Save any open documents you have on the flash drive. The easiest way to do this in any open window is to hold down Ctrl and press S.

Find the "Eject" icon. It's the rectangular, flash drive-shaped icon with a checkmark next to it. It lives in the row of options that are in the bottom-right corner of the screen, though you may first need to click the upward-facing arrow on the far-left side of these options to view it.

Click the "Eject" icon. Doing so will invoke a drop-down menu.

Click Eject. This option is at the bottom of the drop-down menu. It will typically say something like Eject SDHC (E:) with your flash drive's name written after the "Eject" prompt.

Wait for the "Safe to Remove Hardware" prompt. Once this notification displays in the bottom-right side of your computer's screen, your flash drive is ready for removal.

Gently tug the flash drive away from your computer. It should slide out. The next time you plug your flash drive into your computer, all of your files should be as you left them.

Save any open documents you have on the flash drive. The easiest way to do this in any open window is to hold down Ctrl and press S.

Open the Start menu. To do this, you can either click the Windows icon in the bottom-left corner of the screen, or you can press the ⊞ Win key on your computer's keyboard. Opening the Start menu will automatically place your mouse cursor in the "Search" bar.

Type in this pc. Doing so will search your computer for the "This PC" program.

Click the "This PC" icon. It's a computer monitor-shaped image at the top of the Start menu's search window. Doing so will open This PC.

Right-click your flash drive's name. A drop-down menu will appear.

Click Eject. It's near the middle of the drop-down menu. Once you do this, the flash drive's name should disappear from the This PC window.

Wait for the "Safe to Remove Hardware" prompt. Once this notification displays in the bottom-right side of your computer's screen, your flash drive is ready for removal.

Gently tug the flash drive away from your computer. It should slide out. The next time you plug your flash drive into your computer, all of your files should be as you left them.