If Windows is still writing a cache file (invisible to you), yanking the cable can corrupt the drive's file table, making it unreadable.

Technically, yes. Safely? No.

In an age where cloud storage promises infinite space and smartphone backups happen while we sleep, the humble external hard drive remains a cornerstone of digital life. It is the vault for your vacation photos, the lifeline for your system backup, and the workhorse for moving terabytes of video files.