Eject or Unplug a Device

This topic provides a procedure that you can use to safely eject or unplug a removable device.

	Caution
	Unplugging or ejecting a device that supports safe removal without first using the Safe Removal application to warn the system can cause data to be lost or your system to become unstable. For example, if a device is unplugged during a data transfer, data loss is likely. If you use Safe Removal, however, you can warn the system before you unplug or eject a device, preventing possible loss of data.

Any user account can be used to complete this procedure.

To eject or unplug a device

In the notification area of the taskbar, click the Safe Removal icon ().

Safe Removal displays a pop-up menu with a list of Plug and Play devices that support safe removal and that are currently attached to the system.

If you do not see the device you want in the menu, your device does not support safe removal, and you cannot unplug or eject your device by using Safe Removal.

In the list of devices, select the device that you want to unplug or eject.

A notification appears stating that it is now safe to unplug or eject the device.

	Note
	For removable storage devices that can safely be removed while the computer is on, the computer disables write caching by default. It does this so that the devices can be removed without loss of data.