And the answer is a bit ambiguous, since it will depend on the version and the device you are using, however, today we could already say that In most cases, it is not necessary to expel it and we can delete it without any problem at any time.
Should I eject my USB drive before removing it?
As we said, it is not always necessaryand since the version of Windows 10, the operating system has the necessary tools so that this is not a problem, and until the date of its release, with the previous operating system it could corrupt some of the files from our USB memory, leaving it useless and losing this information.
This is why Microsoft wanted to solve this problem, and since W10, and therefore also Windows 11, they bring a security measure which somewhat avoids the latter. It is not foolproof, and there may be situations where unfortunately something similar happens, so it is always advisable to expel it before doing so, however, the severity of the problem is no longer similar to this than it was years ago, and, therefore, if it turns off or you simply forget to press the extraction button, nothing happens and you do not have to put your hands on your head for this.
As we can see in the image above, this feature is optional and we can change it depending on the device. By default we will have selected the “Quick Extraction”which will allow us to perform the action of disconnecting the USB key without having to eject it.
However, if we want to improve its performance, we can do so by modifying the option. Of course, if we do this we must safely eject our unit before removing it from the connector, otherwise we will be exposed to the risk of losing data, as previously happened in older versions of Windows.
This method applies to any USB stick, but also to other external storage devices such as hard drives, so we can connect and disconnect these devices without any worries. Of course, if we remember, it never hurts to do it safely.
Getting used to doing it can save us from a situation where, in an unusual way, we have to take another computer with a different version of Windows or with the modified configuration, and without knowing it, and out of routine, we do it without extracting them , putting the data at risk, so we recommend, even if it is not strictly necessary, to always get used to expelling them before disconnecting them from the computer.
And you, did you know about this option present in Windows 10 and 11? Or are you one of those who still did it due to the habit you acquired in previous versions, where it was more than recommended to do so? The truth is that it took me a while to discover it and I appreciate it. This is not the first file I have lost while extracting from unsecured USB memory.
