Most users don’t safely eject their USB storage devices. However, doing so can be highly beneficial. Safely ejecting your USB flash drive ensures your files are completely transferred. In case if you remove the USB drive before any read, write, or transfer activity is completed, it can corrupt your USB storage data. This post will share multiple ways to safely eject USB drives in Windows PC, including some
How to Safely Eject USB Drives in Windows
Even if your USB is not being used for any read, write or transfer activity, it can still result in data loss because most operating system uses a caching process. This means the data needs to be written on the drive right away. Some information is still stored on your computer’s RAM. Hence, to prevent data loss, it is an excellent practice to eject the USB drive safely.
Here is the list of methods and software to do so:
- Window’s Safety Eject Method
- Command Line Diskpart Tool
- Ratool
- USB Safety Remove
1] Window’s Safety Eject Method
Windows offers the eject feature for safely ejecting USB devices, which is super easy to use. To use the Windows eject method, follow the below steps:
- Go to File Manager.
- Right-click on your USB drive.
- Select Eject to remove the USB drive safely.
However, the method sometimes doesn’t work, and the USB gets stuck without ejecting. That is where the rest of the methods can be used.
2] Command Line Diskpart Tool
You can also safely eject a USB device using command line tools like Command Prompt or Windows Terminal. To do so, follow the below steps:
- Press Windows Key + X to access the quick menu.
- Go to Windows Terminal.
- Now type diskpart and press enter. This will open another command line window.
- Next, in the diskpart command window, type this command list volume. This will list all the drives on your computer; you need to note the USB drive’s number.
- Now type select volume <number> and press Enter. Make sure to replace the number with the USB driver’s volume number.
- Finally, type the following command and press enter: remove all dismount.
3] Ratool
If you are looking for third-party software to use, try Ratool. It is free to use app that can disable USB storage access or instantly enable write protection on all your USB flash drives. Plus, the tool is super easy to use.
- First, download Ratool and extract the zip folder.
- Open the unzipped folder and launch the Ratool_x64 application.
- Once the tool opens up, you will have three options – Allow read & Write (Default), Allow Read Only, and Block USB storage devices.
- Select Block USB storage device and click Apply Changes to remove your USB drive safely.
4] USB Safety Remove
You can also give try the USB Safety Remove software. It is a premium tool but comes with a 30-day free trial. The tool safely removes a device via a convenient menu or hotkey. Also, it allows you to organize drive letters and save your data and devices. To use the tool, follow the below steps:
- First, download the USB Safely Remove tool.
- Once downloaded, run the installer and follow the on-screen steps.
- After installing the tool, launch it, and it should display your USB devices.
- To eject a device safely, right-click on it, select Stop, and follow the on-screen steps.
Conclusion
These ways and software ensure your data on the USB drive remains safe. You must avoid ejecting the USB drive while the copy operation is in progress, and you should wait for some time after ejecting the tool. It will ensure any left data operation is complete.
