Table of contents:
How the error problem ejecting USB mass storage appears on screen?
Is it safe to unplug the device when it says USB device in use?
Causes for the problem ejecting USB mass storage device error
How to fix problem ejecting USB mass storage device?
How does the USB error appear on the screen?
There are different types of USB error messages that you may come across. A few common ones are given below:
- This device is currently in use. Close any programs or windows that might be using the device and then try again.
- Windows is unable to stop the device. Don’t remove the device while it is in use. Close any program using the device and then remove it.
- The device ‘Generic volume’ cannot be stopped right now. Try stopping the device again later.
Is it safe to unplug the device when it says USB device in use?
when faced with an ejecting USB mass storage device error, Unplugging the USB device is unsafe and you may risk corrupting the drive and all the contents within it.
Abruptly ejecting your drive is risky, and its best to avoid it. Especially during ant read or write processes.
What causes the problem ejecting USB mass storage device?
There are causes that could lead to your USB experiencing ejection issues. A few common ones are listed below.
- May be the presence of virus running in the external drive background.
- A computer bug preventing the function of your PC and stopping you from using the Eject media option in the Taskbar.
- Other process using an external media in the background
- Improper formatted USB drive
How to fix problem ejecting USB mass storage device?
To fix the problem ejecting USB drive performs below mentioned are the tried and tested methods.
Few basic troubleshoot methods are:
-
-
- Close all the files and programs that are opened in your PC. Now try safely ejecting the device
- Run trusted anti-virus scan on your PC to fix if any virus or bug related issues.
- Try to eject the USB mass storage device via this PC ( Right click on the drive and click on eject)
- Disable the security software’s like Windows defender or any third party security software installed on your PC.
- To fix problem ejecting USB drive, you can try logging off and log on to your account. You can try to logout using 4 different ways-
-
- Click on Start icon >> Administrator icon >> Sign out.
- Press Windows + X >> Shut down or sign out >> Sign out.
- Press Ctrl + Alt + Del >> Sign out.
- Press Alt + F4, click the down-arrow icon and choose Sign out.
-
If you are still encountering the same error after performing the basic troubleshoot, do not worry! Follow the next methods one after the other and verify the error persists.
Quick navigation
Method 1: Fix the Problem Ejecting Mass Storage Device via Device Manager
Method 2: Use Task Manager to Fix Problem Ejecting USB Mass Storage Device
Method 3: Fix the Problem Unable to eject USB Drive via Disk Management
Method 4: Format the USB Drive to Fix the Error Cannot Eject Mass Storage Device
As cited above, if you forcefully ejected your USB drive and unable to find any files stored in the memory drive, you can easily recover your USB data with the help of the most recommended tool.
The SFWare USB recovery tool helps you recovering data from corrupted drive easily. The tool is compatible with any USB flash drives such as Samsung, Kingston, SanDisk and etc. The tool helps recovery of data from corrupt USB across all Windows and Mac versions. Download the software now and try it for free…
Step 2: From the device list, find Disk Drives and expand it. All the related USB storage devices are displayed
Step 3: Find the USB storage device that is displayed the error can’t be ejected.
Step 4: Right-click on the problem-causing device and click Uninstall device. Click OK to continue and uninstall the device from your PC.
After uninstalling the USB device, try removing the device from the Windows computer and verify if the error exists. If you encounter the error 43 during the process it states that Device manager stopped the hardware and reports Windows that it has some unspecified problem.
Method 2: Use Task Manager to Fix Problem Ejecting USB Mass Storage Device
You can verify and close all the processes of programs running in the background in Windows 11/10 using Task Manager.
Step 1: Type Task Manager in search bar or Right-click the blank area at the taskbar >> select Task Manager option from the list.
Step 2. After you enter into the Task Manager window, you can view all the running processes and programs under Process tab. If you don’t see the Process tab, you can click More details to access it.
Step 3. Next, you can check the list of running processes and programs in Task Manager. Right-click any process or program that may be using your USB storage device, and click End Task to close the application or process.
Now, you can safely remove the USB drive and see if the problem Ejecting USB Mass Storage Device, this device is currently in use error has been fixed.
Method 3: Fix the Problem Unable to eject USB Drive via Disk Management
With the Disk Management, you can manage computer local hard disk, any external drive, and removable disks like USB and SD cards. Try ejecting problem causing drive with this method
Step 1: Hold Windows + R keys together to o open Windows Run. Input diskmgmt.msc and Enter to open Disk Management
Step 2: Select the problem causing drive. Now, Right-click the USB drives and click on the Eject button
Once the drive is ejected from the disk management, you will see the pop up message safely remove the USB device. Now, try unplugging your USB from your PC and verify the device is currently in use error is fixed.
If you are unable to fix the problem using the above mentioned methods, then it could be a problem with your drive file system. Try reformatting the USB drive to FAT from NTFS file system.
Method 4: Format the USB Drive To Fix The Error Cannot Eject Mass Storage Device
File system of the USB drive also plays an important role while working on it. The default file system in flash drives is FAT. If your USB drive is formatted in different file system, reformat the drive into existing FAT file system in our device.
Important note: Formatting or reformatting of the USB drive will erase all the data stored in the drive. Make sure you have a backup of the data. Or use a USB recovery tool to recover data from formatted drive.
Steps to Recover Data from USB Displaying Error:
Download and install SFWare USB data recovery software. Connect your USB drive to your computer and follow the given steps:
-
- From the main screen, click on Recover Drive. Next, either select Formatted Recovery
- Select Drive to recover data from USB drive displaying error cannot eject mass storage device .
- SFWare scans the drives and provides a list of all the recoverable USB drive files. Choose the file types to recover files and click Next.
Preview the files before you save. Select the required ones from the recovered files and save them in a desired location.
Once you have recovered your files from the USB drive, you can go ahead and format the drive.
Format the Drive to Fix the Problem Ejecting your USB
Step 1: Go to this PC, right click on the USB drive and select Format
Step 2: Click on the File system, Drop down box displays the other file system, Select FAT32 or exFAT file system. Click on Start button. Click OK to continue with the pop up message stating your data will be erased permanently.
Once you change the file system of the drive, any error associated with the drive will be cleared and you will be able to use your device without any error.
If you have no backup of your important data or lost your files during formatting, follow the below given steps to recover data from formatted USB.
The Bottom Line
With the above mentioned methods, you can easily fix the problem ejecting USB mass storage device error. To prevent such issues in the future, creating a backup folder really pays off in the long run. Please feel free to reach out if you have any related questions
