SSDs disconnect from MacBook Pro via OWC hub after sleep

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Level 4

1,018 points

SSDs disconnect from MacBook Pro via OWC hub after sleep

I am using a MacBook Pro (M3 Pro chip) and just recently purchased an OWC Thunderbolt 4 hub to connect the following external drives:

WD Easystore 18TB HDD
Samsung T7 SSD used only for Time Machine backups
Samsung T7 SSD used for Lightroom photos, some other photo/video storage

Previously I had the two SSDs connected directly to my MacBook Pro and when I'd close the lid after using it, the drives would still be connected the next time I opened the MBP.

However, now with the OWC hub I find that every time I reopen my MBP after about 8 hours of non-use (overnight, for example), one or both of the SSDs have disconnected and I have the "drive not ejected properly" error messages waiting for me. I do see all three external drives showing in the System Report, so even though both or one of the SSDs aren't mounted they're still detected.

I've turned off Power Nap (System Settings > Battery > Options > Wake for network access = Never) and also have Put hard disks to sleep when possible set to Never.

I've been Googling around for a solution and some folks say to install OWC's Disk Ejector software for Mac and manually eject all three external drives before closing the laptop and then re-mount them when opening it again, but is that really the solution here? I'd prefer to leave them connected so Backblaze backups can run as needed (or maybe that won't happen now, with Power Nap turned off)? OWC's support page also says to unmount disks before powering a machine off, but it doesn't say to do this when the machine is simply sleeping.

What am I missing here? I don't want to kill these SSDs by having them continue to get disconnected improperly.

Posted on Jun 22, 2026 10:34 AM

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Answer 1

hiddenmuse Author

Level 4

1,018 points

Jun 22, 2026 11:01 AM in response to D.I. Johnson

So I did chat w/ OWC support, right when I was posting this question here. :) Their tech support told me "This is a limitation of how Apple's thunderbolt ports manage hubs and docks" and suggested using their Dock Ejector software to eject and remount all of the drives every time I sleep/open my laptop back up.

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Answer 2

Jun 22, 2026 10:42 AM in response to hiddenmuse

You might reached out to OWC directly by phone or email for their guidance. You have, after all, apparently narrowed this problem down to their hub.

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Answer 3

leroydouglas

Level 10

203,904 points

Jun 22, 2026 12:15 PM in response to hiddenmuse

hiddenmuse wrote:

So I did chat w/ OWC support, right when I was posting this question here. :) Their tech support told me "This is a limitation of how Apple's thunderbolt ports manage hubs and docks" and suggested using their Dock Ejector software to eject and remount all of the drives every time I sleep/open my laptop back up.

Good computing hiddenmuse

OWC is well ahead of the curve all things Mac—

I would go with their advise and insight.

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Answer 4

hiddenmuse Author

Level 4

1,018 points

Jun 23, 2026 2:03 PM in response to D.I. Johnson

Unfortunately it's not reasonable for my workflow, though. This means that I'm having to constantly mount/unmount my drives throughout the day, every time I need to close my laptop and walk away for an hour or two, and then re-mount them when I'm back working on the machine. If I don't do that, I'm getting errors that the drives were not ejected properly and risking corruption on the disks.

I am also missing out on Backblaze backups that used to happen when the laptop was closed and my SSDs were connected directly to the MBP.

Is this really an Apple known issue/problem, where they don't allow hubs to stay connected while the machine is sleeping? That's what OWC says, but I'm not entirely sure I believe them.

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Answer 5

Jun 22, 2026 11:06 AM in response to hiddenmuse

Sounds reasonable. 👍🏽

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