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You are here: Home » Apple Mac OS X » 10 Ways To Eject a Stuck CD or DVD from MacBook SuperDrive

10 Ways To Eject a Stuck CD or DVD from MacBook SuperDrive

Updated by HAL9000 - 2 weeks ago - Apple Mac OS X
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macbook superdrive icon

Devices made by Apple have a reputation for being well built and made with high quality components, whether it’s the iPhone, iPad, IMac or Apple’s own version of the laptop, a MacBook. Macbooks are well known for being good quality hardware wrapped in a very stylish shell. Unfortunately, sometimes form gets in the way of function, and one of those areas on a Macbook is the CD/DVD optical drive, otherwise known as a SuperDrive.

Although during general usage there shouldn’t be any problem with a SuperDrive, if for whatever reason you insert a disc that cannot be read correctly, the drive might refuse to eject the disc, even if you push the eject button a few times or right click eject from the desktop. This can be especially troublesome trying to boot because the drive will get stuck in a loop trying to read the disc and it makes the MacBook unusable until you remove the disc, you might not reach the desktop at all.

Macbookpro without a pinhole

Unlike ROM drives fitted to Windows PC’s and laptops, the Macbook SuperDrive does not have a small pinhole where you can insert a paperclip to forcefully eject a stuck disc. Actually removing a stuck CD or DVD from a MacBook is pretty easy if you know how, so, before panicking about having to send your MacBook away to get the stuck disc out, try the steps below and it might just save you time and money!

Standard Ways to Eject a Macbook SuperDrive

1. This first method is pretty straightforward. If you have a mouse or mighty mouse connected, reboot the MacBook and hold down the mouse button while booting. If you are lucky, this simple trick will work.

hold down mouse button to eject superdrive

2. A follow on solution from above from above but applies if you don’t have a mouse connected. Press and hold the trackpad/touchpad button while booting the Macbook to try and eject the disc from the drive.

3. Although this is more of a long shot, some people have reported success by simply leaving the MacBook turned on for around 5-10 minutes while it’s attempting to boot. It might eventually boot up and the stuck CD/DVD will automatically eject.


Eject the Disc via Software

There are a few tools around that can try and forcefully eject the optical media from your drive. As it’s a bit safer to try ejecting the disc via software, we’d advise you to try these programs out before resorting to the other methods.

4. ForcEject Tool

ForcEject is a tiny little tool of about 100KB that simply does what is intended and tries to force your Superdrive to eject its stuck optical disc.

forceject tool

To use the ForcEject Tool, download and run it and an icon will appear on your menu bar. Click on the icon to popup a menu and either select to eject an internal or external SuperDrive. Hopefully this will pop out the stuck disc in your drive.

5. ReDiscMove

ReDiscMove is a slightly old tool dating from 2007 but it’s even easier to try and eject your stuck disc because it consists of nothing more than a confirmation window.

rediscmove

Download and run ReDiscMove and it will simply popup a window asking “Are you sure you want to force the cd/dvd to eject”. Click OK to try and force the disc to eject itself. The “Avbryt” button is Swedish for cancel and to abort the attempted eject, the author must have forgot to translate the button.

6. DiskEject

DiskEject has two versions in the archive, one for Intel based systems and one for PowerPC based systems, so you need to make sure to run the correct version for your Mac. “About this Mac” from the Apple menu will tell you which is needed.

It also has three different versions of the tool for you to use. The Standard version is what you should run first, and if that doesn’t work try the Advanced version. Note the Advanced tool might cause your SuperDrive to make a few strange noises while running, this is normal. There is no interface or popup, so if it didn’t work after a few seconds, the program likely wasn’t successful.

create diskeject shortcut

The third version of DiskEject is a service that you can install and then call via a keyboard shortcut, a useful option if this is not a one off. Run DiskEject in the “DiskEject Service” folder and let it install the service. To set up the shortcut go to the Apple menu > System Preferences > Keyboard Shortcuts > Services > General > DiscEject, and then supply a shortcut of your choice.

7. Using the OS X Terminal

This last software based solution is using a built in command line program called drutil which can perform a number of optical disc related functions, one of which is to eject an optical disc. To use drutil, go to Applications > Utilities > Terminal and type the following if you only have one optical drive:

drutil eject

If you have an internal and external drive, use the appropriate command:

drutil eject internal
drutil eject external

drutil eject command

Once you have done with the Terminal window you can simply close it. If none of these methods have worked so far, you will have to move onto more manual methods below.


