10 Ways to Fix Disk Not Ejected Properly on Mac [2023]


You are well-nigh to transfer some important files from an external momentum to your Mac, and suddenly you get the message “Disk Not Ejected Properly” The transfer fails, and you have to start all over again.

Disk not ejected properly on mac

If you squatter this problem commonly on your Mac, it can be very frustrating. In this post, you will learn why your Mac displays the ‘Disk Not Ejected Properly’ message so that you can stave this problem in the future.

What is “Disk not ejected properly” on Mac?

Disk not ejected properly on a Mac refers to the error message that appears when an external nonflexible momentum or USB device is shredded from the computer without pursuit the proper ejection process. This can lead to data self-indulgence or loss, as well as forfeiture to the nonflexible momentum itself. It can moreover rationalization performance issues on the computer, such as slow processing speeds and freezes. To stave these consequences, it is important to unchangingly squirt disks properly surpassing disconnecting them from the computer.

Why Does My Mac Say Disk Not Ejected Properly and How to Fix It?

There are several reasons why you’d encounter the ‘Disk not ejected properly’ error on macOS. Let’s take a look.

Loose USB Port

A self-explanatory reason for this notification on your Mac could be the loose USB port. Frequent use of USB ports on your Mac can rationalization wear and tear, resulting in a loose connection. Then, when you connect an external momentum to such a port, you alimony getting the ‘Disk not ejected properly’ message on your Mac. If you finger that this is the specimen with your Mac, we recommend that you use a variegated port on your Mac or contact an authorized service part-way to have your Mac inspected and fix the problem for good.

Poor hardware quality can moreover rationalization the nonflexible momentum on your Mac not to squirt properly. This problem can be caused by a needing subscription or external nonflexible momentum enclosure. A damaged NVRAM or PRAM can moreover rationalization this problem. Resetting the NVRAM or PRAM can fix the problem without losing any data. More on that later.

Faulty/Incompatible USB Adapter

Many Macs these days have USB-C ports instead of the old USB-A port, and nonflexible drives or SSDs still come with a USB-A connector. As a result, many people use a USB adapter/hub to connect an external momentum to their Mac. Since it acts as a medium between your Mac and the external drive, you may moreover encounter problems with the adapter.

You may wonder if it’s your Mac or your external drive, but the problem lies elsewhere. The USB connector may be faulty, defective, or incompatible with your Mac. Try using a certified or variegated adapter; your Mac should not receive a nonflexible momentum ejection notification.

Cable Issues (For SSD or HDD Users)

External nonflexible drives or solid state drives (SSDs) are usually unfluctuating to your Mac via a cable. Since cables are moreover prone to physical abuse, they can hands get damaged and be the rationalization of the nonflexible momentum not ejecting properly on your Mac.

If the problem is related to the cable, try using the momentum with a variegated subscription on your Mac, and it should work fine.

Aging Nonflexible Drive

Another reason for such a notification on your Mac could be the age of the external drive. Compared to solid-state drives, nonflexible disk drives have moving parts, which makes their lifespan restrictedly short.

If you are using an old nonflexible momentum with your Mac and wondering why you are getting errors when ejecting the drive, it could be a sign of an white-haired nonflexible drive. In such cases, we recommend that you when up the contents of the nonflexible momentum and switch to a new one to ensure a smoother user experience.

Adjust Nonflexible Disk Sleep Settings on Your Mac

Older Intel Macs (desktops & MacBooks) and the newer World Silicon Macs (desktops only) have the option to hibernate an external nonflexible momentum when it is not in use for an extended period of time and is plugged in. Your Mac does this to conserve power and proffer the life of the nonflexible drive. If the external nonflexible momentum is in sleep mode for an extended period of time, your Mac may notify you that you have not ejected the nonflexible momentum properly. You can transpiration these nonflexible momentum hibernation settings in your Mac’s System Preferences.

