The continuing drama of "Disk cannot be ejected because one or more programs are using it"

[T Coma]

Good thing I shave my head, or I'd have pulled my hair out by now.

I have been trying to solve this problem for the last couple OSes, and I'm on 15.2 on a M1 MBP right now with no resolution in sight. I've changed cables numerous times, I've attached direct to the MBP, through an old Anker USB3 hub, and a CalDigit TS3+ dock. Same situation every time. All external disks (SSD or HDD) eject immediately except for a Crucial X6 1TB with my Photos library on it. I can only force eject this one, or physically disconnect it when powered down. All user apps are shut down. I've taken this disk on and off the "Do not index" list in Spotlight Privacy (it's on the list now). I've reindexed everything, more than once. Something seems to be unique to this disk that is causing this issue. I'm guessing that it is either related to the hardware itself or Photos, because AFAIK I've gone through all the steps advised here and elsewhere for fixing it. I'd prefer to not trash this disk because I suspect that I'm missing a setting somewhere. FWIW, here is the sudo lsof for this disk:


COMMAND PID USER FD TYPE DEVICE SIZE/OFF NODE NAME
mds 127 root 26r DIR 1,25 578 2 /Volumes/Crucial
revisiond 158 root 6r DIR 1,25 578 2 /Volumes/Crucial
revisiond 158 root 11r DIR 1,25 442 647 /Volumes/Crucial/.DocumentRevisions-V100
revisiond 158 root 12u REG 1,25 106496 119698 /Volumes/Crucial/.DocumentRevisions-V100/.cs/ChunkStoreDatabase
revisiond 158 root 14u REG 1,25 0 119700 /Volumes/Crucial/.DocumentRevisions-V100/.cs/ChunkStoreDatabase-wal
revisiond 158 root 15u REG 1,25 77824 1962373 /Volumes/Crucial/.DocumentRevisions-V100/db-V1/db.sqlite
revisiond 158 root 16u REG 1,25 4152 1962379 /Volumes/Crucial/.DocumentRevisions-V100/db-V1/db.sqlite-wal
mediaanal 455 arp txt REG 1,25 32768 349187 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/Photos.sqlite-shm
mediaanal 455 arp 22r REG 1,25 1377304576 349182 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/Photos.sqlite
mediaanal 455 arp 23r REG 1,25 2764552 349186 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/Photos.sqlite-wal
mediaanal 455 arp 24r REG 1,25 32768 349187 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/Photos.sqlite-shm
filecoord 521 root 24r DIR 1,25 748 159984 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary
filecoord 521 root 47r DIR 1,25 136 159983 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures
filecoord 521 root 48r DIR 1,25 578 2 /Volumes/Crucial
photolibr 620 arp txt REG 1,25 32768 349187 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/Photos.sqlite-shm
photolibr 620 arp 23w REG 1,25 464 2381534 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/Photos.sqlite.lock
photolibr 620 arp 26u REG 1,25 1377304576 349182 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/Photos.sqlite
photolibr 620 arp 27u REG 1,25 2764552 349186 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/Photos.sqlite-wal
photolibr 620 arp 28u REG 1,25 32768 349187 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/Photos.sqlite-shm
photolibr 620 arp 29u REG 1,25 1377304576 349182 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/Photos.sqlite
photolibr 620 arp 30u REG 1,25 2764552 349186 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/Photos.sqlite-wal
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 16384 1963516 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/dbStr-1.map.data
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 65536 1963538 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/reverseDirectoryStore
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 8 1963483 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/0.indexIds
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 4 1963484 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/0.indexBigDates
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 32768 1963485 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/0.indexScores
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 4096 1963486 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/0.indexGroups
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 8 1963488 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/0.indexTermIds
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 8 1963490 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/0.indexPositionTable
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 2056 1963491 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/0.indexDirectory
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 8 1963492 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/0.indexCompactDirectory
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 64 1963493 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/0.indexArrays
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 65536 1963495 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/0.directoryStoreFile
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 209988 2130736 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.0.indexBigDates
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 16384 1963517 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/dbStr-1.map.offsets
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 16384 1963518 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/dbStr-1.map.buckets
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 376832 1963520 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/dbStr-2.map.data
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 65536 1963521 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/dbStr-2.map.offsets
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 116848 1963522 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/dbStr-2.map.buckets
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 16384 1963524 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/dbStr-3.map.data
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 16384 1963525 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/dbStr-3.map.offsets
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 16384 1963526 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/dbStr-3.map.buckets
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 13516800 1963528 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/dbStr-4.map.data
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 671744 1963529 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/dbStr-4.map.offsets
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 1324216 1963530 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/dbStr-4.map.buckets
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 16384 1963532 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/dbStr-5.map.data
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 16384 1963533 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/dbStr-5.map.offsets
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 16384 1963534 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/dbStr-5.map.buckets
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 1228800 2362528 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/dbStr-6.map.offsets
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 807216 1963537 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/dbStr-6.map.buckets
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 52497 2130738 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.0.indexGroups
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 54484 2130743 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.0.indexDirectory
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 65536 2130747 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.0.directoryStoreFile
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 325 2130763 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.0.topK.v2.mdplistc
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 50641 2362461 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.1.indexGroups