Eject the Disc Using Other Methods

These are other methods or tricks to eject a disc from a Superdrive when it refuses to using software or the default button hold down methods, obviously be careful while attempting these.

8. This method is to tilt the MacBook to an angle of about 45 degrees so the disc would effectively drop out if it wasn’t stuck, and then press the eject key. Tilt Macbook sideways if the drive is on the side of your Macbook, forwards towards you if the drive is at the front.

tilt the macbook to 45 degrees

9. While the tilting above often works, sometimes a more extreme version of that method is required to get the disc to eject. Instead of tilting the Macbook to 45 degrees, simply turn it completely upside down while simultaneously pressing the eject key.

10. Since the disc is being read in an infinite loop, you can try using a small piece of cardboard and insert it into the gap until it touches the disc to stop it from reading, then press the eject key few times. An example of a good material is battery pack cardboard or a thick birthday card or even a credit card may work as well.

eject superdrive with battery cardboard

Good luck in removing the stuck disc in your MacBook! Hopefully one of these methods works which could save you time and possibly money.



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How To Disable CD or DVD Auto Eject in Windows Vista, 7 and 8 How To Disable CD or DVD Auto Eject in Windows Vista, 7 and 8 HOW TO DISABLE OR TURN OFF CAPS LOCK KEY THAT IS BROKEN OR STUCK HOW TO DISABLE OR TURN OFF CAPS LOCK KEY THAT IS BROKEN OR STUCK Automatically Close Running Programs and Eject USB Flash Drive Automatically Close Running Programs and Eject USB Flash Drive Create a Self Running Executable to Auto Burn ISO Files to Disc Create a Self Running Executable to Auto Burn ISO Files to Disc

158 comments on “10 Ways To Eject a Stuck CD or DVD from MacBook SuperDrive”

  1. Andrew

    Thanks! The mouse button held down on boot up worked for me. The DVD label was too thick for the SuperDrive and caused the disc to stick!

    Reply
  2. kashim

    had a problem on start up and problem removing cd.. tried your method and was able to remove cd and mac started up as usual… thanks

    Reply
  3. Rozzie

    Tilting the MacBook worked great! So relieved!

    Reply
  4. yildizshop@hotmail.com

    THERE IS A LAST WAY TOO %100 WORKS. SAVE ALL DATA ON CD FIRST IF YOU CAN.THEN USE A TWEEZER TO PULL CD GENTLY(MAKE IT FLAT ENOUGH).AT THE SAME TIME PUSH TO EJECT TOO..MOVEMENT OF CD (0,1 MM+-) WARN SOME KIND SENSORS TO PUSH CD.AND ITS OUT !
    ..

    Reply
  5. El

    I tried many of these options to no avail; however, I eventually flipped my Macbook upside down and simultaneously pressed the eject button and presto…out it popped!!!! Maybe it was a combination of the attempts? Just happy to finally have the disc ejected! :)

    Reply
    • Gina

      HAHA! Upside down totally works. Thank you!

      Reply
  6. Morgan

    Thanks – I tried several different things but eventually the disc drive ejected the DVD on its own. The computer had to be up and running for about five minutes before it took the action on its own. I was just getting ready to try the tilt method…

    Reply
  7. chipoya

    the method worked thank you very much………….

    Reply
  8. Dyl

    It worked! Half a Hallmark card in the slot with the disk, turn it off, wait a minute, turn back on and the disk automatically ejects without a command to do so! Muchas gracias con todos!

    Reply
  9. jerry

    the credit card did the job.

    Reply
  10. Justa Revello

    thanks a lot!.. it worked on my macbook!.=D

    Reply
  11. sophia

    cardboard trick totally worked ! you’re the best

    Reply
  12. Michael Philip

    cardboard failed but the TILTING ROCKED!!!

    Reply
  13. Erica

    Life saver! The cardboard trick totally worked!!

    Reply
  14. arturo Rodriguez

    thank you my man!! i got it out!

    Reply
  15. Nick

    Thanks a lot ! The tilting method worked perfectly for me. =)

    Reply
  16. Dan

    Thanks man!
    Inspired by (3), I just inserted credit card into the slot and moved it for a while inside. Eject button worked properly after I’ve done so.

