This answer explains what to do when you receive an error when trying to safely remove or format a hard drive in windows. This error will vary based on your version of Windows and type of drive.*END
For assistance with ejecting a USB device please see Answer ID 21880: How to Safely Remove the USB device from Windows or macOS
Just like up there. It's not ejecting from the disk. (Mac) I've tried for hours. The message I keep getting is 'the disk 'My passport' Is in use and could not be ejected.
Issue:
Trying to use the Safely Remove Hardware results in a message that the external drive cannot be stopped or unmounted.
Cause:
- An anti-virus or anti-spyware application installed on your PC. You will need to contact your specific anti-virus or anti-spyware's publisher for assistance determining if this is the case.
- If the drive contains an NTFS partition indexing may be enabled.
- There may be some other third party software that is still accessing the drive. This software most often is security, storage management, or backup utilities.
- WD Smartware, WD Backup, WD Drive Utilities or WD Drive Security programs could be running and accessing the device. Close any WD or 3rd party software that is running to ensure it is not using the drive
Solution:
- Configure or disable the function of your anti-virus or anti-spyware so that it is not using your drive. For assistance doing this please contact the publisher of that software.
- To check for indexing in Windows, access My Computer (on Windows XP) or Computer (on Windows Vista or 7) and right-click on the drive letter assigned to the drive. Select Properties. You should see the Allow Indexing option under the default tab. If this is checked, uncheck it.
- If neither of the above solutions solves the problem, you may have another third-party software that is still accessing the drive. Make sure you close all open documents and programs before you try to stop the drive. Also, try disabling third-party applications that are not part of the operating system in the Windows Task Manager. If all else fails, shutting down the computer first will safely stop the drive. You can then unplug the drive from the computer and/or power.
Note: | If none of the above solutions work, you may want to consider upgrading your copy of Windows to the latest Service Pack. You can also go to Microsoft Support for additional help. |
How to safely eject a USB device from the computer.
Please see Answer ID 12455: Windows or macOS Cannot Find My Drive for troubleshooting assistance
Having trouble unmounting / unable to safely eject a USB device, please see Answer ID 16330: Unable to safely remove (unmount) a WD external drive in Windows
Select an Operating System (OS) | ||||
Windows 10 and 8.1 | Click here for Instructions (instructions will appear below this table) | |||
Windows 7 | Click here for Instructions (instructions will appear below this table) | |||
macOS | Click here for Instructions (instructions will appear below this table) | |||
Using WD Drive Utilities (Windows and macOS) | Click here for Instructions (instructions will appear below this table) |
Please select an Operating System (OS) from the table above to display instructions for a specific OS.
Windows 10 and 8.1
- Click the Safely Remove Hardware icon on the system tray.
- Select a device to remove
- Wait for the Safe to Remove Hardware message to appear, then unplug the device from the USB port.
Note: | If the Safely Remove Hardware icon is not visible on the system tray, click on the arrow to show more icons. |
If the drive cannot be ejected, please see Answer ID 16330: Unable to safely remove (unmount) a WD external drive in Windows
Windows 7
- Click the Safely Remove Hardware icon on the system tray.
- Select a device to remove
- Wait for the Safe to Remove Hardware message to appear, then unplug the device from the USB port.If the drive cannot be ejected, please see Answer ID 16330: Unable to safely remove (unmount) a WD external drive in Windows
Note: | If the Safely Remove Hardware icon is not visible on the system tray, click on the arrow to show more icons. |
macOS
- Safely eject a drive by right-clicn and select Eject, or simply drag the Mounted External Disk icon to Trash.
- Unplug the device from the USB port.
![My Passport For Mac Won My Passport For Mac Won](http://assets-jpcust.jwpsrv.com/thumbs/4R1J6AWs-1280.jpg)
How to safely eject a USB device from the computer using WD Drive Utilities
Windows and macOS
- Download and install WD Drive Utilities
- To download the WD Drive Utilities from our Downloads page, please click here.
- Launch WD Drive Utilities
- Right-click on the drive's icon at the top
- Click Eject DiskIf the drive is not detected by WD Drive Utilities, please see Answer ID 12455: Windows or macOS Cannot Find My Drive
![Mac Mac](https://discourse-cdn-sjc1.com/wd/uploads/default/optimized/3X/e/f/efdea5619c11a2e8912ff5302eb4db26bfe9a650_1_690x380.png)