The process of connecting a USB drive to your Mac is very straightforward. On the contrary, removing the USB drive from Mac after transferring data to or from it requires a little bit of skill. In this post, we will teach you how to eject USB from Mac, step by step with no steps skipped. Read on for the details.
You don’t want to corrupt the data on your USB drive, do you? As you might already be aware, recklesslyejecting a USB drive from Macmay not only lead to significant data corruption or loss, but also damage your drive, not to mention jeopardizing future data transfers to or from the drive. If you are looking for ways to eject your USB from a Mac computer, then you have come to the right place.
There are different methods that one can use to eject USB from Mac. Below, we have discussed some of them:
1. Using Finder to Eject USB from MAC
Among other methods, you can use finder to eject USB from Mac. Follow the steps below to get it done:
Step 1: Launch the Finder utility and then head over to the side navigation and select Locations.
Step 2: Locate the USBdrive you wish to eject on the left side of the Devicestab
Step 3: When you’re certain of the USB to eject, click on the Eject icon
Step 4: Wait a few seconds for the success message to pop up before you can safely remove the USB from your Mac computer.
2. Eject USB from MAC via the desktop USB icon
Ever noticed that whenever a USB drive is connected to a Mac computer, the USB icon automatically shows on the desktop taskbar? This method relies on this desktop icon. Here is how it works:
Step 1: Right click on the desktop USB icon located in the taskbar.
Step 2: From the menu options that shows, click on Eject USB Drive.
Step 3: Confirm the USB Drive you wish to eject then finally click Eject Drive.
You should be able to see a success pop up message notifying that the USB had been ejected successfully. You can then go ahead and safely remove the USB drive from your Mac computer.
3. How to eject USB from Mac using the drag and drop option
From the desktop icon that shows when a USB is tethered to Mac, it can be dragged and dropped to the Trashcan. This will after few seconds safely eject the connected USB drive from Mac. The following steps will help accomplish ejection of the USB drive using this technique:
Step 1: On the desktop USBicon in the taskbar.
Step 2: Hover over it and hold it down by leftclicking and holding.
Step 3: After holding you can drag the USB icon across the desktop screen and drop it in the Trash Can.
Step 4: Upon releasing the USB desktop icon in the Trash can, your Mac will notify you that the USB drive can now be safely ejected.
4. How to eject USB from Mac via files tab on Finder app
You can also eject USB from Mac via the files tab. Here is how to get it done in a few easy steps:
Step 1: Launch the Finder utility app
Step 2: Locate the Files tab and click on it
Step 3: From the drop down menu options, choose
Step 4: Click on the eject option that is con jugated with the name of the USB drive you wish to eject i.e. Eject “USBdrive G”
Step 5: Wait till you see the success message saying that the USBhasbeensafely ejected.
5. How to eject USB from Macusing Key board commands
This option utilizes the “Command+E” keyboard shortcut to execute safe ejection of the USB drive from Mac. Procced as follows:
Step 1: Locate the USB volume label on the desktop
Step 2: Select the volume by left clicking on it just once
Step 3: After the USB drive is selected, click on Mac shortcut option “Command+E”
Step 4: This will inform Mac that you want to eject the selected USB drive
Step 5: Wait for a few seconds and the USB drive will be ejected from Mac.
6. EjectingUSB from Mac using terminal
You can also eject USB from Mac using terminal. All you will need to do is enter commands on the terminal console command line. Proceed as follows:
Step 1: Launch the terminal app and then click on Go
Step 2: From the dropdown menu, select Utilities
Step 3: This will open a new window with all Mac utilities
Step 4: Locate the terminalutility, and double click it to open.
Step 5: On opening the terminal window, type in the command, “drutil tray eject”. Or just copy and paste this command to the terminalwindow.
Step 6: Hit the Return button to run the command.
Step 7: Mac should automaticallyeject the USB drive.
This method usually works when onlyoneUSB drive is connected to Mac. Otherwise, the following commands should eject a specificUSB drive from Mac;
Step 1: In the Terminalwindow enter the command, “drutil list” and pressing Return.
Step 2: A list of allconnecteddevices will be displayed.
Step 3: Identifythe number associated with the USB drive you wish to eject for instance 1, 2 or 3.
Step 4: Type the command, “drutil tray eject (number)” to eject the specificUSB drive. For example if the USB is number 4, type in the command window, “drutil tray eject 4”
Step 5: This will automaticallyeject the tethered USB drive from your Mac.
Conclusion
Usually if attempt to eject a USB drive from Mac fails, it means that an application or user is still reading or writing to the drive thus an error message. Make sure that all apps such as music that may be reading the drive are closed before attempting to eject. Always make sure to safely eject USB to avoid data loss or corruption that usually accompany inappropriate unplugging. Next time you want to remove your USB drive from a Mac computer, these methods and steps will be of much help.