    Reply
  17. Linda

    THANK YOU!!!! Holding the mouse click down worked brilliantly! So grateful!

    Reply
  18. Holly

    Thanks so much!!!!!

    Reply
  19. luiz & alicia

    You are The MAN! Thanks so much!!!!!

    Reply
  20. Simon

    Thanks for this. I just tipped it forward, as suggested, and it slid out. Might have saved a timewasting trip to the Mac Shop. Simon

    Reply
  21. Karuna

    Holding down the mousepad worked!!! Thank you!!

    Reply
  22. Ellieb

    The cardboard one worked!!!!

    – thank you

    Reply
  23. John

    Thankyou so much! Holding down the touch pad actually worked….who would’ve thought!

    Reply
  24. White646

    Wow man… Girl works at a movie store and gets dvd’s “early” from the public… Got it stuck in my macbook. Saved me true hell Raymond. Mad Respect.

    Reply
  25. Anil Arora

    Thanks for all the tips for future referance. I got mine out by pressing the F12 key while booting. (this was before I read your tips)

    Reply
  26. Phil

    It worked! Thanks, so much!

    Reply
  27. Joe

    45 degrees – genius!

    Reply
  28. Dan

    thanks a lot. held down the mouse button and it came right out. was panicking as i’ve only had my mac a day :)

    Reply
  29. Leslie

    Saved the day. Thanks so much.

    Reply
  30. Joan

    Thanks!!! The 45 degree angle worked immediately!!!

    Reply
  31. nolan

    thanks the 45 degree one work for me

    Reply
  32. Sam

    you are awesome man!

    tilting the macbook 45 degrees forward and DiskEject (app for forcing to eject disk) worked like a charm, so guys when you are desperate try tilting the laptop 45 degrees. (it simply works!!)

    keep it up ray :)

    Reply
  33. Mike

    oh my god
    I GOT IT OUT!!!!
    Thank you I used costa caffee reward card :)
    You have to stick it pretty deep though.
    It worked Thank you !!!!!
    Saved my day

    Reply
  34. Bianca

    THANK YOU SO MUCH. Stopping the disk in action worked. You guys pwn n00bz.

    Reply
  35. NiK

    Thanks a lot! the mousepad worked!

    Reply
  36. Lynn mcmillan

    Just used a battery cardboard as suggested & it worked like a charm. Thank you thank you thank you for saving my night!

    Reply
  37. Shelbey

    Thank you so much!! I tried to do the duo thing of both mac and windows, and while doing windows it got stuck and i could not stop it from constantly trying to setup windows….this was the only thing that worked…thank you x 1 billion

    Reply
  38. David

    Suggestion #4 worked just as described above. I turned on my Macbook and let the DVD spin for about 10 minutes. After that, the disc automatically ejected and the OS booted normally. Thanks for saving me a trip to the repair shop Raymond!

    Reply
  39. Dave

    I stupidly inserted a mini-CD (3″ diameter) into my Macbook drive without thinking. It pushed in but the machine never noticed it was there so it wouldn’t eject. A friend told me to try using the removed metal shutter from a 3 1/2″ floppy disc. I inserted it into the slot and squeezed the upper and lower surfaces together by hand when it was most of the way in, grabbing the mini disc from above and below and pinching it between the two surfaces. After about three quick tries I pulled the CD right out.

    Reply
  40. Jenn

    holding down the mousepad worked perfectly thank you so much!

    Reply
  41. becky

    thank you!!
    i held down my mouse and it ejected right before the log in menu popped up

    Reply
  42. Shae

    Thank you! Inserting cardboard while holding down eject popped the DVD right out. Thanks again for your help! :D

    Reply
  43. Belinda

    This worked.. holding down the touchpad button while restarting ejected the damn thing. Thank YOU!!!!!!!

    Reply
  44. Richard

    just try to burn something and the disk will be spat out …..

    Reply
  45. Kaitlin

    Thanks you so much. I was about to cry, its my dads laptop, if I had broken it man I would have been busted. So thanks

    Reply
  46. clinton08

    Thank you so much!!! The tilting it forward 45 degrees thing totally worked!

    Reply
  47. tm

    I tried for over 2 hours to eject a disc and after reading this I restarted computer and held down touch pad. Thank you so much, prob saved me hundreds in unneeded repairs!

    Reply
  48. Anthony

    Thank you so much holding trackpad button and piece of paper worked great!!!

