Subscribe to MacYourself via RSSFollow MacYourself on Twitter

The ultimate guide to ejecting a stuck disc from Mac SuperDrive

The ultimate guide to ejecting a stuck disc from Mac SuperDrive

The slot-loading optical disc drives in MacBooks, iMacs, and Mac Minis are definitely more elegant than those flimsy trays on most computers. The part that’s not so elegant is when a stubborn CD or DVD gets stuck!

Over the years, a ton of different methods for ejecting stuck discs have been passed around the Apple community. While some approaches appear to work more reliably than others, there is no single troubleshooting technique that has been proven to work for everyone. In an effort to be as comprehensive and help as many people as possible, I’m throwing in all of the strategies I’ve come across related to this topic. If you’re battling a CD or DVD that refuses to pop out, hopefully you find at least one does the trick!

The standard stuff

For the sake of being complete, let’s start out simple. When a disc won’t eject from your Mac, try the following: 1.) Press and hold the Eject key, 2.) Right-click on the disc icon on the Desktop and select “Eject” from the menu, 3.) Drag the disc icon to the Trash. No luck? Read on for more tips!

Disk Utility

Launch Disk Utility (Applications > Utilities) and select the troublesome CD or DVD in the sidebar. Click the Eject button at the top of the window.

Terminal command

Launch Terminal (Applications > Utilities) and copy the following command: drutil eject

Mouse/Trackpad button

Restart your Mac and hold down the left mouse button (or trackpad if you have a laptop) as it boots up. Keep pressing it until the login screen or desktop displays.

Tilt and shake

Pick up your Mac laptop and tilt it so the CD/DVD drive is pointing downwards. Restart and hold the Eject key down while gently shaking the computer up and down.

The self-fixing Mac

Shut down your Mac, turn it back on, and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Make sure the power cord is plugged in as you do this and the disc just might pop out on its own.

Disrupt the spin

If you listen carefully, you can probably hear your optical drive powering up & down over and over again. As long as the disc spins, it’s not coming out. The first step is to get your hands on a very thin piece of cardboard or even a folded business card (so it’s twice as thick). Now restart your Mac and hold down the mouse/trackpad button as you poke the cardboard inside the SuperDrive slot. The goal is to slip it above the CD or DVD — towards the left side of the drive — and gently jiggle it around to put pressure on the disc. You might have to continue this for up to a minute or so, but it often works when all other methods fail.

209 Comments Have Been Posted (Leave Your Response)

Yay!!! Thank you! I had tried EVERYTHING to get a CD that my Mac refused to acknowledge was in there to eject. The business card and mailing label finally worked after multiple tries. Thank you so much! I’m missing the little door to drop a disk in – archaic maybe, but a lot easier when in trouble.

Thank you! Gaffa tape on a credit card did the trick for me :)

Thanks! The Terminal command worked when nothing else would.

Hi
Thanks you so much for this Post , I bought a New music CD , stuck it in my Old 11inch macbook and nothing happened!!!
I went online reset SCM Vram etc all did nothing !
I did all of your post steps and low and behold the Thin piece of Carboard slid into the disc drive worked !
I used the top of a Maltesers chocolate box and slid it in , and turned it on , wiggled it around ( sounds sexual I know ) and the little bugger popped straight out .
I did everything for the last few hours and your ‘ Disrupt the Spin ” tip worked a treat !
Spanx

If you have a disc stuck in your SuperDrive that will not eject . More than likely it’s not the SuperDrive . There will be a lever that looks like it’s blocking the disc from ejecting. This is not the case . There is a felt material when you insert the disc … This material is out of place blocking the disc from ejecting . Remove the SuperDrive . Take a cd and insert it threw the slot of the body of the computer then exit it . Keep doing this until the disc move threw freely . You may need to clean the entrance with a q-tip . There may be a obstruction blocking the exit but not the entrance .

the doctor gave me a dvd of my heart stent placement,and when i tried to view it it said it was not supported by apple,so when i tried to eject it won’t eject ,can anyone help, it is a 2012 13 inch pro laptop with the apple superdrive on out side thanks

Hey!! Thanks.. it worked.

Tilt and shake worked to solve what sounded like a motor issue – thanks!!

Thank you. Lot’s of “electronic” solutions out there on the web, but nothing worked, except the cardboard trick.