How to resolve when USB removal is not displayed and an error occurs every time

This time, we will explain how to solve the problem when the computer does not show the message to remove the USB or when an error occurs every time.

Since important data is stored on a USB, some people may not know whether to remove it unless the safe removal option is displayed, or may be concerned about losing data if they suddenly remove the device.

In this article, we will discuss whether it is necessary to safely remove a USB in the first place. From that part, we will explain the problem of not displaying the removal option or getting an error depending on the version of Windows, so please refer to it.

Is safe USB removal necessary?

Is it really necessary to safely remove a USB? I think some of you may have this question.

With Windows 10 version 1809 and later, it is basically safe to remove the device without any problems. This is because the "quick removal" setting is the default, and write caching (a mechanism for speeding up) is disabled.

However, problems may occur if you remove the USB while reading or writing data. Therefore, if you are not sure whether data is being read or written, it is better to safely remove it.

How to safely remove a USB

This article explains basic USB safe removal procedures.

There are multiple methods, so if you can't get it out with one method, try another.

• How to safely remove USB from taskbar
• How to safely remove USB from settings
• How to safely remove USB from Explorer

Also, if you are unable to remove it using these methods, please refer to the solutions described after this section.

How to safely remove USB from taskbar

[How to safely remove USB from the taskbar]

1. Select the USB icon at the bottom right of the taskbar.
2. Select "Eject USB".
3. When you see "The USB can be safely removed from your computer.", remove the USB from your computer.

How to safely remove USB from settings

[How to safely remove USB from settings]

1. Select "Start (Windows mark)".
2. Select "Settings (gear mark)".
3. Select "Device".
4. Select the appropriate USB.
5. Select "Remove device".
6. Remove the USB from your computer.

How to safely remove USB from taskbar

[How to safely remove USB from Explorer]

1. Select the folder mark (Explorer) on the taskbar.
2. Right-click the appropriate device.
3. Select "Eject".
4. Remove the USB from your computer.

If Safely Remove USB does not appear (common)

If you don't see Safely Remove USB, here are some possible solutions:

• Make sure it's not hidden in the taskbar
• Check if the USB is properly connected

Other solutions are explained in the following sections for each version of Windows.

Make sure it's not hidden in the taskbar

If you cannot find the USB icon on the taskbar, try selecting the mark like "^" to expand it.

An indicator will appear and a USB icon may be hidden inside it.

Once you find the USB icon, remove it as usual.

Check if the USB is properly connected

If the USB is not properly connected, it may not be recognized by the computer and the Safely Remove USB may not be displayed.

Make sure the USB is firmly connected to your computer and try the removal procedure again.

If Safely Remove USB does not appear on the taskbar in Windows 10

If Safely Remove USB does not appear on the taskbar in Windows 10, you can make Safely Remove USB appear in the notification area by changing the settings using the steps below.

[Display safe USB removal in the notification area]

1. Select "Start (Windows mark)".
2. Select "Settings (gear mark)".
3. Select "Personalize".
4. Select "Taskbar".
5. Select "Choose which icons appear on the taskbar" from the "Notification Area" item.
6. Listen to "Safely remove Explorer hardware and eject media."

You can also always display Safely Remove Hardware on the taskbar with the following settings.

[How to always display USB safe removal]

1. Right-click in the blank space of the taskbar.
2. Select Properties.
3. Select "Customize".
4. Select Safely Remove Hardware.
5. Select "Always display" from the "Action" item.
6. Select OK.
7. Select Apply.
8. Select OK.

If you don't see Safely Remove USB in Windows 11

If you don't see Safely Remove USB in Windows 11, a reboot may fix the issue.

Some updates to Windows 11 cause an issue where Safely Remove Hardware is no longer displayed on the taskbar after the update.
There are cases where this problem was resolved by restarting the computer, so if Safe Removal does not appear even after changing the settings in the Windows 10 section, try restarting.

If Safely Remove USB does not appear in Windows 8

If you don't see Safely Remove USB in Windows 8, try changing the settings using the steps below.