    Reply
  49. mcl5126

    Hey, I took it to the apple store and the guy got it out in literally 60 seconds. What happens is over time, the aluminum shell of the cd/dvd drive (plastic macbook 2008) gets bowed down and what happens is it traps the cd from getting out. What the guy did is he took two business cards (made of cardboard, not plastic) and put one on the upper brim of the cd slot and one on the lower. He then just took a mechanical pencil ( i’m sure almost anything with a cone tip works here) and inserted it between the two cards and sort of pried it open if you can visualize what i’m saying. He did it about twice (gently) and bam, cd was out.

    Reply
  50. ichang

    OMG IT WORKED!!!
    I used the cardboard, and it worked!!

    I love you as hell. Thank you!!!

    Reply
  51. Rudilof

    It seems like many found this useful. So my comment might not be necessary, but a “thank you” is never unwelcome.

    Thank you!

    Reply
  52. Mittakrish

    Thanks for the very very useful tips.
    This helps the mac users a lot.

    Reply
  53. jim

    THANK YOU SO MUCH. holding down the keypad did it! i was trying to get it out for like an hour. then i went to your website and god it felt good when that DVD came out i got to tear that piece of crap apart. thank you so much again.

    Reply
  54. Emily

    WOW! Thank you, holding the track pad worked for me! I tried everything and finally that worked! I was so close to throwing it out the window and having an even bigger problem! thanks again!!! :)

    Reply
  55. Bee

    Oh man, I’ve been trying like everything for the past two or so hours to get it to work. The tilting one work a charm for me. Thanks! I thought I’d have to take to a shop and actually have to pay to get the problem fixed.

    Reply
  56. Brue

    Thanks! I tried the cardboard in the slot and was THRILLED that my problem was solved.

    Reply
  57. Kim Gunning

    thanks, the 45 degree angle thing worked!

    Reply
  58. Peggy

    Whew!!! This totally worked. Thank you so much

    Reply
  59. Katy

    Worked like a charm! Mine wouldn’t boot up at all. I used an index card and followed your instructions. CD came out and it booted right up after that!

    Reply
  60. jayson

    GREAT SUCCESS!!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!

    Reply
  61. Ginger

    Nothing worked except the cardboard. Thanks for the tip!

    Reply
  62. TwoBlsd2bStresd

    Thanks so much!! I just saved my self a hundred dollars!! You are a God send!! I used one of my kids flash cards and tried what you said to do and it worked!

    Reply
  63. andie

    AMAZING
    the cardboard trick did it
    THANKS YOU SO MUCH!!!

    Reply
  64. Mikki Yepiz

    Thanks for the help. I tried various ways including all the ones in the “help” section on my macbook. Restarting the computer while holding down the eject button finally got mine to come out!

    Reply
  65. Jonny L

    Pressing the touchpad button worked first time.

    Many thanks!

    jon

    Reply
  66. Rachael

    Hey! The first method worked! Amazing! Thanks!!!!

    Reply
  67. King

    You just saved my macbook from being hammered to death by me.

    Reply
  68. thedawnabelle

    Thanks so much! Just got the disc out!!!

    Reply
  69. joshuaclear

    Wow, I was freaking out. Disc stuck but my MBP booted fine, no issue there. was trying to copy a dvd. The master had a label printed with a printer (very thick) i suspect that as culprit. used my driver license, partially in the drive door (1/4 inch), hit eject and it popped out> I was so happy. No genius bar visit for me!!!

    Reply
  70. Jess

    Just tried the “45 Degree” approach. THAT worked, after many other unsuccessful attempts. Thanks for the tip!

    Reply
  71. Pau

    Anything worked with mine to eject the dvd and I had to TURN the macbook pro OFF (not just restarting it) and then press the touchpad button and the button eject at the same time.
    Thank you for your recommendations. They were really helpful.

    Reply
  72. Sam

    Disk Utility works great. It’s in Utilities folder in Applications.

    Just select the DVD driver on the left panel and then press a EJECT button on the top panel

    Voila!!!! your stuck CD/DVD will simply come out.

    THAT was EASY

    Reply
  73. Schwerin Couple

    Worked like a champ – we did both the “reboot holding down the mouse button” while simultaneously placing a 3×5 card on top of the stuck disc. Super. Vielen Dank.