Let us take a squint at the steps to do so:

  1. Launch System Preferences on your Mac; you can do this from the Spotlight Search on your Mac.
  2. Scroll lanugo and click on the “Energy Saver” option.
  3. On the Energy Saver page, turn on the “Put nonflexible disks to sleep when possible” option. This should help you alimony your nonflexible momentum from going to sleep.

Energy Saver Option in System Settings on Mac

Improper Ejection of the Drive

Your Mac may moreover requite you the message ‘Disk not ejected properly’ if you try to pull the momentum without clicking Squirt or not waiting for the disk to squirt fully. To stave this message, click Squirt in the Finder, wait for the disk to eject, and then pull the momentum out. If it takes longer than expected to squirt the disk, you can moreover try ejecting a momentum on your Mac by force.

To do this, follow the steps below:

  1. Open the Finder on your Mac and click the Eject sawed-off next to the drive. Ejecting a Momentum Using Finder
  2. If the disk does not eject, a pop-up window will towards on the screen. Click Force Eject. Disk Ejection Error Popup on Mac
  3. Click Gravity Squirt again, and the momentum will squirt successfully. Force Ejecting a Momentum on Mac

Check the Disk for Errors

If your Mac is experiencing the problem of “disk not ejecting properly,” it’s important to trammels the disk for errors to stave data loss. Here’s how you can do this in a few simple steps:

  1. Back up your important data surpassing proceeding to trammels the disk.
  2. Open Disk Utility by going to Programs > Utilities > Disk Utility.
  3. In the left pane, select the problematic nonflexible momentum that is causing the error.
  4. Click the First Aid sawed-off and then the Run sawed-off to continue.
  5. Wait for First Aid to finish scanning the disk for any errors.
  6. If there are any errors, First Aid will struggle to fix them automatically. If it cannot fix the errors, you may need to ask a professional for help.
  7. Once the scan is complete, safely squirt the external momentum to prevent the error from occurring again.

By pursuit these steps, you can hands diagnose and fix any errors on your nonflexible momentum that are causing the “disk not ejecting properly” problem on your Mac.

Reset SMC on Mac

Follow these steps to reset the System Management Controller (SMC) on a Mac and resolve the “Disk does not squirt properly” issue:

  1. Turn off your Mac completely.
  2. Press and hold Ctrl Option the left Shift key on your keyboard for well-nigh ten seconds.
  3. Turn on your Mac.

Note that SMC is only misogynist on Intel Macs and not on M1 or M2 (Apple Silicon) Macs. If you reset the SMC, you can fix the irregularly seeming warning and other low-level settings on your Mac.

Reset NVRAM on Mac

NVRAM is a small zone of memory on a Mac that stores system-related settings. It controls the configuration of peripherals and other important system components.

To reset NVRAM on a Mac, first shut lanugo the computer. Then printing and hold the Option Command P R keys for 20 seconds and turn on the Mac. Release the keys when you hear the second startup tinkle or see the World logo towards and disappear twice (on T2-based Macs).

It is important that you perform each step thoughtfully to stave rabble-rousing the system. Resetting the NVRAM can fix the problem of the disk not ejecting properly on a Mac, as a damaged NVRAM or PRAM can rationalization this error.

Reformat the external nonflexible drive

If you are facing the “Disk Not Ejected Properly” issue on your Mac, it might indicate that your external nonflexible momentum is corrupted. In this case, reformatting the external nonflexible momentum using Disk Utility can help resolve the issue. However, reformatting will erase all the data on the drive, so it’s essential to when up your data surpassing proceeding.

Step-by-Step Guide:

  1. Backup your data from the external nonflexible drive.
  2. Open Disk Utility from Finder > Applications > Utilities.
  3. Select the untruthful external storage momentum from the sidebar, then click the Erase tab.
  4. Specify the Name, Format, and Scheme of the storage drive, then click the Erase button.
  5. Choose “GUID Partition Map” from the Scheme pop-up menu.
  6. Select a file system format and enter a name for the drive. The recommended file format is exFAT, which is uniform with both MacOS and Windows.
    reformat disk
  7. If your disk momentum offers spare security features, click on Security Options. Select how many times you want to write over the erased data, then click OK.
  8. Finally, click on Erase and select Done.

