Web Desk 
Jun 01, 2024
Ejecting mounted volumes on a Mac is essential to maintaining data integrity. Force ejecting can result in data loss or corruption, making it crucial to properly unmount external drives and other volumes.
macOS provides several methods to safely eject these volumes, ensuring that all read/write operations are complete and preventing potential data issues.
Avoiding force ejection is particularly important when dealing with external hard drives, USB flash drives, and other removable media. These devices are more susceptible to damage if not properly unmounted. macOS offers user-friendly ways to ensure that your data remains safe and your devices are correctly ejected.
Read more: Apple AirTag helps carpenter find his stolen tools
How to safely eject external hard drive on Mac
- Open Finder and locate the mounted volume in the sidebar.
- Click the eject button next to the volume name. Wait until the volume disappears from the sidebar before disconnecting.
- If the volume appears on your desktop, right-click the icon and select “Eject.”
- Alternatively, drag the volume icon to the Trash. The Trash icon will change to an eject symbol when dragging a volume.
- Open Disk Utility from the Applications > Utilities folder.
- Select the volume you wish to eject from the list on the left.
- Click the “Eject” button in the toolbar.
- Select the volume in Finder or on the desktop.
- Press Command + E to eject the selected volume.
- Ensure no applications are using files from the volume.
- Close any open files or applications that might be accessing the volume.
- Open Terminal from the Applications > Utilities folder.
- Type the command diskutil eject /dev/diskX (replace /dev/diskX with the correct identifier for your volume) and press Enter.
By following these steps, you can safely eject mounted volumes in macOS, avoiding the risks associated with force ejection. This ensures your data remains intact and your devices function correctly.
