Download ArticleA simple guide to unmounting removable drives & images in Windows, macOS, and Linux
Download ArticleX
This article was co-authored by How.com.vn staff writer, Jack Lloyd. Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for How.com.vn. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher.
This article has been viewed 24,158,573 times.
Learn more...
This How.com.vn teaches you how to unmount a drive that is connected to your computer. Unmounting a drive is the same thing as ejecting a drive. You cannot unmount your computer's main hard drive (e.g., the hard drive where your operating system is installed).
Things You Should Know
- If you're using Windows, right-click the drive in File Explorer and click "Eject" on the Manage tab.
- On a Mac, just select the drive in Finder and click the Eject button.
- To unmount in Linux, use "sudo umount" followed by the mount point.
Steps
Open the Start menu. Click the Start (or
) button in the lower-left corner of your screen.
- Alternatively, press the ⊞ Win key.
Open File Explorer. Click the File Explorericon. Older Windows 10 versions will have the name shown next to the icon as pictured above.
- Windows 7 and Vista: select Computer from the right column.
Advertisement
Ensure you're on This PC, Computer, or My Computer. The option will be listed in the left pane.- The names differ among Windows versions.
Click on the drive you wish to unmount. A list of all currently active drives will be available under the "Devices and drives" heading towards the middle of the page.- This drive must be either a removable drive (e.g., a flash drive or SD card) or a secondary internal drive.
Click the Manage tab. It's in the ribbon at the top of the File Explorer window.- In case your Windows version is missing the ribbon, simply right-click the drive instead.
Click the ⏏ Eject button.- You'll find this option in the "Media" section of the ribbon.
Remove the drive from your computer. After clicking this button, you'll see the drive's icon disappear from the File Explorer window, and a notification letting you know that it's safe to remove the drive will appear.- Gently disconnect the drive from your computer to complete the unmounting process.
Advertisement
Open the Finder. This app, which resembles a blue and gray face, is usually found in the Dock at the bottom-left.
Locate your drive's name. It will be on the left-hand side of the Finder window below the "Devices" heading.- This must be a removable drive (e.g., a flash drive, external hard drive, or a virtual mounted drive).
Click ⏏. It's to the right of your drive's name. Doing so will "eject" the drive, which removes it from your Mac's available drives.
Remove the drive from your computer. Once the drive has been safely unmounted, you can remove the physical drive from your Mac computer.
Advertisement
-df--h---1.png)
Community Q&A
Search
- QuestionHow do I fix an unmounted hard drive disk utility on my MacBook Pro when it doesn't show up anymore?
Community AnswerLook for errors in the hardware (look for problems in the physical drive or drive connector). It usually does that when there is a physical error so try connecting the drive to a different computer to see if there are any problems. - QuestionHow do I dismount a drive that doesn't have an "eject" button? On This PC, nothing happens if I click on the popup in the taskbar.
Community AnswerYou can right click on the partition and press eject. Or rght click on 'My Computer', and select manage>Storage>Disk Management>.
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
SubmitAdvertisement
Tips
- On Windows, you can unmount a drive by clicking the USB icon in the bottom-right side of the screen and then clicking Eject.Thanks
Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
Advertisement
Warnings
- Failing to unmount a drive before disconnecting it may result in data loss or corruption.Thanks
Advertisement
About This Article
How.com.vn Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by How.com.vn staff writer, Jack Lloyd. Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for How.com.vn. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher. This article has been viewed 24,158,573 times.
How helpful is this?
Co-authors: 42
Updated: October 25, 2022
Views: 24,158,573
Categories: System Maintenance and Repair | External Storage Devices
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 24,158,573 times.
Is this article up to date?
⚠️ Disclaimer:
Content from Wiki How English language website. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License; additional terms may apply.
Wiki How does not encourage the violation of any laws, and cannot be responsible for any violations of such laws, should you link to this domain, or use, reproduce, or republish the information contained herein.
- - A few of these subjects are frequently censored by educational, governmental, corporate, parental and other filtering schemes.
- - Some articles may contain names, images, artworks or descriptions of events that some cultures restrict access to
- - Please note: Wiki How does not give you opinion about the law, or advice about medical. If you need specific advice (for example, medical, legal, financial or risk management), please seek a professional who is licensed or knowledgeable in that area.
- - Readers should not judge the importance of topics based on their coverage on Wiki How, nor think a topic is important just because it is the subject of a Wiki article.
Advertisement