    Reply
  74. Kim Patrick K

    Thank you so much for your advice. I looked all over the help systems and discussions and nothing worked. By holding the track bar down and simultaneously putting an envelope in the hard drive to stop the disk from spinning it ejected ending a 6 hour ordeal. We had the exact problem that you described which was that it kept trying to boot from the CD. Now we get to fix a corrupt kernel, but at least we have a fighting chance. So thank you. Very practical advice.

    Reply
  75. Sean

    THANK YOU RAYMOND! Your tip on holding the trackpad button worked!! YOUR AWESOME!

    Reply
  76. dt

    great tip thank you, i’d have gone nuts without it since mac help didn’t help actually.

    Reply
  77. South Beach, Florida

    Your post really saved me money ,while helping me resolve a month long problem. Be blessed thanks again for your kindness in sharing your knowledge with me a perfect stranger.

    Reply
  78. autism109201

    Best post ever, thank you so much m(._.)m

    I was attempting to burn a disc on iTunes. I guess this was a disk error because all other discs work fine, yet this one doesn’t? Must try on our iMac, though I don’t want to get that drive stuck too. Also hitting the keyboard right over the SuperDrive then hitting the “Eject” key worked nicely.

    Reply
  79. mac

    I had the same problem but my CD wasn’t being recognized at all by they computer. So, after reading through a few forums I shut down my computer, waited a few seconds and turned it back on. As soon as I hit the power button I held down the track pad key but my macbook started making horrible noises so I let go and decided to press the eject key. Neither worked BUT I heard the CD spin up and realized my computer could read it. Once my computer was fully booted up I took a thin piece of cardboard and stuck it gently in the slot and pressed eject… out pops the disc. I hope this helps someone who had the same issue.

    Reply
  80. donna

    i got mine out! thanks!

    Reply
  81. Thanks

    I’ve had a disk stuck in there for over a week… I used a combination of holding down the trackpad-bar while booting AND holding the machine at a 45 degree angle (both suggested in the article)… IT WORKED… thanks!!!

    Reply
  82. I am photo

    Thank you, thank you, thank you.

    Reply
  83. Stephen

    Disk ejected… Thanks for posting the tip!

    Reply
  84. Mackeran

    Interesting and informative. But will you write about this one more?

    Reply
  85. Anneleen

    Your tip 3 worked – thank you so much for putting your wisdom out there on the internet!

    Reply
  86. Reno

    I did it! It worked, I jammed cardboard paper, and it took a few times but it worked in the end, thanks for the help!

    Reply
  87. gerry

    thanks sir!

    Reply
  88. james

    your a life saver was racking my brains for hours thanks dude!

    Reply
  89. Kim

    The cardboard (I used cover of a glossy paper back book) worked very well! I also combined that trick with the 45degree angle thing.. and it worked!! FINALLY! I tried all of the eject buttons and forced eject key method, and this was the only thing that worked! THANKS!

    Reply
  90. Kait

    Thank you!!

    Reply
  91. dr hansen

    thanks, the 45 degree trick worked!

    Reply
  92. hassanrakib

    thanks! cardboard helped.
    thank you very much!

    Reply
  93. annabel

    i didn’t have cardboard so i folded up an old letter and had a good poke and the disc got stuck between the layers of paper and i pulled it out, with no damage to drive hope that helps! also i had an installation disc stuck which i didn’t check was only suitable for windows and thats why it could not be read or ejected (i think!) and i tried all the other tricks above and they didn’t work. folded paper all the way!!x

    Reply
  94. Jen

    I was starting to get really worried, till i found this page and all your tips! I turned off the macbook, then held down the eject button and turned the power back on. I finally got the damn disk out! WOOOHOOO!

    Reply
  95. Cayman

    For everyone that couldn’t get one of these methods to work, what my wife figured out what to use a credit card to move a piece of the superdrive out of the way in the front (rightish) of the drive. It was stopping the CD from going in or going out. I know this really sounds like a true hardware issue, but once we physically moved the piece out of the way (by gently sliding a card underneath it and moving it toward the screen) the CD came right out….3 hours later!!

    Reply
  96. Kathy

    I placed a small DVD from my Handcam into my MacBook CD drive .. it won’t come out.. I tried most of the suggestions except the cardboard… where do you stick the cardboard…

    Kathy

    Reply
  97. momoalc

    Thank you man work Good for me…
    God continually to give you idea to seek

    Reply
  98. Frimblda

    a combo of 3, 4 & 5 did the trick for us! thanks!