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 51400 2362466 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.1.indexDirectory
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 65536 2362470 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.1.directoryStoreFile
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 249 2362531 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.1.topK.v2.mdplistc
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 419976 2130735 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.0.indexIds
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 524288 2130737 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.0.indexScores
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 1688410 2130744 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.0.indexCompactDirectory
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 338240 2130762 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.0.ivf-512xfp16-00000064-00000005.partitions
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 61456 2130073 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/ivf-512xfp16-00000064-00000005.quantizer
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 202564 2362459 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.1.indexBigDates
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 65536 2362365 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.2.indexIds
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 32768 2362366 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.2.indexBigDates
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 8192 2362368 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.2.indexGroups
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 8224 2362373 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.2.indexDirectory
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 9654464 2130745 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.0.indexArrays
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 23905444 2130761 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.0.ivf-512xfp16-00000064-00000005
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 405128 2362458 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.1.indexIds
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 524288 2362460 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.1.indexScores
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 1695740 2362467 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.1.indexCompactDirectory
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 9862272 2362468 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.1.indexArrays
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 10644404 2362529 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.1.ivf-512xfp16-00000064-00000005
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 272512 2362530 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.1.ivf-512xfp16-00000064-00000005.partitions
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 65536 2362367 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.2.indexScores
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 1048576 2362370 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.2.indexTermIds
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 1048576 2362372 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.2.indexPositionTable
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 2048 2362374 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.2.indexCompactDirectory
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 1572864 2362375 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.2.indexArrays
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 65536 2362377 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.2.directoryStoreFile
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 2105504 2379514 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.2.ivf-512xfp16-00000064-00000005
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 487512 2379515 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.2.ivf-512xfp16-00000064-00000005.partitions
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 325 2362539 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/topK.v2.mdplistc
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 131072 2381495 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/tmp.BZvmTG
managedco 18965 arp txt REG 1,25 281573 1968520 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/icu_rules_en-US@collation=search_1_1
managedco 18965 arp 3r REG 1,25 2056 1963491 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/0.indexDirectory
managedco 18965 arp 4r DIR 1,25 136 1963476 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight
managedco 18965 arp 5r REG 1,25 281573 1968520 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/icu_rules_en-US@collation=search_1_1
managedco 18965 arp 6r DIR 1,25 4522 1963478 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3
managedco 18965 arp 7u REG 1,25 131072 2381495 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/tmp.BZvmTG
managedco 18965 arp 8u REG 1,25 28 1963480 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/indexState
managedco 18965 arp 9u REG 1,25 8 1963540 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/hot.1730292390450192.UkzmC0
managedco 18965 arp 10u REG 1,25 23875584 1963514 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/.store.db
managedco 18965 arp 11u REG 1,25 23875584 1963514 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/.store.db
managedco 18965 arp 12u REG 1,25 8224 2362373 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.2.indexDirectory
managedco 18965 arp 13u REG 1,25 2048 2362374 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.2.indexCompactDirectory
managedco 18965 arp 14u REG 1,25 2097152 2362369 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.2.indexPostings
managedco 18965 arp 15u REG 1,25 1048576 2362370 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.2.indexTermIds
managedco 18965 arp 16u REG 1,25 65536 2362377 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.2.directoryStoreFile
managedco 18965 arp 17r REG 1,25 8 1963492 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/0.indexCompactDirectory
managedco 18965 arp 18r REG 1,25 54484 2130743 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.0.indexDirectory
managedco 18965 arp 19r REG 1,25 8 1963488 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/0.indexTermIds
managedco 18965 arp 20u REG 1,25 65536 1963495 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/0.directoryStoreFile
managedco 18965 arp 21r REG 1,25 1688410 2130744 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.0.indexCompactDirectory
managedco 18965 arp 22r REG 1,25 9654464 2130745 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.0.indexArrays
managedco 18965 arp 23r REG 1,25 51400 2362466 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.1.indexDirectory
managedco 18965 arp 24u REG 1,25 65536 2130747 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.0.directoryStoreFile
managedco 18965 arp 25r REG 1,25 10621172 2130739 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.0.indexPostings
managedco 18965 arp 26r REG 1,25 1695740 2362467 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.1.indexCompactDirectory
managedco 18965 arp 27r REG 1,25 9862272 2362468 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.1.indexArrays
managedco 18965 arp 29u REG 1,25 65536 2362470 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.1.directoryStoreFile
managedco 18965 arp 30r REG 1,25 11255527 2362462 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.1.indexPostings
managedco 18965 arp 31r REG 1,25 11255527 2362462 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.1.indexPostings
managedco 18965 arp 32r REG 1,25 10621172 2130739 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/live.0.indexPostings
managedco 18965 arp 33r REG 1,25 4096 1963487 /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/database/search/Spotlight/NSFileProtectionCompleteUntilFirstUserAuthentication/index.spotlightV3/0.indexPostings

