# Ejecta

> Ejecta is a macOS menu bar app that shows exactly which process is blocking your external drive, then offers quit and eject actions for supported apps. When macOS says "the disk is in use" without telling you what is using it, Ejecta names the process (Spotlight, QuickLook, Finder, a cloud sync client, Time Machine, and so on) and helps you choose the next step. Save work and finish transfers before ejecting; identifying a process does not prove write safety. Requires macOS 13 Ventura or later and Full Disk Access.

Key facts:

- Platform: macOS 13 Ventura or later; universal (Apple Silicon and Intel).
- Distribution: direct download, notarized by Apple; sold through Stripe.
- Pricing: one-time purchase of $9.99 for a lifetime license (no subscription), no computer or activation limit, with refund requests within 30 days. A free version names the blocking process; the paid version unlocks quit and eject actions for supported apps.
- What it does: detects the processes holding an external volume (via lsof), offers quit or force-quit for supported apps, and helps eject the drive. Force quit can lose unsaved work or interrupt writes. System processes may require waiting, authorization or shutdown. It is Time Machine aware (wait-and-auto-eject or request a backup stop and wait for cleanup), identifies system daemons that hold camera cards, and can eject every connected drive at once with "Eject All".
- Privacy: Open-file, volume and process information stays local. Keybee licensing sends license and device identifiers, including the Mac name on activation. Sparkle checks online for updates. Website Abner statistics receive no keys, email addresses, Mac names or order identifiers. See the privacy policy for checkout attribution and service details.

## Product

- [Ejecta homepage](https://www.ejecta.app/en/): what it is, features, pricing, and FAQ.
- [Download Ejecta (free)](https://www.ejecta.app/downloads/Ejecta-1.4.3.dmg): the current notarized DMG.
- [Buy Ejecta ($9.99, lifetime)](https://api.keybee.app/v1/buy/ejecta): one-time purchase to unlock one-click quit and eject.
- [Support](https://www.ejecta.app/en/support/): help and contact.
- [Privacy Policy](https://www.ejecta.app/en/privacy/)
- [Terms of Use](https://www.ejecta.app/en/terms/)

## Key features

- Lives in the menu bar (no Dock icon, no main window).
- Visual status per drive: green means no blockers were found, red means an open file was detected. These indicators do not certify write safety.
- Reveals the exact blocking process instead of a generic "disk in use" error.
- Quit supported apps from the menu bar, with a force-quit fallback that can lose data. System-process handling has separate limits.
- Time Machine aware: wait and auto-eject when a backup finishes, or request a stop and wait for cleanup.
- Eject All: eject every connected external drive at once from the menu bar, with Time Machine controls and warnings. Save work and finish writes first.
- Localized into 15 languages.

## Guides and explainers

- [How to safely eject an external hard drive on Mac](https://www.ejecta.app/en/how-to-safely-eject-an-external-hard-drive-on-mac/)
- [How to find what process is using a drive on Mac](https://www.ejecta.app/en/how-to-find-what-process-is-using-a-drive-on-mac/)
- [Why Mac says 'Disk in Use' with nothing open](https://www.ejecta.app/en/blog/why-mac-says-disk-in-use/)
- [How to fix 'Disk Not Ejected Properly' on Mac](https://www.ejecta.app/en/blog/fix-disk-not-ejected-properly/)
- [Time Machine won't let you eject your drive](https://www.ejecta.app/en/blog/time-machine-wont-let-you-eject/)
- [The real reason your external SSD won't eject](https://www.ejecta.app/en/blog/external-ssd-wont-eject/)
- [How to eject an external drive when Finder won't respond](https://www.ejecta.app/en/blog/eject-external-drive-when-finder-wont-respond/)
- [Is force eject safe on Mac?](https://www.ejecta.app/en/blog/is-force-eject-safe/)
- [QuickLook is holding your drive hostage](https://www.ejecta.app/en/blog/quicklook-holding-drive-hostage/)
- [Why Spotlight blocks disk ejection](https://www.ejecta.app/en/blog/spotlight-blocks-disk-ejection/)
- [How to stop iCloud and Dropbox from blocking drive ejection](https://www.ejecta.app/en/blog/icloud-dropbox-blocking-drive-ejection/)
- [diskutil eject: how to eject drives from the Mac Terminal](https://www.ejecta.app/en/blog/how-to-eject-drive-from-terminal-mac/)
- [The lsof command explained for Mac users](https://www.ejecta.app/en/blog/lsof-command-mac-users/)
- [How to safely eject external drives on macOS Sequoia and Sonoma](https://www.ejecta.app/en/blog/safely-eject-drives-macos-sequoia-sonoma/)

## More

- [All blog articles](https://www.ejecta.app/en/blog/)
- Other languages: the site is available in Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil and Portugal), German, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese (Simplified), Russian, Ukrainian, Indonesian, and Hindi. Replace `/en/` in any URL above with the language code (for example `/de/`, `/ja/`, `/pt-br/`).