The Lord is with me external hard disk Won't eject on your Windows 10 PC? You may not be able to safely remove attached external devices such as USB drives or hard drives Foreign or SSD drivesSometimes, Windows refuses to eject external hard drives even when you use the Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media option from the bottom-left side of the taskbar (see Method 10 below). If you don't want your data to become corrupted or unreadable, you should carefully remove the external hard drive from your system. This post will teach you how to eject an external hard drive on Windows XNUMX with the help of tried and true solutions.
How to Eject an External Hard Drive on Windows 10
It is always recommended to remove external devices only if no software is used to ensure the safety and security of your system as well as the external device. It is likely that the drive will be damaged or corrupted if you eject it recklessly. However, if you cannot eject an external hard drive on your operating system, Windows 10 Please carefully follow the recommendations below.
Method 1: Through the taskbar
You can directly eject the external hard drive on Windows 10 from the taskbar as follows:
1. Click the upward-pointing arrow icon in the lower-right corner of the Taskbar.
2. Right click on “Safely remove hardware” and code Media Output Featured.
3. Select an option Output <device name>, As shown below.
Note: Here, we've shown the Cruzer Blade hard drive as an example.
The second method: Through File Explorer
Here's how to eject an external hard drive in Windows 10 using File Explorer:
1. Press the keys Windows + E At the same time to run File Explorer.
2. Go to this PC as shown.
3. Right-click on the external hard drive and select the optionoutput , As shown below.
The third method: Through Disk Management
Drive Management is a feature of Windows 10 that allows you to manage hard drive partitions without having to restart your computer or interrupt your work. If the option doesn't work, “Remove hardware and eject media safely” You can safely remove the drive using a tool. Disk Management , as follows:
1. Press the keys Windows + X At the same time to open Windows Power User Menu and click Disk Management , As shown below.
2. Search for external hard drive , right-click on it and choose Directed by , as shown.
Note: Since you ejected it, the drive will always display offline. Remember to change its status to online the next time you insert it.
Why can't I eject my Windows 10 external hard drive?
When a problem arises, there are several suspects that you should investigate thoroughly. Every problem has a cause and therefore a solution. If you can't safely eject your external drive and the "Safely remove hardware and eject media" option is grayed out, one of the following issues is likely the culprit:
- The contents of the drive are used: The most common source of the problem is the contents of the drive being used. If background programs or applications are accessing data stored on an external hard drive, this will almost certainly cause problems for you.
- Outdated Windows USB drivers: The problem is likely caused by drivers. Windows USBThe error may be caused by outdated or incompatible USB drivers on your computer.
Fix Cannot Eject External Hard Drive Issue on Windows 10
If you are having problems ejecting your external hard drive, follow any of the given methods to fix it.
Method 1: Use Task Manager
Often, unknown applications and services running in the background can cause interference with external drives. Try ending these programs via Task Manager as follows:
1. Press the keys Ctrl + Shift + Esc At the same time to open Task manager.
2. In the tab Operations Find the process that seems to be consuming a large amount of memory.
3. Right click on it and choose End Task as shown below.
Method 2: Run the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter
If you still have trouble ejecting your external hard drive in Windows 10, you should use the Windows Hardware and Devices troubleshooter. Follow these steps to use the troubleshooter:
1. Press the keys Windows + R Together to open the dialog box "employment".
2. Write msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic And press Enter To open Hardware Troubleshooter .
3. Click the option "advanced" , as shown.
4. Select the option “Automatically apply the fix” And click "the following".
5. Click "the following" to follow.
6. It will now run. Troubleshooter If there is a problem, it will display two options: Apply this fix وSkip This fix. Then, click on Apply this fix and prepared Turn on the computer.
Method 3: Use the Safe Hardware Removal Tool
To access the option Windows Safely Remove Hardware For older versions, use a keyboard shortcut. This will launch the full application and allow you to easily eject the external hard drive. Follow the instructions below to do so:
1. Press the keys Windows + R Together to open the dialog box "employment".
2. Write RunDll32.exe shell32.dll ، Control_RunDLL hotplug.dll , and click OK , as shown below. It should automatically launch the utility. Safely Remove Hardware.
3. Simply select the drive you want to remove and click the button. "turning off" As shown in the featured image.
4. Now check whether you can eject the external hard drive via Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media option from the bottom left side of the taskbar or not.
Method 4: Change the hard disk approach
If you don't see the eject option on your Windows PC, it's because there isn't one. This indicates that Windows is blocking the hard drive from being ejected because it might be in the middle of a task. As a result, if Windows detects a risk of data loss, it will prevent you from removing the hard drive. To change the policy Windows has set for your hard drive, follow these steps:
1. Click START YOUR , And type device Manager , and press the . key Enter.
2. Double-click the option. drives to expand it.
3. Right click on external drive And choose The properties , As shown below.
4. Go to the tab Policies.
5. Select an option Better performance.
6. Click "OK" To confirm Settings Your own
7. Simply restart your computer and see if the option to eject the drive is available or not.
Method 5: Update or reinstall the USB driver
Your ability to eject hard drives from your computer may be hindered by outdated, outdated, or incompatible USB drivers. To fix this issue of not being able to eject an external hard drive on Windows 10, follow the instructions below to update the USB drivers on your Windows 10 computer:
1. Turn on Device Manager Double-click Universal Serial Bus Controllers to expand this section.
2a. Find an entry marked with a yellow exclamation mark. Right-click on the driver and select Driver Update From the context menu, as shown below.
3a. Click on the option Search automatically About drivers to allow Windows to update the drivers. Then restart your system.
2b. If there is no exclamation mark, right-click on the USB drive and select Uninstall the device , as shown.
3b. Uncheck the option. Delete the driver for this device and click the . button uninstall The explained.
4. Drivers will be installed automatically when the system restarts.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Q1. Is it safe to remove a hard drive from a computer?
answer. External storage devices, such as USB flash drives, should be carefully removed before disconnecting them. Simply disconnecting the device risks disconnecting it while the program is still in use. This could result in some of your data being lost or deleted.
Q2. When you disconnect an external hard drive, what happens?
answer. Removing a memory card from a card reader or a USB drive from its interface can result in corrupted files, unreadable media, or both. These possibilities are greatly reduced by carefully removing your external storage device.
Q3. In Windows 10, where is the eject button?
answer. There's often an upward-pointing triangle with a line below the eject button near the volume controls. Alternatively, open File Explorer, right-click the icon for blocked drives, and then choose Eject.
We hope this information was helpful and that you were able to learn how to eject an external hard drive on Windows 10. Let us know which method you found most effective in resolving the issue of not being able to eject an external hard drive on Windows 10. Please feel free to ask questions or make suggestions in the comments section below.
