TS2097: If you can't eject a CD or DVD or open the drive tray

Learn about If you can't eject a CD or DVD or open the drive tray
stepmoore

Q: I can't eject the CD from my iMac.

I can't eject the CD from my iMac.  There is no icon representing the CD on my desktop and the CD is spinning constantly

iMac, iOS 5.1

Posted on Mar 28, 2012 3:25 AM

Close

Q: I can't eject the CD from my iMac.

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by Radiation Mac,

    Radiation Mac Radiation Mac Mar 28, 2012 3:33 AM in response to stepmoore
    Level 5 (4,652 points)
    Mar 28, 2012 3:33 AM in response to stepmoore

    Restarting your iMac while holding down the Left mouse button until the chime should force the CD to eject, if the Superdrive hasn't failed in some way.

     

    Hope this helps

  • by shldr2thewheel,

    shldr2thewheel shldr2thewheel Mar 28, 2012 3:38 AM in response to stepmoore
    Level 7 (25,881 points)
    Mar 28, 2012 3:38 AM in response to stepmoore

    Force eject a stuck cd/dvd

     

     

    • First try the normal methods to remove the disc. Drag its icon to the Trash can in the Dock or select 'Eject' from the File menu.

     

    • If you are running a virtual machine, e.g. VMFusion, ensure that the CD is disconnected from the virtual machine. This will sometimes allow the CD to now show up in Mac OS X.

     

    • Shut down the computer and start up whilst holding down the mouse button. This may take some time, but keep your finger on the mouse button right up until the disc comes out or the log-in screen has appeared.

     

    • If you have Toast Titanium installed on your computer, choose EJECT DISC from the menubar.

     

    • Sometimes you can successfully use the eject disc button in iTunes even if the disc is not visible to the Finder

     

    • Open Disc utility and choose the disc you wish to eject in the left-hand pane, then click on the Eject button.

     

    • Some Macintoshes have a paperclip hole that you can insert a straightened paperclip into, manually triggering the eject mechanism.

     

    • Open Terminal and type "drutil tray eject" to eject the disc/tray, and "drutil tray close" to close the tray.

     

    • If your computer has an eject button on the keyboard, restart the computer holding down the Option key. When the startup disk selection screen appears, let go of the option key and press the keyboard's eject button.

     

     

    Source: http://guides.macrumors.com/Force_Eject_a_Stuck_CD_or_DVD

  • by About You Photography,

    About You Photography About You Photography Aug 6, 2014 8:26 PM in response to shldr2thewheel
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 6, 2014 8:26 PM in response to shldr2thewheel

    "Open Terminal and type "drutil tray eject" to eject the disc/tray, and "drutil tray close" to close the tray."


    Excellent, glad you made a comprehensive list. I tried the each option on your list and Terminal was my last attempt ... it worked.


    Thanks so much

  • by Salmon Smoker,

    Salmon Smoker Salmon Smoker Aug 3, 2016 10:23 PM in response to Radiation Mac
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Aug 3, 2016 10:23 PM in response to Radiation Mac

    Thanks, that worked!