Can't erase CD-RW's since installing el capitan.

Yes I was asking the same question just now and went through the Disk Utility steps above. Why is the Erase option greyed out in D.U., given that one can simply right click on the CD icon on the desktop and erase quickly from there ? I am using High Sierra 10.13.2. As you say above, totally counterintuitive.

Ctrl-click (or right-click) on a mounted CD-RW and choose the option to Erase the rewritable disk.

…but I see that isn't (wasn't?) necessary.

Yeah. I was trying to create an Automator service to tell diskutil to erase the disk. I almost had it working, then I noticed the command in the contextual menu.

Please make sure to be in the Finder ! 😉

Can you explain better?

LizzyDeahl wrote:

Can you explain better?

I'm not sure I can. What part are you confused about?

Do you do it in Disk utility, Automator, or in the finder?

LizzyDeahl wrote:

Do you do it in Disk utility, Automator, or in the finder?

Finder. Did it not give you the option when you tried?

I don't think it did

I right clicked on the cd under devices and it didn't give me the option.

If it is indeed a CD-RW, then I can't explain your problem:

I am coming to this really late since i just upgraded to El Capitain. I don't get the ability to right click on the icon in FINDER. Was there ever a next thought after this one?

I don't understand how you don't have the ability to right-click.

Do you not have a right button on your mouse? If so, then hold down the control key and click the mouse button. That is the actual method. Right mouse button is just a shortcut for ctrl-left clicking.

That was the ticket...I totally overlooked your comment to hold the control button down while right clicking! Thanks s million.

Same in Sierra. Totally counterintuitive to have removed this functionality from Disk Utility.