A gripping apparatus is provided that enables users to insert and remove optically read disks without touching them by hand. The apparatus comprises a hollow frame and a spring-loaded plunger with flexible hooks. When the plunger is pushed down out of the locked position, protrusions on the hooks are forced out of convex indentations and against the inner sides of the frame, compressing the hooks. The apparatus can then be inserted through the central hole in a disk. The user then releases the plunger, which is forced upward by a compressed spring so that the protrusions on the hooks fit back into the indentations. The hooks then expand outward so that the disk is held securely and may be removed from its storage case or a player. Reversing this operation allows a user to insert a disk into a storage case or player.