    Reply
  99. Bruce Jones

    This page solved it! I had a music CD that wouldn’t eject. It didn’t effect start-up.

    **> I leaned the MacBook toward me 90 degrees so it was on its front edge. Keyboard perpendicular to the table. Pressed the eject button. OUT IT POPPED! I grabbed immediately so it wouldn’t hop back in.

    Thank you!

    Reply
  100. Tiffany

    THANKS!!! I inserted the cardboard and it came out in about 10 seconds! What a lifesaver!!

    Reply
  101. Marco

    Thanks, Man! You saved my life!

    Reply
  102. stephen Subeno

    i did number 3 it worked! haha. thanks a bunch

    Reply
  103. p645n

    Thanks — I had just about given up on getting the disc out of my black macbook.

    Reply
  104. ReaganR

    thanks for the tip. I finally got it out, wooo hoooo.

    Reply
  105. Danny

    Thank you so much for the advice! Just held down the trackpad on the new aluminium mb
    relieved now, and people with the bootcamp problem hold down ctrl and choose macintosh. thanks again!

    Reply
  106. ken

    this solution page worked when all else failed.

    Reply
  107. mike NORTON

    Thanks so much! You just saved me a trip to the apple store!

    Reply
  108. James Quine

    You can also try using Disk Utility.

    In the utilities folder in Applications (Finder>Applications>Utilities>Disk Utility) and click on the super drive and press eject!

    worked for me on a macbook!

    Reply
  109. BunnieBlood

    Thank you guys for the help, Clicking the trackpad on startup ejected my windows disk which hung up in there in an unsuccessful attempt at using bootcamp.

    Reply
  110. deb m-k

    I was too exhausted to get up to get my mouse or cardboard, so I just tried tilting my MacBook forward 45 degrees and pressing eject – “Poof!” – out it came after several stubborn days! Thanks a million!!!

    Reply
  111. lindsey

    holy crap that cardboard thing just worked for me. i’ve been fighting with this disc for a couple days now. thanks!

    Reply
  112. dave

    I had this exact problem the other day. The way i did was shut down the macbook. then turn it on, as soon as u have pressed the power button press and hold the C key until the disk ejects. works a charm

    Reply
  113. Alex

    This was an extensive explanation and it helped me get out the nasty DVD (through the card method), thanks man.

    Reply
  114. Gigi

    I just did number 5! AND IT WORKED! Thanks so much!!!

    Reply
  115. Heidi

    Just wanted to chime in that this worked for me! I have an Intel based Macbook. I’ve always had some problems getting DVDs to eject – they never spit out far enough so once I eject it, it goes right back inside. Usually if I take a q-tip moistened with a little running alcohol and run it along the opening it will help. Also, I generally do have to tip my laptop on its side to let gravity do its job. This time, though, it wasn’t even *trying* to eject the dvd. I had just burned something to disk, which was successful (from what I’ve read, seems like unsuccessfully burning a dvd or cd seems to cause this problem.) Every time I would hit the eject button, the image would flash like it was going to eject then….nada. No noises, even. The disk was no longer even spinning, there was just no response at all.

    Anyway, I turned it off, let it sit for about a minute and turned it back on – pressing the trackpad button the entire time. It tried to eject after about 45 seconds, but was sucked back in. Once OS X was starting to load, I tried just hitting the eject button (with laptop on its side) and the stupid thing finally spit out.

    Thanks so much for this post!

    Reply
  116. joe

    I have the black macbook and the ticket/battery card didn’t work for me, it stopped it, but still couldn’t get it out. The 45 degree angle eject tip didn’t work either. I rebooted and held down on the touch pad and it finally got me to my desktop and stopped the DVD from spinning, so I went to iTunes to “burn a disc” and it told me to insert a blank one and spit out the stuck DVD!! Oh yeah, my computer was on for at least 5-10min. Kinda took a while!! HOPE THIS HELPS MY FELLOW MACBOOK USERS!!

    Reply
  117. Dinesh Ranabhat

    Thank you so much for different ideas. I was also in same problem that my cd was stuck in my mac book. Finally it came out. Friends it is worth to read all.

    Reply
  118. Michele

    Thank you so much!!

    Reply
  119. dmckeen69

    The battery cardboard trick worked! I was getting very anxious that the DVD wasn’t going to come out. Thank you!!!

