Editor’s take: The Windows platform is constantly sprouting strange and potentially dangerous bugs, even though Microsoft would prefer to claim otherwise. And it is not just security or reliability issues – even the traditional Windows GUI can turn against users when hidden hardware options begin to behave erratically.
According to recent reports, Windows has once again started to display an option to “eject” discrete GPUs on both desktop and laptop gaming systems. This option is supposed to remain hidden and inaccessible, as you cannot realistically eject a hardware component that is permanently attached to the system’s motherboard and essential for normal operation.
The bug appears to add discrete graphics cards to the list of devices that Windows usually considers safe to remove. The feature is traditionally intended for improving data safety and reliability on removable storage, though a lot of users don’t even hesitate to disconnect USB dongles right away without going through the safe removal feature first.
Users have encountered the GPU eject bug for years, and now Windows 11 is once again displaying the option on newer systems. While this feature might make sense for specific hardware configurations – such as systems with an integrated GPU that can take over for a discrete one – it is generally not meant for most PCs. Budget laptops using external GPUs could theoretically benefit from the option as well.
Some users affected by this strange UI bug have shared concerns about the consequences of attempting to eject a discrete GPU while the system is running. In at least one case, someone tested it on an older system. The result was not catastrophic: the screen went black, the operating system played the usual “device unplugged” sound, and then the GPU reconnected without requiring a reboot.
For the most part, this bug seems to affect systems equipped with Nvidia GPUs. It could very well be the result of a faulty graphics driver as far as we know.
Regardless, you should simply avoid trying to eject your discrete GPU unless your system is mean to support that functionality. While we wait for Microsoft (or Nvidia) to patch this bug again, concerned users can disable the “eject GPU” option by editing a specific key in the Windows Registry and restarting the computer.
