Why Is My External Device Not Recognized After Ejecting?

Quick Tips

• Always “eject” an external hard drive or device before unplugging it.
• If you don’t do this, you may corrupt or stall the drive, which you might be able to fix by switching your computer off and waiting, then rebooting and trying again.
• You can also try a different USB port or check that the drive works in a different machine.

External hard drives and storage solutions like thumb drives are useful for transferring documents without having to rely on the cloud. However, you do need to be careful to insert and remove them correctly. In some cases, drives need to be safely ejected before you can unplug them.

If you force the device to disconnect, or simply unplug the cable without safely ejecting it, the drive may stall or even become corrupted. The result is that your Windows machine may not recognize the drive next time you plug it in.

Here are some fixes you can try when your external drive not recognized after force eject.

External Hard Drive Not Recognized After Force Eject: Potential Causes and Fixes

When you plug a device into your Windows computer, you can safely eject it from the system tray.

Step 1. Click the upward-pointing arrow to show hidden icons, then right-click the “Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media” icon. Click on the upward-pointing arrow on the left of the system tray to find this option.

Step 2. Right-click the “Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media” icon and select “Open Devices and Printers.”

Step 3. By default, you will normally see any Bluetooth devices you have connected. To find other external devices, click “View more devices.”

Step 4. If you’re using an external hard drive or a similar device like an SD card reader, you will now see an option for “Mass Storage Device.”

Step 5. Click on the drop-down arrow, and click “Remove” next to “Remove this device.”

Step 6. You can now safely unplug the device, as Windows has confirmed that it is safe to remove.

External Device Not Recognized: Fix No. 1 – Wait and Reboot

If you then plug your drive in and nothing happens, it could be because you unplugged it before Windows had finished using the device. The drive or USB connection may have become unresponsive, preventing Windows from recognizing the new connection.

To fix this, make sure the drive is unplugged from any power supply. Shut down your Windows machine and wait a few moments. Reboot the computer, and wait until everything has fully booted up before trying to connect the external device again. In some cases, the power cycle and reboot can clear a temporary connection or USB controller problem, allowing Windows to recognize the device again.

If the problem persists, try the following:

• Try connecting the drive via a different USB port
• Use a different USB cable
• Test the external device on a different computer

If the device works on a different computer, this offers the reassurance that your drive is not permanently corrupted. You may need to force your computer to recognize the drive.

External Device Not Recognized: Fix No. 2 – Change the Drive Letter

Renaming the drive may force Windows to recognize it.

Step 1. Start by pressing Windows + X to bring up the Quick Link Menu, and choose the option for “Disk Management.”

Step 2. If Windows detects the drive, you should be able to see it at the bottom of the window that opens up.

Step 3. Right-click the volume and choose “Change Drive Letter and Paths.”

Step 4. Click “Change.”

Step 5. Choose an unused drive letter.

Step 6. Press “OK,” and you should now be able to access your external drive with no issues.