When utilizing macOS, you definitely know for those who’ve opened a Pages file or are enhancing an e mail. However, under the floor are recordsdata that macOS makes use of that you simply don’t see–all of the exercise required for background processes, Time Machine backups, Highlight indexing, and different system wants. Once you wish to eject a mounted quantity, like a quantity on an exterior SSD or laborious drive, you possibly can run afoul of macOS’s hidden wants.
You possibly can attempt to eject a quantity usually in these methods:
- Choose it within the Finder and press Command-E.
- Choose it within the Finder and select File > Eject.
- Management-click/right-click the quantity within the Finder and select Eject “volume name.”
(In the event you don’t see the quantity within the Finder, both select Go > Laptop or press Command-Shift-C, or select Finder > Settings > Normal and verify all of the gadgets below “Show these items on the desktop.”)
In the event you’re fortunate, whenever you attempt to eject a quantity, you see a message with particular particulars, resembling this one which got here up once I examined ejecting the exterior drive that homes my most important Images library:
Foundry
Quitting these two apps did let me eject “Photos SSD 2TB.” If there’s one thing taking place at a system degree, nevertheless, you will notice a message worded like this: “The disk [name] wasn’t ejected because one or more programs may be using it. You can try to eject the disk again or click Force Eject to eject it immediately.” Cancel and Power Eject buttons are a part of the dialog, and a progress spinner seems subsequent to the phrase “Trying to eject.”
That doesn’t assist resolve the state of affairs. Right here’s what you are able to do to slim down the issue. (And be aware that Apple makes use of the time period “disk” regardless of that, within the Finder, you’re all the time ejecting a quantity, as some disks might have a number of mountable volumes on them.)
Shut Finder home windows
As odd because it appears, typically merely having a window open within the Finder that exhibits the contents of the quantity or a folder on it could make the Finder imagine {that a} “program” is utilizing that mounted merchandise. Shut the Finder window and take a look at once more.
Take away the quantity from Highlight
I’ve discovered that Highlight can typically seize maintain of a quantity and mark it as unejectable even when indexing isn’t actively in course of on that quantity.
You possibly can verify if that’s the issue by going to > System Settings > Siri & Highlight, scrolling all the way down to the underside of the view, and clicking Highlight Privateness. Drag the quantity into the window (or click on + and navigate to it, then add it), and click on Achieved. This instantly removes the quantity from indexing.
Attempt to eject now. If it really works, that was the issue. Nevertheless, if you wish to search gadgets on that quantity, you have to to take away it from Highlight Privateness later.
Verify if Time Machine is backing up
If Time Machine is actively backing up the quantity, you might be unable to eject it. Verify the standing of Time Machine both via its system menu or by going to > System Settings > Normal > Time Machine. If it’s underway, you possibly can select Skip This Backup from the Time Machine system menu or click on the “x” field subsequent to the lively session within the System Settings view and watch for Time Machine to wind down.
You possibly can exclude the quantity from Time Machine through the use of the settings view: click on Choices, click on the + (plus) signal on the backside of Exclude from Backups, and add the quantity whereas mounted. Click on Achieved.
Head for the Terminal
There’s a tweaky technique to dig extra deeply utilizing the Terminal. In Terminal, copy and paste the next command after changing “Name of volume” along with your exact quantity title, together with areas, and press Return:
lsof | grep '/Volumes/Title of quantity'
Be sure there are straight single quotes earlier than the /
on the entrance of /Volumes
and on the finish of the road after your quantity title.
The lsof
command exhibits all recordsdata in use by apps and system processes; grep
is a filter possibility that, with 'Volumes'
, helps you to solely see recordsdata in use by a mounted drive.
The ensuing output is stuffed with technical element, however studying via it, you could possibly determine which applications are the difficulty, or what system processes have grabbed maintain.
For my exterior Images library quantity, for example, I noticed dozens of entries, which embrace these two strains:
mediaanal 38659 glenn txt REG 1,38 32768 42399710 /Volumes/Images SSD 2TB/Images Library.photoslibrary/database/Images.sqlite-shm
Adobex20 855 glenn 84u REG 1,38 7134511104 62657146 /Volumes/Images SSD 2TB/.TemporaryItems/folders.501/TemporaryItems/Adobe Photoshop 2024/Photoshop Temp1442699855
From this, I may have guessed Images and Adobe Photoshop had been lively, even when the Finder hadn’t instructed me. You could possibly work out from the checklist what app or apps to give up–and even that you simply don’t know why a given course of is utilizing the quantity. Through which case…
Power Eject
In case you have a Power Eject button accessible within the dialog famous in the beginning of this text, you possibly can click on that now. Nevertheless, I’m not a giant fan of it: utilizing Power Eject may cause an issue when the open file on the quantity being ejected isn’t correctly up to date and closed. Which may corrupt a file that you simply want with out understanding it. I attempt to save Power Eject for once I know macOS is ridiculous and there’s no difficulty or it’s a state of affairs through which I don’t have the time to decide on essentially the most prudent course, famous subsequent: shutting down or restarting.
Shut down
If not one of the above helps, then:
- For a bodily related exterior quantity, select > Shut Down. When your Mac is totally shut down, unplug the SSD or HDD. Press the facility button in your Mac to start out up.
- For a “logically” mounted quantity, resembling a disk picture or networked quantity, select > Restart. On restart, the quantity must be unmounted by default. If not, instantly choose it and use an eject possibility listed above, which ought to now work.
This Mac 911 article is in response to a query submitted by Macworld reader Cliff.
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