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Hi, back in Windows 7, there was a "Safely Remove Hardware" feature to safely disconnect phones, USB sticks, or external drives attached to a Windows PC via a USB cable. But I don't see a similar feature in Windows 11. So, how can I safely disconnect any device that use a USB cable?
Right click your Taskbar and select Taskbar settings.
In the resulting settings app, expand the 'Other System Tray Icons' section.
In there, in the list, you should be able to enable the 'Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media' icon on your taskbar system tray area.
If you still do not see that icon on your tray when you have a USB drive connected, click the small up arrow, is the icon available in the resulting popup panel.
Hi @DaveM121 , when "Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media" is enabled on my PC, I connect my phone to my PC, but that icon does not show up. If I attach a USB stick, the icon always shows up regardless whether "Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media" is turned on or off.
Thank you for that information.
If the problem is only occurring with your phone, on your phone, open the USB settings in the Settings app and set that to 'File Transfer' or MTP and that should get Windows to recognize your phone as removable storage.
