“My flash drive snapped in half, leaving the metallic plug-in part in my computer. How do I get it back out of the drive?”

Yikes! I hope that’s all that was damaged.

Because the USB socket may still be receiving power from the PC, start by turning off the PC completely: Unplug it from the wall, and remove any battery (if possible), etc.

With the PC totally off and inert, you’re free to use any small tool you wish to pull the metal piece out. But if you’re not 100% sure all the power’s off, use only plastic or nonconductive tools.

Assuming the PC is truly off, needle-nose pliers or a study set of tweezers might be ideal. A thin crochet hook, fish hook, or a bent paperclip might also work, by letting you hook into one of the metal piece’s holes.

If you work carefully, you should be able to grasp the broken part and pull it straight out, without causing any new damage to the USB socket.

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