 

[bzgnyc2]

Good thing I shave my head, or I'd have pulled my hair out by now.

I have been trying to solve this problem for the last couple OSes, and I'm on 15.2 on a M1 MBP right now with no resolution in sight. I've changed cables numerous times, I've attached direct to the MBP, through an old Anker USB3 hub, and a CalDigit TS3+ dock. Same situation every time. All external disks (SSD or HDD) eject immediately except for a Crucial X6 1TB with my Photos library on it. I can only force eject this one, or physically disconnect it when powered down. All user apps are shut down. I've taken this disk on and off the "Do not index" list in Spotlight Privacy (it's on the list now). I've reindexed everything, more than once. Something seems to be unique to this disk that is causing this issue. I'm guessing that it is either related to the hardware itself or Photos, because AFAIK I've gone through all the steps advised here and elsewhere for fixing it. I'd prefer to not trash this disk because I suspect that I'm missing a setting somewhere. FWIW, here is the sudo lsof for this disk:

[...]

Yes it is obnoxoius. Even if you completely log out, a few Apple programs keep running under your account, and among other things that prevents the disk from being ejected gracefully. I would think also a security issue. At the very least a waste of memory if you login and out of different user accounts.

It's been like that since at least Mojave (can't remember from before that and no longer have hardware that can run the older OS). Or maybe it started with the replacement of iPhotos by Photos...hard to be sure at this point...

It's also annoying to see things like "photoanalysisd" bogging down a CPU after boot/login even on systems with no photo library...I haven't checked the latest macOS but I noticed that starting with Catalina and it's still doing that through Monterey. I will be evaluating more recent OS soon to see if they fix any of this.

Back to your question -- I believe it's just Photos and not your disk or configuration. Just sloppiness in Photos (it only needs to have its processes running when you're running it) and the OS (it should really kill everything initiated by login processes/applications when you logout). For now I think your best workaround is to force eject or manually kill the photo processes and then eject.

 

[Manolee]

I just found the solutionYou have to exit this process and the disk will be ejected immediately

 

[153957]

I've resorted to using sudo killall mds && diskutil unmount /Volumes/[name of disk] in Terminal, that usually works.

 

[ignatius345]

Something seems to be unique to this disk that is causing this issue. I'm guessing that it is either related to the hardware itself or Photos

I believe it's just Photos and not your disk or configuration. Just sloppiness in Photos (it only needs to have its processes running when you're running it) and the OS (it should really kill everything initiated by login processes/applications when you logout). For now I think your best workaround is to force eject or manually kill the photo processes and then eject.

For what it's worth, I've been using an external USB drive* for my Photos library for at least 3-4 years now. I'm not seeing the OS glomming onto the drive like this. I haven't kept track of what processes are running or get terminated, but my external drive ejects itself cleanly every time I restart. My hunch is that it's something with the drive you're using and how the OS interacts with it. I guess the next test would be to try a different drive and see how it goes.

* Nothing special, just a generic USB SATA enclosure with a Samsung SSD inside.

