How to Remove a Flash Drive from a Windows 10 Computer

Method 1 of 3:

Using the Desktop Taskbar

Save any open documents you have on the flash drive. The easiest way to do this in any open window is to hold down Ctrl and press S.
Find the "Eject" icon. It's the rectangular, flash drive-shaped icon with a checkmark next to it. It lives in the row of options that are in the bottom-right corner of the screen, though you may first need to click the upward-facing arrow on the far-left side of these options to view it.
Click the "Eject" icon. Doing so will invoke a drop-down menu.
Click Eject. This option is at the bottom of the drop-down menu. It will typically say something like Eject SDHC (E:) with your flash drive's name written after the "Eject" prompt.
Wait for the "Safe to Remove Hardware" prompt. Once this notification displays in the bottom-right side of your computer's screen, your flash drive is ready for removal.
Gently tug the flash drive away from your computer. It should slide out. The next time you plug your flash drive into your computer, all of your files should be as you left them.

Method 2 of 3:

Using the This PC Program

Save any open documents you have on the flash drive. The easiest way to do this in any open window is to hold down Ctrl and press S.
Open the Start menu. To do this, you can either click the Windows icon in the bottom-left corner of the screen, or you can press the ⊞ Win key on your computer's keyboard. Opening the Start menu will automatically place your mouse cursor in the "Search" bar.
Type in this pc. Doing so will search your computer for the "This PC" program.
Click the "This PC" icon. It's a computer monitor-shaped image at the top of the Start menu's search window. Doing so will open This PC.
Find your flash drive's name. It will appear below the "Devices and drives" heading that's in the middle of the page; typically, your flash drive will be on the right side of this page.
1. You'll usually see "(E:)" or "(F:)" after the flash drive's name.
Right-click your flash drive's name. A drop-down menu will appear.
Click Eject. It's near the middle of the drop-down menu. Once you do this, the flash drive's name should disappear from the This PC window.
Wait for the "Safe to Remove Hardware" prompt. Once this notification displays in the bottom-right side of your computer's screen, your flash drive is ready for removal.
Gently tug the flash drive away from your computer. It should slide out. The next time you plug your flash drive into your computer, all of your files should be as you left them.

Method 3 of 3:

Enabling Quick Removal

Make sure your flash drive is attached to your computer. Quick Removal is a Windows service that formats your flash drive for a no-eject removal, meaning you can simply unplug the flash drive when you're done with it. To enable Quick Removal, your flash drive must currently be plugged in.
1. You can't set up Quick Removal for an SD card.
Right-click the Start button. It's the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen. Doing so will invoke a pop-up menu.
1. You can also hold down ⊞ Win and tap X to bring up the pop-up menu.
Click Device Manager. This option is toward the top of the pop-up menu.
Click the > to the left of "Disk Drives". The Disk Drives section is toward the top of the Device Manager window. Clicking the arrow to the left of it reveals the list of your computer's disk drives, which happens to include your currently attached flash drive.
Right-click your flash drive's name. The flash drive's name will vary, but you will usually see "USB" in its title.
Click Properties. This option is at the bottom of the right-click drop-down menu.
Click Policies. It's a tab at the top of the "Properties" window.
Click the Quick removal option. It's near the top of this window.
Click OK. This will enable Quick Removal for this specific flash drive. When you're done using the flash drive, you can physically remove it from your computer without going through the "Eject" process.

Lesley Montoya

Update 04 March 2020

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