7 Ways to Remove an External USB Drive in Windows 11

Many customers make the most of USB flash drives (sticks) to retailer information and switch them between PCs. In fact, you possibly can at all times take away such drives from USB ports with out ejecting them first. Nonetheless, you may corrupt information in your USB stick in case you don’t safely take away it.

To forestall potential file corruption, you need to eject USB sticks and exterior exhausting drives. There are quite a few methods you possibly can choose to eject a USB flash drive earlier than eradicating it. Listed here are a number of various strategies for safely eradicating USB drives on Windows 11 PCs.

1. How to Eject an Exterior USB Drive by way of the System Tray

Windows 11’s system tray shows a Safely Take away {Hardware} and Eject Media icon everytime you’ve inserted a USB stick or different exterior exhausting drive. Proper-click that icon to open a context menu for it, which incorporates an Eject choice. Choose the Eject choice there, and proceed to take away the drive when the Safely Take away {Hardware} icon has disappeared.

When you don’t see that system tray icon whenever you’ve inserted a USB drive, it’s most likely disabled inside the taskbar nook overflow settings. You may allow that icon to seem inside the system tray as follows:

1. Press the Windows and I buttons on the keyboard concurrently.
2. Choose Personalization alongside the left of Settings.
3. Click on Taskbar and Taskbar nook overflow to view the choices proven instantly under.

   

4. Activate the Windows Explorer icon setting there.

2. How to Eject an Exterior USB Drive in File Explorer

File Explorer exhibits all of the related USB drives in your PC. You may choose to eject USB drives in two other ways inside that file supervisor. That is how to take away a USB drive by way of File Explorer:

1. To open File Explorer, click on the folder taskbar button.
2. Proper-click the USB drive within the left navigation pane to pick out Eject.

   

3. Or you possibly can choose the USB drive and press Eject on Explorer’s command bar.
4. Take away the USB drive after ejecting.

3. How to Eject an Exterior USB Drive in Settings

The Settings app lists related USB drives. You may choose a Take away machine choice inside Settings to your related USB drive. That is how to pick out that choice:

1. Launch Settings, and choose its Bluetooth & gadgets tab.
2. Click on the Gadgets navigation choice.
3. Then click on the More choices button to your listed USB drive there.
4. Choose the Take away machine choice.

   

5. A immediate will seem asking in case you’re certain about eradicating the USB drive. Go forward and click on Sure to verify.
6. Then you possibly can unplug the USB drive.

4. How to Eject an Exterior USB Drive in Disk Administration

Disk Administration is a Windows 11 utility that shows HDD partitions and related USB drives in your PC. With that device, you possibly can format, change letters, and delete volumes for drives. You may choose to eject your USB drive from inside Disk Administration like this:

1. Press the Windows + X key mixture to view the Energy Person menu.
2. Choose Disk Administration to open that utility.
3. Proper-click your detachable USB drive in Disk Administration and choose Eject.

   

4. Wait a couple of seconds, and take away the USB stick when Disk Administration now not shows drive particulars for it.

5. How to Eject an Exterior USB Drive With PowerShell

Windows 11’s default PowerShell command-line shell gives one other solution to safely take away USB drives. You may eject a USB keep on with PowerShell’s DiskPart utility for drive partitioning. These are the steps for ejecting a USB drive inside PowerShell:

1. Press the Win key, and kind PowerShell within the Begin menu’s search field.
2. Choose Windows PowerShell to open that command-line app.
3. Sort diskpart inside PowerShell, and press the Enter key.
4. A brand new window will then open. Sort record quantity within the new window, and press Return to execute.

   

5. Enter the next choose quantity command and press Return:

   choose quantity <quantity>

6. Then eject the drive by getting into this command and hitting Enter:

   take away all dismount

7. Now you possibly can take away the drive from its USB port.

You’ll want to switch <quantity> within the choose quantity command with an precise drive quantity listed. For instance, you’ll enter this command to take away a quantity 4 USB drive:

choose quantity 4

6. How to Eject an Exterior USB Drive With USB Disk Ejector

If you’d like more USB drive ejection choices, try USB Disk Ejector. USB Disk Ejector is a freely out there transportable app with which you’ll safely take away USB sticks. That software program additionally features a few further ejection settings. You may obtain, extract, and take away your exterior drives with USB Disk Ejector as follows:

1. Open the USB Disk Ejector obtain web page in Softpedia.
2. Choose the Obtain Now and Softpedia Mirror (US) choices.
3. Convey up the folder that features the USBDiskEjector1.3.0.6.zip archive in File Explorer.
4. Proper-click the USBDiskEjector1.3.0.6.zip file and choose Extract All to open a device for unzipping the archive.

   

5. Choose Present extracted information when full to robotically open the unzipped folder after extraction.

   

6. Click on Extract to open an extracted USB Disk Ejector folder.
7. Double-click USB_Disk_Eject.exe to open the window within the snapshot instantly under.

   

8. Then double-click your USB drive within the USB Disk Ejector window to eject it.
9. Now take away the USB stick.

To view further choices, click on More > Choices in USB Disk Ejector. Choose the Ejection tab proven instantly under. There you possibly can choose some program and notification ejection configuration settings.

You may as well arrange a particular USB drive hotkey. By doing so, you possibly can press a keyboard shortcut to eject your USB stick every time wanted. That is how one can arrange such a hotkey:

1. Open USB Disk Ejector’s Hotkeys tab within the screenshot instantly under.

   

2. Choose the Eject a drive by drive title drop-down menu choice.

   

3. Then choose the title of the USB drive within the different drop-down menu.
4. Click on within the hotkey field, and press a key mixture for the keyboard shortcut.
5. Choose the Add choice when completed.
6. Click on OK to save lots of your new hotkey.
7. Now press your new ejection hotkey to attempt it out.

7. How to Safely Take away a USB Drive With out Ejecting it

When you can’t convey your self to eject a USB keep on with any of the strategies above, there’s a manner you possibly can safely take away it with out doing so. Nonetheless, you’ll have to set a “fast removing” policy setting for that drive first. You may choose that policy choice within the following steps:

1. Proper-click the button for the Begin menu to pick out Gadget Supervisor.
2. Prolong the Disk drives class by double-clicking it.
3. Proper-click your listed USB drive and choose Properties.

   

4. Click on the Insurance policies tab proven instantly under.

   

5. Choose the Fast removing radio button.
6. Click on OK to save lots of the setting.
7. Choose Sure on the dialog field that asks to restart Windows.
8. You may safely take away your USB drive with out choosing to eject it ever once more.

Safely Take away Your USB Drives to Avert Information Corruption

Safely eradicating your USB drive with any strategies above will guarantee it’s not nonetheless in use when eliminated. It doesn’t make a lot distinction the way you safely take away it however be sure you achieve this. Select no matter manner you favor for safely eradicating your USB sticks and different kinds of exterior storage drives.