6 Ways to Safely Eject a USB Drive on Windows 11

Pankil is a Civil Engineer turned freelance writer. Since his arrival at Guiding Tech in 2021, he delves into the world of how-tos, and troubleshooting guides for Android, iOS, and Windows. Besides his new-found love for mechanical keyboards, he’s a disciplined footfall fan and loves international travel with his wife.

Method 1: Eject a USB Drive From System Tray

The easiest way to eject a USB drive on Windows 11 is via the System Tray. For that, clickShow hidden icons(up arrow) on the taskbar. Then, locate and right-click on the USB icon in the tray and selectEject [Drive Name].

Anotification will appearstating that it is safe to remove the hardware. After that, you can disconnect the USB drive from your PC.

Method 2: Eject a USB Drive From File Explorer

Windows 11 File Explorerdisplays all the USB drives connected to your system in the Devices and drives section. You can also eject a USB drive from there if you like.

Step 1:Press theWindows key + Eto open File Explorer.

Step 2:Use the left pane to navigate toThis PCand locate the drive you want to remove underDevices and drives. Then, right-click on your drive and selectEject.

Method 3: Eject a USB Drive Using Settings

The Devices section in the Settings app allows you to view and manage all the hardware devices connected to your system. It also lets you safely eject a USB drive from your Windows 11 PC.

Step 1:Press theWindows key + Ito open the Settings app and head toBluetooth & devices>Devices.

Step 2:Locate your USB drive on the list. Click thethree-dot menu iconnext to it and selectRemove device. Then, selectYesto confirm.

Method 4: Eject a USB Drive Using Disk Management

On Windows 11, you can use the Disk Management tool to manage partitions,format drives, assign drive letters, and more. Besides, it also lets you eject a USB drive from your PC safely.

Step 1:Press theWindows key + Rto open the Run dialog box. Typediskmgmt.mscin the text field and pressEnter.

Step 2:You’ll see all your drives in the bottom half of the window. Right-click on the drive you want to remove and selectEject.

Method 5: Eject a USB Drive Using Windows PowerShell

Windows PowerShell allows you to interact with the operating system via a command-line interface. Here’s how to use it to eject a USB drive.

Step 1:Open the search menu, typeWindows PowerShell, and click onRun as Administrator.

Step 2:Run the following commands to view a list of drives connected to your PC:

Note down the number of your drive from the first column.

Step 3:Enter the following command to select your USB drive:

ReplaceNin the above command with the volume number noted in the previous step.

Step 4:Type the following command in the window and pressEnterto eject your USB drive:

Method 6: Use Safely Remove Hardware Utility

In addition to the above methods, Windows 11 includes a dedicated tool for safely ejecting hardware from your computer. Here’s how to access it.

Step 1:Press theWindows key + Rto open the Run dialog. Type the following command in the Open field and pressEnter.

Step 2:Select the USB drive you want to unplug and click theStopbutton.

Step 3:HitOKto confirm.

Bonus Tip: Configure Device Removal Policy to Disconnect Drive Safely Without Ejecting

If you frequently use USB drives on your PC, ejecting them can be a hassle. Thankfully, Windows lets you configure the device removal policy for a flash drive so that you can safely unplug your drive without ejecting it first. Here’s how to set it up.

Step 1:Click thesearch iconon the taskbar, typedevice manager, and pressEnter.

Step 2:ExpandDisk drives, right-click on yourUSB drive, and selectProperties.

Step 3:In the Device Properties window, navigate to thePoliciestab and selectQuick Removal. Then, hitOK.

Note that you’ll need to configure the device removal policy for each USB drive separately. After that, you can unplug your flash drive directly whenever a write operation isn’t in progress.

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Last updated on 30 April, 2024

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