External drives like USB flash drives, SD cards, and external hard drives are very convenient for accessing and transferring files between devices. However, it’s important to properly disconnect them to avoid potential data loss or corruption.
Why should I safely disconnect external drives?
When you connect an external drive to your computer, the operating system loads the necessary drivers and begins managing the flow of data between the drive and your system. This data flow happens seamlessly in the background. If you disconnect the drive without warning, there is a risk that your operating system may not have finished writing data to it. This can lead to file corruption or loss.
Safely ejecting or disconnecting the drive tells your operating system to finish up any pending disk writes, unmount the drive from the file system, and deactivate the device drivers. This helps ensure no data is lost or corrupted during disconnection.
How to safely disconnect an external drive on Windows
On Windows, the safest way to disconnect an external drive is:
- Open File Explorer (Windows key + E)
- Right-click on the icon for your external drive
- Click “Eject”
- Wait for the notification that it’s safe to remove the hardware
- Physically disconnect the drive
Ejecting the drive will ensure any pending write operations finish cleanly before disconnecting. You’ll get a notification when it’s fully stopped and ready for removal.
Using the Safely Remove Hardware icon
You can also eject external drives from the “Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media” icon in the Windows system tray. Simply click the icon, select your drive, and wait for confirmation that it’s safe to disconnect.
Disconnect from This PC
In Windows File Explorer, you may see a “Disconnect” option when right-clicking on some drives. Use this to safely disconnect the drive before unplugging it.
How to safely disconnect external drives on Mac
On MacOS, you should always eject an external drive before disconnecting it. Here’s how:
- Click the eject icon next to the drive name on your desktop
- If the drive is in a Finder window, right-click the drive icon and select “Eject”
- You can also drag the drive icon from your desktop to the Trash, which will eject it
- Wait for notification that the drive was ejected successfully
- Disconnect the physical drive
Using Finder sidebar
Drives connected to your Mac will appear in the Finder sidebar under “Devices.” Click the eject icon next to a drive here to eject it before disconnecting.
What happens if you unplug without ejecting?
If you physically disconnect an external drive without first ejecting it, a few things could happen:
- Data loss or corruption: Unplugging mid-transfer could interrupt data writes to the drive, causing file corruption or loss.
- Drive damage: Improperly disconnecting could potentially cause physical damage to the drive.
- “Forced eject”: The disk may remain mounted until manually ejected later, which could prevent access to the drive.
- Nothing obvious: It’s possible nothing bad will happen immediately, but there are still risks of data loss.
Prevent these potential issues by always safely ejecting external drives first.
Tips for safely disconnecting external drives
- Eject from the System Tray or Desktop icon for assurance.
- Avoid disconnecting during transfers – wait for large file copies to finish.
- Close any open files on the drive before ejecting.
- If a drive won’t eject normally, reboot your computer and try again.
- Never disconnect a drive during formatting or partitioning.
When can I disconnect without ejecting first?
Manually ejecting is generally recommended whenever possible. However, some types of drives like SD cards may be disconnected without ejecting in certain situations:
- SD cards from digital cameras can be removed once the import or copy process finishes, as they are often read-only media.
- USB flash drives may be safe to remove without ejecting after confirming file transfers are complete and any lights have stopped flashing, indicating it is no longer active.
- Non-removable internal hard drives never need to be ejected and do not have this option.
Use caution and only attempt disconnecting without ejecting when dealing with read-only media like camera memory cards where no damage will occur. Otherwise, always eject first.
How to troubleshoot external drive eject issues
If you are unable to eject an external drive normally, try the following troubleshooting steps:
- Close any open files or programs accessing the drive.
- Safely remove or stop any processes using the drive in your operating system.
- Use Task Manager (Windows) or Force Quit (Mac) to stop stuck processes.
- Reboot your computer and attempt to eject again.
- If ejecting from desktop icon fails, try ejecting from within File Explorer instead.
- Disconnect all other external devices besides the stubborn drive.
If you cannot safely eject a drive after trying these steps, disconnecting the physical cable is an option, but should only be done as a last resort.
Preventing external drive connection issues
You can avoid many external drive headaches by following best practices:
- Always eject drives properly rather than just pulling the cable.
- Make sure you pause or complete large file transfers before ejecting.
- Keep drive connections secure – loose connectors can interrupt transfers.
- Turn off the external drive before disconnecting from power whenever possible.
- Use newer, faster USB standards like USB 3.0 for best connectivity.
- Replace damaged or very old external drives that may not work reliably.
When to reformat an external drive
If an external drive becomes corrupted or experiences data loss, you may need to reformat or reset it. Here are some signs it’s time to reformat:
- You can’t safely eject or disconnect the drive normally.
- The drive isn’t recognized by your OS or won’t show up.
- Frequent error messages appear when using the drive.
- Files can’t be opened or constantly appear corrupted.
- Strange noises come from the drive like clicking or beeping.
- The external drive feels much hotter than normal during use.
Before reformatting, try to copy any important files off the drive if possible. Reformatting will erase all data, so be prepared to lose anything still on the drive.
How to reformat an external drive
On Windows:
- Open File Explorer and right-click the drive.
- Select “Format…”
- Choose your desired file system (often NTFS or exFAT for external drives).
- Check “Quick Format” to erase and reformat quickly.
- Click “Start” to begin reformatting.
On Mac:
- Open Disk Utility.
- Select the drive you want to reformat.
- Click “Erase” and choose your desired file system.
- Name the drive if desired.
- Click “Erase” to start reformatting.
This will completely erase and reset the drive. Once finished, you can begin using it again as normal external storage.
Conclusion
Always ejecting external drives properly before disconnecting them helps prevent potential data loss or hardware issues. Make disconnecting drives safely a habit anytime you use external USB flash drives, SD cards, or hard drives. Being cautious with your external storage helps ensure you don’t misplace important files or overwork your hardware. Follow the eject steps outlined for your specific operating system, and your external drives will provide reliable service.