How to Remove a Specific Device from the Windows Safely Remove Hardware List

Occasionally, the system tray feature “Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media” may display devices that do not require removal, including USB network adapters, Type-C monitors, SATA/SSD drives that are labeled as removable, USB sound cards, and even computer mice. To exclude a particular device from your Safely Remove Hardware list in Windows 10 or Windows 11, follow this straightforward guide.

How to Exclude a Device from the Safely Remove Hardware List in Windows 10/11

First, press Win + R, type devmgmt.msc, and hit Enter to access Device Manager. Locate the device you wish to remove from the list (for instance, a TP-Link Wireless USB Adapter), right-click on it, and choose Properties.

Next, switch to the Details tab, select Hardware IDs from the dropdown, right-click to copy the device’s identification code (e.g., USB\VEN_10DE&DEV_2486&SUBSYS_147A10DE&REV_A1).

Following that, press Win + R again, enter regedit, and press Enter to launch the Registry Editor. Navigate to this directory:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\USB

Identify the relevant key for your device and expand it. Look for the Capabilities parameter, then modify its value to 60 (in Hex format). If the device key contains subkeys, perform this action for each of them. This will effectively prevent the device from showing up in the Safely Remove Hardware menu.

Using a Scheduled Task for Permanent Changes

After a reboot, the Capabilities setting in the registry might revert to its previous value. To keep the device hidden consistently, schedule a task to update the registry automatically upon startup.

Open the Task Scheduler by executing taskschd.msc, or use the following command, replacing the registry path with your specific device’s path:

schtasks /create /tn "Remove_TPLinkUSBAdapter_Safe_Removal"/sc ONSTART /ru SYSTEM /rl HIGHEST /tr "reg.exe add 'HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\USB\VID_2357&PID_010C\00E04C0001' /v Capabilities /t reg_dword /d 0x00000060 /f"

This step ensures that the designated device remains hidden from the Safely Remove Hardware list after every system start.

How to Safely Eject a Device via Terminal

If you wish to safely disconnect the device, you can initiate the Safely Remove dialog using the following command: RunDll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL hotplug.dll. This allows you to safely disconnect the device as needed.

What To Do If the USB Eject Option Is Missing?

If the eject option for your USB device is unavailable, you may need to disable USB selective suspend in the Power Options. To do this, navigate to Power Options in the Control Panel, select “Change plan settings,” and then “Change advanced power settings.” Expand the “USB settings” section and turn off this feature.

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