External drives are useful for anyone who doesn’t want to store a lot of folders on their Mac or simply doesn’t have the space to do so. One of the most common ways to remove an external drive is to pull out the USB, which is understandable – it’s the most convenient option.
However, regularly removing your drive like this can lead to problems later on. As such, you’re better off avoiding it.
So how do you safely eject an external drive on a Mac? We’ll run you through three different options.
Why can’t you unplug the drive to unplug
If you feel guilty for ever unplugging your USB after you’re done using it, you’re not alone. Doing so puts the files on your external drive at risk.
One of the most common problems caused by unsafe wiping of an external drive is usually data corruption. Also, if you tend to do it while the file transfer is in progress, you’re putting the drive as well as the files in jeopardy.
If the data on your drive is corrupted, you may not be able to recover the files on it later. So, in addition to having to pay for a new device, you could also lose months – if not years – worth of work.
So now you know why it’s better to be safe than sorry to remove the external drive. Below you will find three steps on how to do this safely.
Remove the drive from your desktop
After you’ve installed the external drive into your computer, you’ll normally see an icon for it on your desktop whenever it’s plugged in. In addition to using this icon to access content on the device, you can also remove the drive here.
Here are the steps you need to take to safely remove an external drive from your desktop.
Step 1: Close or minimize all windows until you get to your Mac’s desktop.
Step 2: On your external drive icon, click Ctrl and trackpad at the same time.
Step 3: Select “Eject” [drive name]”.
Step 4: Wait for the process to complete. Once the logo has disappeared from the screen, you can unplug the cable.
Remove the drive using Finder
Another way to securely erase your drive is through the Finder. This method is especially useful if you have a lot of windows open and don’t want to minimize or close them. Ejecting your drive through this app is also helpful if, for whatever reason, you can’t see the logo on your screen.
To erase your drive using Finder, you need to do each of the steps listed below.
Step 1: Open the Finder app or click on the logo if it’s already open.
Step 2: Look at the left side of the app where you will see the Location subheading.
Step 3: Your external drive will be listed under Location. If that’s the case, click with your trackpad while holding down Ctrl.
Step 4: Select “Eject” [drive name]”.
Step 5: When your drive disappears from the screen, remove the cable.
Remove the drive with your keyboard
A handy and less commonly used shortcut to safely eject an external drive is with the keyboard. You can do this on the desktop or in the Finder, and the process is pretty straightforward.
If you want to remove the external drive using your Mac’s keyboard, follow the steps below this text.
Step 1: In the Finder or on your desktop, click once on your external drive’s icon.
Step 2: Press cmd key and E key at the same time.
Step 3: When your external drive disappears, please remove the device from the USB drive.
Proper removal protects your files
People often believe that unplugging is the easiest way to remove an external drive. That might look convenient. But doing it many times will make it difficult to recover the files or you may have to buy a new external drive.
While safely removing the external drive will take a little longer, the process is not complicated at all. And on a Mac, you have many options when it comes to doing this.
All three methods listed in this article take only a few seconds maximum. Try each of them and see which one you think works best for you.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