    Reply
  120. nanotazzy

    Thanks so much for the advice. I am a chemist in training and decided to use Proactiv’s face toner since I didn’t have any rubbing alcohol. However, the major ingredient (some sort of long chain alcohol) along with the polymers in solution caused a film on the disk and enabled my computer to read the disk. I just stuck a piece of cardboard in the disk drive and waited for the disk to stop rotating and then repeatedly pressed the ejection button on the keyboard. Finally a box appeared on my screen that asked which task I want to perform and I selected to eject. It worked like magic!

    Reply
  121. Apoorv Khatreja

    Thanks for the tip! The cardboard trick worked for me too, except I used a visiting card. Also, my problem was more complicated as my Keyboard and Trackpad are non-functional.

    Reply
  122. Kretin

    Thanks for the advice! Restarting with the mouse button worked for me.

    Then another DVD got stuck and I didn’t want to restart while I was in middle of a lenghty download so I think I found a new way:

    Like before, I couldn’t get any apps to recognize the disk inside. Tried DVD Player, FrontRow etc. And eject button didn’t work.
    But then I tried the Disk Utility from Applications/Utilities. I selected the dvd drive on the right hand panel and the Utility showed an eject button on the top panel. And that worked! Whew!

    Reply
  123. Andreas

    Thanks for the cardboard trick. Looking at the front of my MacBook Pro I saw that the upper part of the case was a little bent downwards which prevented the DVD from ejecting. Problem is that the case has to be repaired (replaced?), at least I don’t need to walk around with a DVD in the slot.

    Reply
  124. Howard

    This worked for me!!!
    i know a much easier way to eject a CD or DVD thats stuck, just use a burning program, I use Toast. All I had to do was open the Toast application add a file to burn and click burn, it will then say something along the lines of “This disc cannot be burnt please insert a new disc” and it will then eject the stuck CD!
    I opened iTunes and chose some songs to burn to a CD knowing I had a DVD stuck it would ask me to eject. I still had a problem but, I went with another persons advice and stuck a card in the slot so the disk would not turn thus not being read. After a few times of doing this and also holding down the eject key another window popped up in iTunes asked if I wanted to eject disc. I clicked yes and Walla disc was ejected. What a nightmare this has been. Thanks to Dani for the help… Howard

    Reply
  125. Franz

    Thank you so much! Ok, so stuck a piece of cardboard, tilted the macbok and then rebooted

    Reply
  126. nik

    thank you so much man! i did it ^^

    Reply
  127. yaskicannoot

    thanks for the tips the card trick worked like a charm.

    Reply
  128. Philipp Meyer

    Thanks a lot, guy,

    you just prevented me from completely disassembling my shiny new macbook aluminium because of a wrecked xp-disc i tried to bootcamp with.

    Thanks!

    Philipp

    Reply
  129. franklin

    hey, my macbook is in the question mark flashing mode. i put in the wrong disc (just a blank cd) and it wouldn’t come out. i tried holding the eject button while starting, holding the mouse button while starting, f12, c, x, command s… everything i could find on the internet. ultimately, I got it out by holding the eject button while starting and shoving cardboard in as far as possible… hope that helps.

    Reply
  130. Imo

    You are brilliant!!! Thank you for your help.

    Reply
  131. Joaquin Gausachs

    Perfect. I owe you one. My computer is back…

    Reply
  132. Boo

    Thank you so much. Got a CD stuck just now and your method saved me getting even more annoyed with myself and even more tears, so thank you.

    Reply
  133. masterchief

    I have the Aluminum MacBook. I forgot to eject the disc after finishing some software installing that required a restart. It would only read from the disc. Clicking down on the track pad during boot worked for me. COOL!!!

    Reply
  134. Jai

    wow thats a cool trick man….

    Reply
  135. LAOM

    Thank you soooo much!!! Sheer panic, now i can sleep peacefully.

    You saved me a ton of headache.

    Bless you!

    Reply
  136. Cody and Nick

    ya the same thing as victoria and Monica happened to us. well thanks. p.s. Victoria and Monica if you two visit this site again to see our comments well hey you two sound cute! L8r

    Reply
  137. Victoria and Monica

    My DVD couldn’t play it would only go in half way and when the tech guy at my dad’s work tried to put it in he got it in but with force and it was stuck. This info really helped thank you so much.

