As a Windows user, you may have encountered a common issue when trying to eject or remove an external USB drive like a flash drive or external hard drive. The error message that comes across says that the device is currently in use and cannot be safely removed. This can be frustrating, especially when you are in a hurry and need to remove the USB drive quickly.

In this article, we will outline how to enable quick removal of USB drives on Windows operating systems (Windows 7, 8, 10.)

What is Quick Removal?

Quick removal is a feature in Windows that enables you to immediately remove a USB drive without having to go through the “safely remove hardware” process or eject it manually. This means you can pull out the USB drive without causing any damage to the files on it or the drive itself.

How to Enable Quick Removal of USB Drives

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to enable quick removal of USB drives:

Step 1: Connect your USB drive to your computer.
Step 2: Open the Windows Start menu.
Step 3: Type “device manager” into the search box and click on the “Device Manager” app.
Step 4: Find and highlight the “Disk drives” option.
Step 5: Right-click on the USB drive you want to enable quick removal for and choose “Properties.”
Step 6: Click on the “Policies” tab on the “Properties” window.
Step 7: Select “Quick removal” and click “OK.”
Step 8: Close the “Device Manager” and eject the USB drive from your computer.

Note: After enabling quick removal, it is important to eject the USB drive from the computer before physically removing it. This ensures that any pending write operations on the device are completed before it is disconnected from the computer.

Conclusion

Enabling quick removal of USB drives allows you to quickly disconnect your external drives without worrying about causing damage to the files on it or the drive itself. With these simple steps, you can enable the feature and safely and conveniently remove your USB drives.