In the Apple environment, particularly on macOS, ejecting external drives such as USB flash drives, external hard drives, and optical media is an essential task to ensure data integrity and prevent data loss. Ejecting drives properly ensures that all read/write operations are completed before the drive is removed. This article will guide you through various methods to eject external drives on macOS, including using the Finder, Terminal, and keyboard shortcuts.

Examples:

1. Ejecting via Finder:

   • Open Finder.
   • Locate the external drive you want to eject in the sidebar under "Devices."
   • Click the "Eject" button next to the drive name, or right-click the drive and select "Eject."

2. Ejecting via Terminal:

   • Open Terminal from Applications > Utilities.
   • List all connected drives by typing:

     diskutil list

   • Identify the identifier of the drive you wish to eject (e.g., /dev/disk2).
   • Eject the drive by typing:

     diskutil eject /dev/disk2

3. Ejecting via Keyboard Shortcut:

   • Select the drive on your desktop or in Finder.
   • Press Command + E to eject the selected drive.

4. Ejecting via Disk Utility:

   • Open Disk Utility from Applications > Utilities.
   • Select the external drive from the list on the left.
   • Click the "Eject" button in the toolbar.