 

[Fishrrman]

If you think that Spotlight is "interfering with things", just do what I do:
DISABLE Spotlight. FOREVER:
sudo mdutil -a -i off

When Apple first introduced Spotlight -- years ago -- I realized I didn't want it "mucking" with my drives, and turned it off right away. It has never run on my drives since.

It's also possible to prevent Spotlight from indexing individual drives by doing this:
Create a file. I recommend using Text Edit.
a. open a new file
b. type something (anything) into it. Example "spotlight disable"
c. save the file AT THE ROOT LEVEL on the drive with this exact name:
.metadata_never_index

IMPORTANT: Note that the filename begins with a "." (period).
This will MAKE THE FILE INVISIBLE once you save it. (finder may warn you about this).
Go ahead and do it. You can always "see" invisible files by toggling on/off "Command-Shift-." (period)

This file, so named, should prevent Spotlight from indexing that volume.

 

[T Coma]

My hunch is that it's something with the drive you're using and how the OS interacts with it. I guess the next test would be to try a different drive and see how it goes.

Yeah that's what I was afraid of. If it's just the drive, then I assume it will be problematic regardless of what I use it for. Not the end of the world, but I am pretty cheap and I hate to just trash the drive. More troubleshooting in the new year!

 

[bzgnyc2]

For what it's worth, I've been using an external USB drive* for my Photos library for at least 3-4 years now. I'm not seeing the OS glomming onto the drive like this.

I see those processes staying active on all systems including those where the user/folders is on the internal drive. Obviously I can't eject the internal drive anyway so it's not an issue but it's annoying to see processes stick around after logging out.

I haven't kept track of what processes are running or get terminated, but my external drive ejects itself cleanly every time I restart. My hunch is that it's something with the drive you're using and how the OS interacts with it. I guess the next test would be to try a different drive and see how it goes.

Note I wasn't the original poster of this thread but I've seen it on all drives including with Apple's internal.

 

[ignatius345]

Yeah that's what I was afraid of. If it's just the drive, then I assume it will be problematic regardless of what I use it for. Not the end of the world, but I am pretty cheap and I hate to just trash the drive. More troubleshooting in the new year!

I hear you. It's not a fun thing to spend money on, either. If it's any consolation, drives are pretty cheap these days at least. Obviously no guarantee it's the drive, but it's something to look into.

 

[buggz]

Can you flush the file system cache via, sudo sync;sync;sync
?

 

[Patrice Brousseau]

Before, this little utility would work fine, until Big Sur: https://github.com/syscl/Fix-usb-sleep/blob/master/fixUSB.sh

I’ve also tried Jettison on the AppStore but it wasn’t successful!

For now, my Mojave machines (two) and Sierra rely on this little script and I don’t see anymore this annoying message after waking up.

On my MacMini 2018 with Ventura and Sequoia, I must be lucky as I saw it maybe two or three times since I bought this machine back in October!

However, as @Fishrrman said: spotlight is only active on my main drive and disabled for all externals…

 

[ignatius345]

FWIW, here is the sudo lsof for this disk:

Hey, so I got a little curious/bored and put this into ChatGPT, mainly to see if it could interpret Console output. It can!
Kind of amazing:

It looks like you've posted the output of an lsof (list open files) command on a Mac, showing files that are currently opened by various processes. This output lists processes, file descriptors, types of files, and their associated paths. Based on the output, here are a few key points to note:

Key Elements in the Output:​

1. Processes (PID and Command):
   • Various processes are interacting with files on /Volumes/Crucial, which appears to be an external storage device (likely an external hard drive or SSD).
   • Processes such as mds, revisiond, mediaanal, filecoord, photolibr, and managedco are interacting with files. These are likely related to macOS services or applications like Spotlight, Photos, or system daemons.
2. File Descriptors (FD):
   • These show the file descriptors for each open file, with numbers like 26r, 6r, 11r, 12u, etc. The r means the file is being read, and u means the file is being both read and written.
3. File Types:
   • The output includes DIR for directories, REG for regular files, and txt for text files. Most of the files appear to be regular files, with some being text-based (like SQLite databases).
4. Paths:
   • Files located on /Volumes/Crucial suggest that this is an external storage device, and many paths point to a Photos Library located on this volume (/Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/).
   • The paths include references to Spotlight indexing files, Photos SQLite database files, and various revision databases for document versioning.
5. File Sizes:
   • Files like Photos.sqlite and others related to Spotlight and Photos appear to be quite large (ranging from tens of megabytes to gigabytes). These files are part of the system's indexing or media management features.

