How can I stop USB drive icons from appearing on my MacBook Pro?

Question

How can I stop USB drive icons from appearing on my MacBook Pro?

Sometime ago I download some photos from my Mac to a SanDisk USB flash drive. I named the drive FamilyPhotos23 and gave it to a client. He now has it.

Although the USB drive FamilyPhotos23 is long gone, a drive icon with the name FamilyPhotos23 keeps popping up on my computer as if it's connected. When I click on it, the drive is empty, but when I go to eject it, I got this popup message, "The disc 'Preboot' wasn't ejected, because one or more programs maybe using it." I then get the opportunity to force eject it. When I force eject it, the icon disappears, and I get a popup message saying the disk was ejected. That is followed by another message that says, "the disc 'VM' wasn't ejected, because one of more programs may be using it." But there is no icon on my hard drive showing a disc called "VM." So I just click cancel. This has happened at least a dozen times with FamilyPhotos23.

I have connected multiple other USB flash drives and external drives to my Mac since this happened, and they don't keep popping back up after I eject them.

Any ideas why this continues to happen with FamilyPhotos23.

Thanks,

Pat

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: USB Flash Drive Icon Keeps Appearing, Although It's Not Connected

MacBook Pro (2017 – 2020)

Posted on May 28, 2025 8:49 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

HWTech

Community+ 2026

Level 9

72,926 points

Jun 2, 2025 8:31 PM in response to pasqualerose2

That explains it.

You created an APFS volume within the same APFS Container that holds your macOS installation. Just make sure you have those files actually on a USB drive like you thought before deleting this APFS volume (hopefully you also still have them in your home user folder as well).

Here is an Apple article about creating & deleting APFS volumes like "Nov23FamilyPortrait":

Add, delete, or erase APFS volumes in Disk Utility on Mac - Apple Support

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Answer 2

Jun 2, 2025 6:32 PM in response to pasqualerose2

pasqualerose2 wrote:

I've turned the computer off dozens of times since it happened. It's been going on for quite some time. Actually, once I eject the phantom FamilyPhotos23 drive, I won't see the icon again until I reboot.

That sounds like you have a Login Item configured. I don't know how macOS handles an external drive to be a Login Item when the drive is not connected.

Change Login Items & Extensions settings on Mac - Apple Support

Or could this be a mounted DMG or sparsebundle file? Again, I would expect this to be a Login Item if you end up "ejecting" the volume.

Before ejecting the volume/drive, launch Disk Utility to see how it identifies that volume/drive.

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Answer 3

May 31, 2025 6:05 PM in response to pasqualerose2

Have you tried rebooting the computer?

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Answer 4

May 31, 2025 7:41 PM in response to HWTech

Thanks for the replies.

I've turned the computer off dozens of times since it happened. It's been going on for quite some time. Actually, once I eject the phantom FamilyPhotos23 drive, I won't see the icon again until I reboot.

I use with external drives and flash drives all the time. I am usedto working with them. Most likely I ejected it correctly. And there's no way for me to get it back. It's not practical.

Thanks.

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Answer 5

Jun 2, 2025 7:44 PM in response to HWTech

It's weird. When I went to look at it under disk utility, it almost looks like it's a copy of the main hard drive, yet it allows me to reject it. I took screenshots of both it and the main hard drive when brought in Disk Utility.

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Answer 6

a brody

Level 10

85,382 points

May 31, 2025 2:58 PM in response to pasqualerose2

Ask for them to return the flash drive, and this time when you connect it, eject the drive properly by clicking on its eject icon before removing it.

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How can I stop USB drive icons from appearing on my MacBook Pro?

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