Potential macOS Bug

macOS is moreover prone to bugs. If you have taken all precautions and still get disk squirt errors on your Mac, it is likely that macOS has a bug. Usually, World fixes a bug with a new update. In such cases, you should try updating your Mac.

Let us take a squint at the simple steps to follow:

  1. Open your Mac’s System Preferences and click General.System Settings on Mac
  2. Now click on Software Update.General System Settings on Mac
  3. Let your Mac trammels for updates. If updates are available, download and install them on your Mac.Software Update Settings on Mac

Preventing Disk Ejection Errors on Mac

It’s worrying when you get an error message to squirt the disk while you’re trying to work on your Mac in peace. Most of the time, we try to repair the external nonflexible momentum or update macOS.

However, sometimes the reasons are very trivial, and we don’t notice them, such as a wrenched cable, a loose connector, or an incompatible USB adapter. It’s unchangingly largest to trammels your Mac and its accessories, as this can help you find the rationalization of a problem with your Mac surpassing bringing it to World Care.

We hope the whilom reasons and solutions will help you fix the disk ejection problem on your Mac.

FAQs well-nigh “Disk Not Ejected Properly” on Mac

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What causes the "Disk Not Ejected Properly" error on Mac?

The "Disk Not Ejected Properly" error on Mac can be caused by various factors. Here are some worldwide causes of the error:

  1. Human error: forgetting to squirt the momentum surpassing disconnecting it or unplugging it too soon.
  2. Running applications or programs that may still be accessing the momentum or its files.
  3. Logical forfeiture caused by malware infections or corruption.
  4. Accidental self-ejection caused by a needing external momentum cable, needing USB ports on the Mac, or a damaged external drive.

What data can I lose if I don't fix the "Disk Not Ejected Properly" error?

If you receive the "Disk Not Ejected Properly" error message on your Mac, it is important to fix the error immediately to stave possible data loss. Ignoring this error can rationalization the disk read/write process to stop abruptly, leaving data on your system. Also, improperly ejecting the external disk may result in the loss of some of your data, which can be frustrating and costly. To prevent this, unchangingly use the proper method to squirt the disk without use and never disconnect the momentum directly. Safely removing the disk will ensure that the data transfer is completed and saved to prevent data loss.

How can I prevent the "Disk Not Ejected Properly" error on Mac?

To prevent the "Disk Not Ejected Properly" error on your Mac, follow these simple steps:

  1. Always squirt external drives properly: Surpassing you disconnect an external momentum from your Mac, you must squirt it properly. You can do this by clicking the squirt icon next to the drive's name in the Finder sidebar or by holding lanugo the Ctrl key or right-clicking the momentum and selecting "Eject" from the menu.
  2. Check the connections: Make sure all cables and connectors are tight and secure. Loose connections may rationalization the error message to be displayed.
  3. Reset the power saving settings: If the error occurs frequently, try resetting the power saving settings on your Mac. Go to System Preferences > Power Saving and click the "Restore Default Settings" button.
  4. Run First Aid: Use Disk Utility to run First Aid on your external nonflexible momentum to trammels for and fix errors.
  5. Update macOS: Alimony your Mac's operating system up to stage to ensure it runs smoothly and error-free.

By pursuit these simple steps, you can prevent the "Disk Not Ejected Properly" error message from showing up on your Mac. Remember to unchangingly squirt external drives properly and maintain your Mac and external drives well.

What happens if external nonflexible momentum is not ejected properly?

Failure to properly squirt an external nonflexible momentum from a Mac can result in potential consequences such as nonflexible momentum corruption, file system corruption, partition loss, and data loss. This can be caused by human error, a momentum running in the background, logical corruption, or willy-nilly self-ejection due to faulty cables, connectors, or power supply. It is important to practice unscratched ejection of the momentum to stave these problems and perform First Aid to trammels and fix any errors on the external nonflexible drive.