Windows 10: Eject USB sticks before unplugging them is no longer required

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Windows 10 now defaults to USB sticks differently to allow users to unplug them without ejecting the device beforehand. The only limit is of course to ensure that a file transfer is not in progress. You can also skip this mode to use USB devices as storage spaces in the system cache to improve performance, as was the case so far.

USB Windows 10 key

Always, it is strongly recommended to eject a USB device before physically disconnecting it from the computer. There are many reasons for this, but with Windows 10, another constraint has been added: external storage devices, especially USB sticks, are used to store the operating system cache. And thus improve performance.

Windows 10: no need to eject USB sticks before unplugging them, on one condition ...

But as TechRadar tells us, since the October 2018 Update update, ejecting USB devices is no longer an obligation. Microsoft has indeed changed the default way that the system manages its devices to allow you to disconnect without ever ejecting. The only limit is to ensure that a file transfer is not in progress to avoid losing data.

Of course, since the change, when you plug in a USB device, it no longer participates in system performance. However, it is still possible to change the settings for USB devices to behave as before and host a cache partition - requiring the user to eject the volume before unplugging.

In addition, it is even possible to set different behavior for each of your USB keys. To do this, go to Disk Management right click on the USB volume and change the device removal policy in its Properties. However, to take advantage of this possibility, you must have received the October 2018 Update, which is unfortunately not yet the case for all users.