FG

Can Windows tell me what is using my USB drive?

Fresh3 days ago
Mar 15, 2026340482 views
Confidence Score1%
1%

Problem

Being the good citizen I am, I left-click on the "Safely Remove Hardware" icon in my taskbar, and select my USB drive to dismount. Then I get the message: Windows can't stop your Generic volume device because it is in use. Close any programs or windows that might be using the device, and then try again later. Of course, being the Operating System, it knows exactly what applications are using my device. So why won't it tell me? Or is there a way that I can find out?

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1 Fix

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New Fix – Awaiting Verification

Fix for: Can Windows tell me what is using my USB drive?

Low Risk

Quick Solution: Install LockHunter, then right click on the file/folder/drive and choose "What's locking this ...?" Native Method: Windows (10 at least, AFAIK) creates an entry in the event log when you try to eject a removable drive and you cannot because a process has a lock on it. The two Event IDs 225 will show the process ID and the name of the process responsible for the lock. Step by step: Start the event viewer Open up "Windows Logs" then "System" Right click on "System" and choose "Fil…

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