Whether you have a flash drive, external hard drive or external SSD, it is important to properly eject it, before you unplug it. You need to be aware that there could be data traffic between removable storage and the MacBook. So, when you remove the external storage without ejecting it, it is possible that there will be data loss. In order to speed up operations and improve productivity, macOS initially stores data into a temporary location in internal storage. When you eject the external storage, the macOS will write the data and there’s no risk of losing the data when remove the storage. Here are ways to properly eject external storage on your MacBook:
Drag icon of external drive to Trash
It is the most straightforward way to remove an external drive for your MacBook. Just click the icon of external drive on your desktop and drag it directly to the Trash icon. When the drive icon is above the Trash icon, it will turn into the eject symbol. Release the icon and the external drive will be ejected immediately. If you can’t find the icon of the external drive on the desktop, it is easy to enable the feature. In the menu bar, go to Finder > Preferences. Alternatively, you can press Command and Comma on the keyboard. When the Preferences screen is shown, choose the General tab. Enable items that you want to be shown on the desktop, including the external drive.
Right click on the external drive icon
It is easy as right-clicking the icon of the external drive. From the menu, choose Eject. Some users more comfortable with this method, because they don’t need to drag the icon across the desktop. They don’t need to move the mouse too much to eject the external storage. You can click the icon on the desktop or the icon on the Finder page.
Press Command + E
If you are more of a keyboard-oriented individual, it is quicker to press Command + E. With your mouse, highlight the icon of the external drive and press Command + E on your keyboard. For some people, it will be much easier and quicker to eject the drive.
Eject from Finder Sidebar
The Finder sidebar is another way to easily remove the external storage from your MacBook. Go to the Finder window and in the sidebar, you need to expand the Locations. Next to name of the external storage, there’s a small eject icon. Click it.
Eject from Menu Bar
Go to File and choose Eject. It is another straightforward way to remove the external drive, from the menu bar, located at the upper side of the display. If you want to do it, choose a removable drive that you want to eject. In the Finder, you may choose File> Eject.
