Ejecting your USB drives after use is always a good pratice you can apply to prevent the risk of losing important data. This theory applies to all devices, including your Chromebooks.
But, compared to ejecting through Windows PCs, the process of ejecting Chromebooks slightly varies due to the difference in interface. Regardless, the process is relatively straightforward and should not take more than a few seconds of your time.
So, in this article, let us look at a detailed guide on how to eject USB drives from your Chromebook.
How to Eject USB From Chromebook?
When your USB drive is connected to your Chromebook, you must navigate to your Files app to view and access all available external drives. This app is equivalent to the File Explorer on your Windows PC or Finder if you’re on a Mac.
To view all available USB and external drives, you can head over to the left panel of the navigation pane.
As for ejecting these drives, you can safely do so by clicking on the eject icon, right-clicking on the drive’s name, or using a handy keyboard shortcut.
Here is a step-by-step guide you can follow to eject any USB drives connected to your Chromebook.
- Connect your USB drive to your Chromebook.
- Head to the bottom left corner of your screen and click on the Launcher icon.
- Now, locate and open the Files app from the list of options.
- Navigate to the left sidebar, and click on the eject button next to your external drive. You can also right-click on the drive and select Eject Device.
- Alternatively, you can use the shortcut Control + Shift + E keys to eject the USB drive for easier access.
- Now, wait for a couple of seconds until the USD drive icon disappears from the navigation pane.
- Finally, remove the USB drive from your device’s port.
Why Can’t I Eject My USB From Chromebook?
If you are running into issues with your USB failing to eject, there might be several reasons why it might occur. Some of the causes include:
- Your USB drive is still in use in the background.
- Other background apps or processes have interfered with the ejection.
- The USB drive is infiltrated with viruses or malware.
To solve this issue, the first and foremost action you need to take is to close any process in which the USB drive is partaking. If that is not the case, you might want to try quitting all the background applications and see if it fixes the issue.
If the issue still persists, we suggest you shut down your device. It is the safest method you can apply to eject the device without worrying about data corruption.
To do so, press and hold down the power button from your keyboard for about 3 seconds. From the pop-up, click on the Power Off button. Now, go ahead with removing the USB drive from the port.
Related Questions
Why Is My USB Not Showing Up on My Chromebook?
If you are having problems with your USB not showing up, there are a few causes for this issue. It might occur mainly due to incompatible format types, outdated operating software, and faulty USB cable or ports.
How to Eject an iPhone From Chromebook?
If you have connected your iPhone device with a USB cable, ejecting follows the same process. You can head to the Files app, locate the iPhone from your navigation pane and click on the Eject icon. Now, please wait a few seconds until it disappears. You can now plug the device out of the port.