    Reply
  138. David Geyer

    As a Mac tech, all good and useful ideas.
    Here’s another:
    Open a terminal window and use Disk Recorder Util:

    drutil tray eject

    Reply
  139. About to throw it out the window

    The 45 degree angle worked like a charm. I was also pressing N so I’m not sure which did the trick, but it’s out!!

    Reply
  140. gloria Johnson

    try F12 button works for me

    Reply
  141. Frans

    Raymond,

    You saved my day!!! Thanks for the info@!

    Gr Frans

    Reply
  142. Ladypnk

    its friday night and i spent the last hour trying to get this stuck cd out of my drive. Eventually got it out by turning on computer, tilting it and pressing eject. Bingo it worked. Thank you for saving my weekend.

    Reply
  143. yiftach

    thanks a lot you saved my day,i had a dvd stucked inside my macbook pro and i followed the instrution above and it works. i think it was the battery paper that did the job,any way thanks a lot you are the best.

    Reply
  144. Charlie

    for older macbook (not intel)
    1) boot in OPEN FIRMWARE using
    command-option-O-F
    2) type in ‘eject cd’ without quotes
    and hit enter
    3) type ‘mac-boot’ without quotes
    and hit enter

    Reply
  145. Odie

    Kudos to you!!! I stuck ever so gently a piece of cardboard from a battery packet… touched it on the CD and pushed the eject button a couple of times while coaxing out the stuck CD… Whoo hoo it works… now I don’t have to visit the Apple people!

    Reply
  146. R. DUB

    Holy crap, that worked. I just bought my macbook a few days ago and one of my cd’s got stuck. Thanks for the tips.

    Reply
  147. mdudding

    Thanks, Holding down the mouse button on my MACbook while booting worked for me

    Reply
  148. j. c.

    OMG-It WORKED- I took it it several people who wanted to
    take my computer for repair. I tried all of your methods several times, then after i put a thick card in and tilted it and pushed eject, took out the card-out popped the CD- Many thanks.

    Reply
  149. sue

    Thank you so much. The 45 degree+ straighten a paper clips and put it in the driver worked for me…. Thanks……

    Sue

    Reply
  150. Mathew Riscalla

    I tried the holding down the mighty mouse key and it worked. Thanks

    Reply
  151. Dani

    i know a much easier way to eject a CD or DVD thats stuck, just use a burning program, I use Toast. All I had to do was open the Toast application add a file to burn and click burn, it will then say something along the lines of “This disc cannot be burnt please insert a new disc” and it will then eject the stuck CD!

    Reply
  152. Chad

    You can also hold down the eject key while turning the system on.

    Reply
  153. Linn

    Ejecting a disc when all else fails
    If you’ve tried all the usual methods of ejecting a CD or DVD disc from your computer’s optical drive, there are some manual methods you can try.

    First, quit all applications that are using files on the disc. Then try one of these alternate methods:

    Choose Apple menu > Restart and hold the mouse or trackpad button down until the disc ejects.
    If your drive has an emergency eject hole, put the computer to sleep and insert a large, straightened paper clip in the small emergency eject hole of the drive (the location varies, depending on the drive). Push firmly until the disc ejects.
    Use Open Firmware to eject the disc if all other methods fail (this may not work on all computers). To use this method, you have to start up and briefly use the computer using Open Firmware, not the standard Mac OS X desktop.
    To eject a disc using Open Firmware:
    Restart the computer.
    When you hear the startup sound, press and hold the Command-Option-O-F keys. (The Command key has an Apple on it.)
    Release the keys when you see a white screen that says “Welcome to Open Firmware.”
    At the prompt, type:
    eject cd

    Press Return, then wait a few seconds. The disc drive should eject the disc, and “ok” appears on the screen when the action is complete.
    Type:
    mac-boot

    Press Return.
    Your computer starts up normally and you see the familiar Mac OS X desktop.

    Reply
  154. sato

    I’ve tried all combinations. My leopard CD was stuck inside and all it did was install the software upgrade. I cannot boot. I’ve tried all possibilities. holding the trackpad button do the job for me. Many thanks from a switcher.

    – Sato

    Reply
  155. Raj

    Thanks a lot! Pressing and holding the trackpad button seemed to do the trick for me.

    Reply
  156. Loh

    Thanks!

    Reply
  157. Jayhan

    Thanks, I’d definitely try one of these steps next time if I would to face a problem like this =/

    Reply

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