If you use USB drives or other external storage devices with your Windows 11 PC, it’s important to know how to manage safely removing them. Windows has settings that control how your computer handles these devices, and changing these can make using your drives easier or faster.

What is the Removal Policy?

The removal policy decides how your PC deals with external drives when they are connected. There are two main options:

• Quick Removal: You can unplug your USB or external drive anytime without using the “Safely Remove Hardware” option. Windows writes data to the drive right away, so it’s safe to remove quickly.
• Better Performance: Windows saves data in batches to make file transfers faster. But you need to use the “Safely Remove Hardware” option before unplugging to avoid losing data.

Here’s how to change these settings step-by-step.

Change Removal Policy Using Settings

1. Open the Settings app:
   • Click the Start Menu and select Settings, or
   • Press Windows key + I on your keyboard.
2. In Settings, click System on the left side.
   

   Click “System” in the Settings app.

3. On the right, click on Storage.
   

   

   
   
   
4. Scroll down and expand Advanced storage settings, then click Disks & volumes.
   

   

   
   
5. Find your external drive in the list and click it, then click Properties.
   

   

   
   
   
6. Under Removal policy, choose either:
   • Quick Removal (safe to unplug anytime)
   • Performance (better speed but use “Safely Remove Hardware” before unplugging)
     

     

     
     
     
7. Close the Settings app when you’re done.

Change Removal Policy Using Device Manager

If you prefer, you can also change this setting from the Device Manager:

1. Open Device Manager by searching for it in the Start menu.
2. Find your external drive under Disk drives.
3. Right-click your external drive and select Properties.
4. Go to the Policies tab.
5. Choose either:
   • Quick removal (default): unplug safely anytime.
   • Better performance: faster but use “Safely Remove Hardware” first.
6. 
   

   

   
   
   
7. Click OK to save.

Summary

• Quick Removal: Best for everyday use where you want to unplug without extra steps.
• Performance: Gives faster data writing but always “Safely Remove Hardware” before unplugging.
• You can easily switch between these options in Settings or Device Manager.
• Choosing the right policy helps keep your data safe and your drives working well.

By understanding and adjusting these settings, you can make using your external storage safer and more convenient.

For more details, see how to Safely Remove External Drives in Windows 11 and how to enable write caching for better performance.