How to Unmount a Drive

On Windows

1. 

   Open the Start menu. Click the Start (

   

   or

   

   ) button in the lower-left corner of your screen.

   1. Alternatively, press the ⊞ Win key.

2. 

   Open File Explorer. Click the File Explorer

   

   icon. Older Windows 10 versions will have the name shown next to the icon as pictured above.

   1. Windows 7 and Vista: select Computer from the right column.

3. 

   Ensure you're on This PC, Computer, or My Computer. The option will be listed in the left pane.

   1. The names differ among Windows versions.

4. 

   Click on the drive you wish to unmount. A list of all currently active drives will be available under the "Devices and drives" heading towards the middle of the page.

   1. This drive must be either a removable hard drive (e.g., a flash drive or SD card) or a secondary internal drive.

5. 

   Click the Manage tab. It's in the ribbon at the top of the File Explorer window.

   1. In case your Windows version is missing the ribbon, simply right-click the drive instead.

6. 

   Click the ⏏ Eject button.

   1. You'll find this option in the "Media" section of the ribbon.

7. 

   Remove the drive from your computer. After clicking this button, you'll see the drive's icon disappear from the File Explorer window, and a notification letting you know that it's safe to remove the hard drive will appear.

   1. Gently disconnect the drive from your computer to complete the unmounting process.