Safely remove an external drive

When you use external storage devices like USB flash drives, you should safely remove them before unplugging them. If you just unplug a device, you run the risk of unplugging while an application is still using it, which could result in some of your files being lost or damaged. When you use an optical disc like a CD or DVD, you can use the same steps to eject the disc from your computer.

  1. Open the file manager.

  2. Locate the device in the sidebar. It should have a small eject icon next to the name. Click the eject icon to safely remove or eject the device.

Alternatively, you can right-click the device and select either Eject or Safely Remove Drive. USB drives can't be physically ejected, so for these devices, there is no difference between Eject and Safely Remove Drive.

If you have any files stored on the device open in any applications, you will not be able to safely remove the device. You will be prompted with a window telling you that "the volume is busy", and listing all the open files on the device. Once you close all the files on the device, the device will automatically be safely removed (so you can unplug or eject it).

You can also choose Unmount Anyway to remove the device without closing the files. This can cause errors in applications that have those files open.

If you can't close one of the files, for example if the application using the file is locked up, you can right-click the file in the Volume is busy window and select End Process. This will force the entire locked up application to close, which could close other files you have open with that application.