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Don’t force-stop or unplug an external hard drive while it may be writing. Use your operating system’s eject process and wait until it confirms the drive is safe to remove. If a Mac says the disk is in use, close the apps or documents accessing it and retry; if it remains stuck, log out and back in, then shut down before disconnecting it if necessary.
How do I safely eject an external hard drive?
Finish any file transfers, save work stored on the drive, and close apps or windows that may be using it. Then follow the instructions for your operating system. Microsoft advises: “To avoid losing data, always safely remove hardware devices like USB flash drives or external hard drives before disconnecting them.” (Microsoft Support: Safely remove hardware in Windows.)
Windows 11 and Windows 10
- Finish copies and save open files on the external drive. Close File Explorer windows or apps that may be accessing it.
- In the taskbar notification area, right-click Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media. If you do not see the icon, select Show hidden icons.
- Select Eject for the correct drive.
- Wait for the Safe To Remove Hardware notification, or for the drive to disappear from the menu, before disconnecting it.
If the icon is missing, Windows may not recognize a connected removable device. Microsoft also provides instructions for enabling the icon in taskbar settings on its Windows safe-removal support page.
Mac
- Close documents stored on the external disk and quit apps that may be using it. Try ejecting the disk again.
- If it still will not eject, log out of your Mac, log back in, and retry.
- If the external disk remains unejectable, shut down the Mac, disconnect the disk, and start the Mac again.
These are Apple’s documented steps for a disk that will not eject: close the app using it, then try Apple’s other eject solutions.
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Why can’t I eject my drive because it’s in use?
An app, open document, or other operation may still be accessing the disk. On a Mac, close documents and quit likely apps before retrying. If that does not release the disk, use Apple’s logout-and-retry step; shutting down is the next escalation if it still cannot be ejected.
On Windows, the removal policy can also affect what happens when a drive is disconnected. Microsoft says Better performance may cache write operations, so you must use safe removal to avoid risking data loss. Quick removal disables write caching and allows removal without the Safely Remove Hardware process, but may reduce performance. See Microsoft’s explanation of the default removal policy. If you do not know which policy applies, use the eject process.
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- Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop
- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
Can I unplug an external hard drive without ejecting it?
Not as a general rule. If the drive might be writing, unplugging it can interrupt pending operations and risk data loss. Windows’ Quick removal policy is an exception to the requirement to use the safe-removal process because it disables write caching, but Microsoft notes the possible performance tradeoff. When the policy is unknown—or when using a Mac—eject through the operating system and wait for the appropriate confirmation or follow the documented recovery steps.
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- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
What if Windows does not show the eject icon?
First select Show hidden icons in the taskbar notification area. If the icon is still absent, Windows may not recognize the device or no removable device may be connected. Microsoft’s support instructions also explain how to turn on the taskbar icon.
These Windows steps apply to Windows 11 and Windows 10. Microsoft states that Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025; the instructions may still describe the interface, but Windows 10 no longer receives support.
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- Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop
- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
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