Ejecting a drive is quite simple on a Mac. Open Finder, and in the sidebar, click on the tiny eject button next to the drive you wish to disconnect. Once you no longer see the drive listed, you can safely disconnect it from your computer. Alternatively, you can select the drive, click on “File” at the top, and choose “Eject”. Another way to eject media is to drag and drop the disk’s icon from the desktop to the bin in your dock.
If you can’t eject your drive using any of these methods, ensure that all files located on the drive are closed. For instance, if you are editing a Photoshop document that’s saved to the external device, check to see if the file is open. To force quit an app, press Command + Q on your keyboard with the app’s window in focus. Also check to see if you have any files from the external drive in the trash — and if so, clear your bin and try ejecting the device once again.
Sometimes issues with the Finder app may also hinder your ability to interact with external disk drives on your Mac. Click on the Apple icon in the top-left corner of your screen, select “Force Quit…”, choose “Finder” from the list of open apps, and click on “Relaunch”. If you’re familiar with Mac keyboard shortcuts, you can access this menu any time by pressing Command + Option + Escape.
