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How to Eject a Flash Drive From a Chromebook

Learn to safely remove USB devices from your laptop

By Ryan Dube Ryan Dube Writer University of Maine Ryan Dube is a freelance contributor to Lifewire and former Managing Editor of MakeUseOf, senior IT Analyst, and an automation engineer. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on January 31, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Google Microsoft Apple Google Tablets Accessories & Hardware

What to Know

Select Launcher icon > Files icon > select device > select Eject icon (triangle) > remove physical device.If drive is "still in use," wait a few minutes and try to eject again, or shut down Chromebook and then remove. This article explains how to eject a flash drive from your Chromebook safely.

How to Eject an SD Memory Card From a Chromebook

Ejecting a USB device from a Chromebook properly can save you from potentially having to recover data after (if) your flash drive gets corrupted. To view USB devices attached to a Chromebook, select the Launcher icon in the lower-left of your screen, and select the Files icon to open the file explorer app. In the left navigation menu, you should see the device (like "SD Card") listed. If you select the device, you'll see all of the contents of this device. When you're ready to remove the device from your Chromebook, select the Eject icon to the right of the device name. Once you do this, you'll see the device disappear from the left navigation menu. Now it's safe to remove the physical flash drive from your Chromebook.

How to Remove USB Thumb Drive From Chromebook

The process of removing a USB thumb drive is identical to the process above. The only difference is that the device name that appears in the left navigation menu will be slightly different. To eject the thumb drive from your Chromebook, just select the Eject icon to the right of its name and it'll disappear. Once it's gone, you can safely remove the thumb drive from your Chromebook. Any USB device you connect to your Chromebook that contains storage will display inside the Files app in the same way. Ejecting that device (and its storage) from your Chromebook is always the same, just select the eject icon and wait for the device to disappear.

The USB Device Still In Use Error

There are times when you may see an error that the USB device is "still in use" and the eject icon won't work. This can happen when a process is still communicating with the USB storage device and can't be stopped by the operating system. If you wait a few minutes, attempt to eject again, and receive the same error, you'll need to shut down your Chromebook. Once the Chromebook is completely shut down, it's safe to remove the USB device without any danger of corruption or damage.

Improperly Removing a Flash Drive from Chromebook

Whenever you insert a flash drive into your Chromebook, the operating system (ChromeOS) is constantly communicating with that device. If you remove the USB device and the OS happens to be in the middle of communicating with it, there's a strong potential that either part or all of the information on the disk could become corrupt and unusable. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Remove an SD Card from a MacBook Install Windows 8/8.1 From USB [Full Walkthrough] How to Use a Chromebook Offline How to Fix a Chromebook Touchscreen That's Not Working How to Take a Photo on a Chromebook How to Burn an ISO File to a USB Drive How to Find a Flash Drive That's Not Showing Up on a Mac How to Use an External Drive With a Chromebook How to Connect AirPods to Chromebook How to Boot From a USB Device How to Fix 'The File or Directory is Corrupted and Unreadable' Errors How to Clean Install Windows 8 Pro Upgrade How to Check Chromebook Hardware or System Specs Chrome OS Is Missing or Damaged: How to Fix This Error How to Select the Right USB Flash Drive How to Erase a Hard Drive Using DBAN Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies