No, you will no longer pass for a thug by unplugging a USB stick without ejecting it, since Microsoft has changed the behaviour of its system vis-à-vis USB devices. Thus, it is no longer necessary to eject a USB key before unplugging.

Many were not, despite recommendations and repeated error messages. Previously, the proper way to unplug a USB drive was to first eject it. With Windows 10, it was even more dangerous to unplug a USB device without ejecting it before, since the USB sticks were used to store the cache of the operating system.

No need to eject your USB drive before unplugging

From now on, it will be possible to disconnect keys on the fly without going through this tedious step. Indeed, TechRadar claims that ejecting the USB device is no longer a mandatory step since the October 2018 update of Windows 10. In this update, Microsoft has changed the way the system handles devices, even if it is possible to restore the old behaviour if you want USB devices to host a cache partition to speed up the system.





It is therefore quite possible to disconnect the USB key without ejecting it beforehand. Only condition: ensure that no transfer is in progress on the key to avoid data loss, but it seems quite logical. In addition to this new capability, Windows 10 now offers the ability to set different behaviours for USB devices through Disk Management, then right-click on the device and click Properties.



