How to force eject hard drive windows 11 safely?

[Audrey]

Hi, How to force eject hard drive windows 11 when it says the device is still in use? I’ve already closed apps but the issue remains. What steps should I try?

 

[robert]

In Windows 11, it is safe to eject a hard drive only after closing files and apps on the drive. In the system tray, click the icon of safely removal of hardware, and choose your device. Assuming that it is not going to eject, open Task Manager and terminate processes with the use of the drive. Disk management can also be used to put the drive offline. Finally, you need to restart PC and then carefully remove the hard drive.

 

[robbinhook]

To safely force eject a hard drive on Windows 11, first close all files and programs using the drive. Click the USB icon in the taskbar and select “Eject.” If it fails, open Task Manager, end related processes, then try again. You can also use Disk Management to bring the drive offline before unplugging. Avoid removing it while data is in use to prevent corruption.