Published 2019-11-05 by TechNet New England
Removing a USB drive while data is being written can corrupt files on the drive. Always eject properly. ## Windows ### Method 1: System Tray 1. Click the **up arrow** in the system tray (bottom right) to show hidden icons. 2. Click the **USB icon** (Safely Remove Hardware). 3. Click your USB drive name. 4. Wait for the "Safe to Remove Hardware" message. 5. Remove the drive. ### Method 2: File Explorer 1. Open **File Explorer**. 2. Right-click your USB drive under **This PC**. 3. Select **Eject**. 4. Wait for confirmation, then remove. ### If Windows Says the Drive Is in Use Close any files or applications that might be accessing the drive. Close any File Explorer windows showing the drive's contents. Then try ejecting again. If it still will not eject, save all your work, close all applications, and restart the computer. The drive will be safe to remove after shutdown. ## Mac ### Method 1: Finder 1. In **Finder**, find the USB drive in the sidebar under Locations. 2. Click the **eject icon** (triangle with a line) next to the drive name. 3. The drive disappears from Finder. Remove it. ### Method 2: Desktop 1. If the drive icon is on your Desktop, drag it to the **Trash** (which changes to an Eject icon when you drag a drive). 2. The drive unmounts. Remove it. ### Method 3: Right-Click 1. Right-click the drive icon (in Finder or on the Desktop). 2. Select **Eject**. ## What Happens If You Just Pull It Out If no data was being written at the moment, you will probably be fine. But if data was being transferred, written, or cached: Files may be corrupted or incomplete. The file system on the USB drive may be damaged, requiring repair. On Windows, you may see "You need to format this disk" the next time you plug it in. ## Quick Removal Policy (Windows) Windows has a "Quick Removal" policy that is enabled by default for most USB drives. This minimizes the risk of data corruption from unplugging without ejecting. However, ejecting properly is still the safest practice, especially for drives with important data. To check or change this: 1. Open Device Manager. 2. Expand Disk drives. 3. Right-click your USB drive > Properties > Policies. 4. "Quick removal" should be selected by default.