Some Observations:​

• Photos Library: There are multiple files under the /Volumes/Crucial/pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/ path, which include SQLite databases (Photos.sqlite), Spotlight index files, and various metadata files for image and library management. These are part of the Photos app's internal structure for managing photo databases and indexing.
• Spotlight Indexing: Files like index.spotlightV3, along with their various data and index files (e.g., dbStr-1.map.data, live.0.indexIds, etc.), indicate that Spotlight is indexing the Photos Library on this volume. This is part of macOS's search functionality, allowing fast searches across files, including images and metadata in the Photos Library.
• Database Files: The Photos.sqlite database is part of the Photos Library used to store metadata (such as information about albums, faces, and photo locations). It is accompanied by transaction log files (Photos.sqlite-wal), which store changes made to the database.
• File Locking: The presence of files like Photos.sqlite.lock suggests that there is some level of locking in place to prevent simultaneous access conflicts by different processes. This is common for databases to avoid data corruption.
• File Coordination: There are multiple files under the filecoord process, which indicates the system’s file coordination service, which ensures that file operations are managed correctly (e.g., ensuring no conflicts when different processes access the same files).

Further Insights:​

• System Activity: The system appears to be actively interacting with the Photos Library on the external volume. This could indicate background indexing, updates to the Photos Library, or syncing activities. The presence of the mds and revisiond processes indicates system services related to metadata and document revisions, respectively.
• Large File Sizes: The presence of large files (several MBs to GBs in size) suggests that the Photos Library and related Spotlight indexing files are extensive, likely due to a large collection of images.

Possible Action Points:​

• Performance Impact: If you're noticing performance issues, this output suggests that heavy indexing or database operations might be occurring on the external drive. Depending on the size of the Photos Library, Spotlight indexing and database operations could be resource-intensive.
• External Drive Activity: Given the continuous access to files on the external drive, you might want to ensure the drive is in good health and is not being overloaded with read/write requests, which could affect performance.
• Managing Spotlight Indexing: If you don't need the Spotlight index on this volume or want to stop it from indexing this Photos Library, you can exclude this volume from Spotlight's search indexing through the Spotlight Preferences pane.

Let me know if you need more details or specific advice based on this output!

 

[T Coma]

Hey, so I got a little curious/bored and put this into ChatGPT, mainly to see if it could interpret Console output. It can!
Kind of amazing:

Wow - very informative!

I did not think to use ai as part of my troubleshooting regimen, but I'm going to have to keep that in mind going forward. It's just not habitual yet.

The real actionable suggestion I see there is regarding the Spotlight Preferences, and I've done that already, to no avail. I'm definitely going to continue down this rabbit hole with the ai systems I've used before. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[PaulD-UK]

On a more basic real-world-experience level, any running program that has a Recent Files list in its Menus can cause the Cannot be Ejected problem if any of these recent files are on the external disk.
The solution is to close that program.

 

[ignatius345]

Wow - very informative!

I did not think to use ai as part of my troubleshooting regimen, but I'm going to have to keep that in mind going forward. It's just not habitual yet.

The real actionable suggestion I see there is regarding the Spotlight Preferences, and I've done that already, to no avail. I'm definitely going to continue down this rabbit hole with the ai systems I've used before. Thanks for the suggestion.

Yeah, I had no idea you could do this, but it makes total sense to ask one computer to read the output from another computer.

 

[maxoakland]

However, as @Fishrrman said: spotlight is only active on my main drive and disabled for all externals…

How do you search for files on your external drives with Spotlight off?

 

[Patrice Brousseau]

How do you search for files on your external drives with Spotlight off?

I don’t 🤪

 

[Yvan256]

How do you search for files on your external drives with Spotlight off?

If he's anything like me, he puts his files into logically named folders on specific drives.

 

[mrfunnypenguin]

Most of the time force quitting the Finder works for me

 

[RumorConsumer]

For what it's worth, I've been using an external USB drive* for my Photos library for at least 3-4 years now. I'm not seeing the OS glomming onto the drive like this. I haven't kept track of what processes are running or get terminated, but my external drive ejects itself cleanly every time I restart. My hunch is that it's something with the drive you're using and how the OS interacts with it. I guess the next test would be to try a different drive and see how it goes.

* Nothing special, just a generic USB SATA enclosure with a Samsung SSD inside.

I tend to think with bugs like this that they will fix them soon because even Apple suffers from them. or not.