods. Here’s how to do it safely to avoid data loss.

1. Eject Using the Desktop or Finder

The easiest way is through the desktop or Finder:

• From the Desktop:
  Look for the disk icon on your desktop. Click the Eject button (⏏) next to the drive name, or simply drag the disk icon to the Trash (which turns into an Eject symbol when you drag).

  

• From Finder:
  Open a Finder window, go to the sidebar under Locations, find your drive, and click the Eject button next to it.

Once ejected, the drive will disappear from view, and it’s safe to unplug it.

2. Use the Menu Bar

You can also eject from the top menu bar:

• Click Apple menu > System Settings (or System Preferences), then go to Desktop & Dock > Finder settings to ensure external drives are shown (optional for visibility).
• In any Finder window, go to the File menu at the top of the screen.
• Select Eject [Drive Name].

This sends the same safe-removal signal to the system.

3. Keyboard Shortcut

If the drive is visible on the desktop:

• Select the drive icon (click it once).
• Press Command (⌘) E.
• Confirm if prompted, then wait for the drive to disappear.

This shortcut opens the Eject dialog and works quickly when you’re navigating multiple files.

4. Eject Using Disk Utility (for stubborn drives)

Sometimes a disk won’t eject normally—maybe a file is still in use.

• Open Disk Utility (go to Applications > Utilities).
• Find your drive in the list on the left.
• Select it and click the Eject button at the top.
• If it still won’t eject, try unmounting first (click the drive, then the gear icon > Unmount), then eject.

This method is helpful for optical discs or frozen external drives.

5. Force Eject Only If Necessary

If a disk is frozen and won’t eject:

• Press Option Click the drive on the desktop—the Eject option may change to Eject [Name] even if grayed out.
• Or, open Terminal and type:
  diskutil eject /Volumes/DRIVE_NAME
  Replace DRIVE_NAME with the actual name of your drive (use quotes if it has spaces, like "My Drive").

Use force eject only when needed, as it may lead to data loss if files are still being written.

A Few Tips

• Always wait a few seconds after ejecting before unplugging.
• Never just pull out a drive without ejecting—this can corrupt data.
• For optical discs (DVDs), if the drive still won’t open, you can use the Terminal command drutil tray eject or restart the Mac while holding the mouse button (for older Macs with optical drives).

Basically, just use the Eject button in Finder or drag to the Trash—it’s simple, safe, and works every time.

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