[Display USB safe removal in Windows 8]

1. Select the "^" mark on the taskbar to expand the indicators.
2. Select "Customize".
3. Select "Show icons and notifications" from the "Explorer" drop-down menu.
4. Select OK.

This setting allows you to see Safely Remove Hardware in the notification area.

If Safely Remove USB does not appear in Windows 7

If Safely Remove USB does not appear in Windows 7, if you follow the same steps to configure the settings described in the Windows 8 section, the remove icon will appear in the notification area.

You can also launch Safely Remove Hardware from Control Panel.

[How to safely remove USB from “Control Panel”]

1. Select "Start".
2. Select "Control Panel".
3. Select "Devices and Printers".
4. Right-click on the relevant USB.
5. Select "Eject".

In this way, in Windows 7, you can safely remove the USB by changing settings as in Windows 8 or by performing operations from the control panel.

If you don't see Safely Remove Your Phone

If you don't see the option to safely remove your phone connected to your computer, you can safely remove it using the following methods:

• For iPhone, perform the removal operation from iTunes
• For Android, stop data transfer on your smartphone
• Turn off your smartphone or PC and then disconnect it

Data transfer will be canceled when you turn off your smartphone or PC, so you can safely remove it.
Other steps are explained in the following sections.

For iPhone: Perform removal operation from iTunes

If you want to safely remove your iPhone, launch iTunes on your computer, follow the steps below, and select the removal menu.

[How to safely remove iPhone with iTunes]

1. Launch iTunes.
2. Hover over the device "iPhone" listed in iTunes.
3. An eject button will appear on the right, so select it.
4. Once the iPhone display disappears, you can remove it.

For Android Stop data transfer from smartphone

If you want to safely remove your Android, please stop data transfer from your smartphone's menu. The steps are as follows, but they may differ depending on the model.

[How to safely remove Android using smartphone]

1. Operate the Android screen to display the notification screen.
   (It will be displayed by sliding from the top.)
2. Select "USB File Transfer Mode".
3. Select "USB file transfer mode ON".
4. Select "No data transfer".
5. Once the Android folder display disappears on the computer side, it can be removed.

If removing the USB causes an error every time on Windows 10, 11

If you get an error every time you remove the USB in Windows 10 or 11, please check the following points.

• Is the task manager closed?
• Are all folders and files closed?

If the error still occurs, please remove it using the following method.

• Shut down your computer

This will be explained in detail in the following sections.

Close task manager

If you get an error every time you try to remove a USB in Windows 10 or 11, and the message "This device is currently in use. Please close the program or window that is using the device and try again." is displayed. Please check if Task Manager is open.

In particular, in Windows 11 version 22H2, it has been reported that an error occurs when the Task Manager is open or a specific tab in the Task Manager is selected.
Therefore, unless you have a reason to keep Task Manager open, try closing Task Manager and then removing the USB.

Close all folders/files

If you get an error every time you try to remove a USB in Windows 10 or 11, and the message "This device is currently in use. Please close the program or window that is using the device and try again." is displayed. Please close all folders and files and try again.

If the USB is communicating with a specific file or folder, an error may occur when removing it.
Therefore, when disconnecting the USB, you may be able to prevent errors by closing all windows and running the program again.

Also, if any applications are using the USB, try closing them as well.
Some applications may be running in the background, so open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and check the Processes tab. If the application is running, select the appropriate item and then select "End Task" to end it.

Shut down your computer

If you get an error when safely removing the USB, you may want to shut down your computer and then remove it.

If you have successfully shut down your computer, you can safely disconnect any connected devices.

Although it will not solve the fundamental error, in case of an emergency, shutting down and disconnecting the device will prevent problems such as data loss.

summary

This time, we explained how to resolve the issue when the USB removal message does not appear or an error appears every time.

In the latest versions of Windows, it is said that there is no problem even if the USB is removed as long as it is not reading or writing data.
However, if you want to remove it as safely as possible, you may want to perform ``Safely Remove USB'' from the taskbar or Explorer.

Also, if an error occurs when removing the USB, the problem may be resolved by closing all folders, files, and the task manager, so please try that.