5 Ways to Fix Unable to Eject a USB Drive on Windows 11

Quick Tips

• Unplugging a USB drive without properly ejecting it from your Windows 11 computer can lead to data loss.
• Windows 11 might fail to eject a USB drive if a background process is still using an app or file on the drive, so close them before ejecting.
• Consider using the Safely Remove Hardware utility and updating the USB drivers if the issue remains.

Fix 1: Eject Drive Using the Settings App

Windows provides several options for removing a USB drive. So, if you can’t eject a USB drive from the system tray or File Explorer, use the Windows 11 Settings app instead.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + I to launch the Settings app and navigate to Bluetooth & devices > Devices.

Step 2: Locate your USB drive on the list. Click the three-dot menu icon next to it and select Remove device.

Step 3: Select Yes to confirm.

Fix 2: Use Safely Remove Hardware Utility

If the issue persists, you can also use the Safely Remove Hardware utility on Windows to eject a USB drive.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog. Type the following command in the box and press Enter:

RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL hotplug.dll

Step 2: Select the USB drive you want to eject and click the Stop button.

Step 3: Select your USB drive again and click OK to confirm.

Fix 3: Configure Device Removal Policy

Windows 11 employs the quick removal policy for all USB devices by default. However, if you wish to eject your drives manually, you must configure its removal policy by following the steps below.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + S to open the search menu, type device manager, and press Enter.

Step 2: Expand Disk drives, right-click on your USB drive, and select Properties.

Step 3: In the Device Properties window, navigate to the Policies tab and select Better performance. Then, hit OK.

Windows will prompt you to restart your PC for the policy change to take effect. After that, you should see the eject option for your USB drive.

Fix 4: Run Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter

Windows has a dedicated Hardware and Devices troubleshooter that can come in handy in such situations. Running it will allow Windows to scan all the devices connected to the system, including your USB drive, and fix any issues affecting its removal.

Step 1: Open the search menu, type command prompt, and select Run as administrator.

Step 2: In the console, type or copy and paste the following command and press Enter:

msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic

Step 3: In the Hardware and Devices window, click Next to run the troubleshooter.

If the automatic repair pops up, apply the suggested fixes. Try to eject the USB drive to see if it works.

Fix 5: Update USB Drivers

Windows 11 may not eject a USB drive due to faulty or corrupted drivers. You can try updating those drivers using the Device Manager to see if that fixes the issue.

Step 1: Open Device Manager using the search menu.

Step 2: Double-click Universal Serial Bus Controllers to expand it. If there’s a yellow exclamation mark next to an entry, right-click on it and select Update driver.

From there, follow the on-screen prompts to finish updating the drivers. After that, you should eject USB drives as usual.