How to Eject a Flash Drive from a Mac

This wikiHow teaches you how to safely remove a USB drive using a Mac.

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Eject Symbol Method

  1. Image titled Eject a Flash Drive from a Mac Step 1
    1
    Empty the trash. Files in the trash from the flash drive will prevent it being ejected.
  2. Image titled Eject a Flash Drive from a Mac Step 2
    2
    Open the Finder.
    Advertisement
  3. Image titled Eject a Flash Drive from a Mac Step 3
    3
    Under Devices, find your flash drive listed.
  4. Image titled Eject a Flash Drive from a Mac Step 4
    4
    Click on the eject symbol.
  5. Image titled Eject a Flash Drive from a Mac Step 5
    5
    Wait until the light on your flash drive stops flashing.
  6. Image titled Eject a Flash Drive from a Mac Step 6
    6
    Remove it from the Mac.
    7. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Drag To Trash Method

  1. Image titled Eject a Flash Drive from a Mac Step 7
    1
    Empty the trash. Files in the trash from the flash drive will prevent it being ejected.
  2. Image titled Eject a Flash Drive from a Mac Step 8
    2
    Open the Finder.
  3. Image titled Eject a Flash Drive from a Mac Step 9
    3
    Under Devices, find your flash drive listed.
  4. Image titled Eject a Flash Drive from a Mac Step 10
    4
    Drag it to the trash.
  5. Image titled Eject a Flash Drive from a Mac Step 11
    5
    Wait until the light on your flash drive stops flashing.
  6. Image titled Eject a Flash Drive from a Mac Step 12
    6
    Remove it from the Mac.
    7. Advertisement

Warnings

  • Don't try to remove the flash disk before emptying the trash. OSX can have some hiccups with this if you do, and you may have to restart.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
Advertisement

You Might Also Like

Add Files to a Memory Stick
How to
Add Files to a Memory Stick
Add an External Hard Drive to Your ComputerHow to Add an External Hard Drive
Create a Bootable Windows 7 or Vista USB Drive
How to
Create a Bootable Windows 7 or Vista USB Drive
Fix an Unrecognized USB Disk
How to
Fix an Unrecognized USB Disk
Make a USB BootableHow to Make a Bootable USB Drive on Windows & macOS
Copy Documents to a USB Flash Drive from Your Computer
How to
Copy Documents to a USB Flash Drive from Your Computer
Repair a USB Flash Drive6 Ways to Repair a USB Flash Drive
Put Music on a Flash Drive
How to
Put Music on a Flash Drive
Save Files to a USB Flash Drive
How to
Save Files to a USB Flash Drive
Remove Write Protection on an SD Card
How to
Remove Write Protection on an SD Card
Use a USB Flash DriveEasy Ways to Use a USB Flash Drive
Boot from an External Hard Drive
How to
Boot from an External Hard Drive
Remove the Read‐Only State from a USB Drive
How to
Remove the Read‐Only State from a USB Drive
Format a Flash Drive
How to
Format a Flash Drive
Advertisement

About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 41,482 times.
How helpful is this?
Co-authors: 8
Updated: April 14, 2022
Views: 41,482
Categories: External Storage Devices
Advertisement