Fix USB Device Not Recognized Error on Windows 10/11

We use USB devices for Data transfer, connecting external peripherals such as a printer or scanner, and expanding storage such as an external HDD. However, sometimes while connecting USB device to Windows PC displays error “USB Device Not Recognized.” This issue prevents external devices such as flash drives, external hard disks, keyboards, and mice from working properly. The problem can occur due to wide range of causes, such as faulty USB ports, the USB driver has become unstable or corrupt, or power management settings that interfere with proper device detection. Whatever the reason, there are multiple ways to troubleshoot and fix this issue to restore normal functionality to your USB device.

USB Device Not Recognized Error

The “USB device not recognized” error usually means the computer can’t communicate with the connected USB device, often due to issues with drivers, ports, or the device itself.

• Faulty USB Ports – A damaged or malfunctioning USB port may prevent the system from recognizing devices.
• Driver Issues – Corrupt, outdated, or missing USB drivers can cause recognition problems.
• Power Management Settings – Windows may turn off USB ports to save power, leading to detection issues.
• Conflicts with Other USB Devices – If multiple USB devices are connected, some may interfere with others.
• Hardware Failure – A damaged USB device might not function properly.
• Corrupt System Files – System errors or missing files may impact USB recognition.

Try a Different USB Port or Computer

Before trying any software fixes, ensure that the issue is not hardware-related.

1. Unplug the USB device and reconnect it to a different USB port on your computer. Some ports may be faulty or lack sufficient power output.
2. If using a USB hub, connect the device directly to the computer instead to rule out power distribution issues.
3. Test the USB device on another computer to check if the issue persists. If the device works on another system, the issue is likely with your computer rather than the device.

Restart Your Computer

Again, a simple restart can resolve many temporary glitches that prevent USB devices from being detected. Just remove your USB device, restart your Windows computer, then again plug in your USB Device, see if it works or not.

1. Unplug the USB device from your computer.
2. Restart your PC by clicking Start > Power > Restart.
3. Once Windows loads, reconnect the USB device and check if it is recognized.

This method clears temporary system errors and refreshes hardware connections.

Update or Reinstall USB Drivers

Most of the time, Corrupt or outdated USB drivers cause this Device not recognized error, especially after Windows 10/11 Upgrade. Updating or reinstalling the drivers may resolve the issue.

• Press Windows + x and select Device Manager,
• Expand Universal Serial Bus Controllers at the bottom and look for the Unknown Device.
• Right-click on the Problematic USB (should be marked with Yellow exclamation) then right click and click “Update Driver Software.”
• Then allow Windows to automatically find and update that driver by selecting Search Automatically for updated driver software.

• Windows automatically check and install the latest driver if available.
• Now remove the USB device, simply restart Windows. Let’s reconnect the USB device, check if it worked.

Reinstall USB device driver

If updating USB driver didn’t fix the problem, try to reinstall the USB device driver by following the steps below.

• Again, open device manager, expand Universal Serial Bus Controllers,
• look for the Unknown Device, right click and select uninstall.
• Confirm it by checking the box labeled Delete the driver software for this device.
• Restart Windows and reconnect the USB device, check this helps

If the problem persists, visit the manufacturer’s website to download and install the latest drivers manually.

Change USB Root Hub Power Management Settings

Power management settings may allow Windows to turn off USB ports to save power, which can lead to recognition problems.

If the above method fails to fix the change the USB Root Hub Settings by unchecked  Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power option will help to fix the issue.

• Again open the device manager using Windows + X keyboard shortcut
• Then Expand Universal Serial Bus Controllers at the bottom,
• Look for  USB Root Hub option, right-click on it and select properties.
• A new popup window will open, move to Power Management tab
• Here uncheck the Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.
• click ok to save changes.

Note: If you have more USB Root Hubs, you need to repeat this operation a couple of times.

This ensures that Windows does not automatically disable USB ports, improving device recognition.

Change the USB Selective Suspend Settings

Windows may disable USB ports to conserve power, which can cause detection problems. Disabling this feature can help restore functionality.

• Open Control Panel and navigate to Power Options.
• Click Change plan settings next to your active power plan.
• Select Change advanced power settings.
• Expand USB settings > USB selective suspend setting.
• Set both On battery and Plugged in to Disabled.
• Click Apply and OK, then restart your PC.

Disabling USB Selective Suspend ensures that Windows does not turn off USB ports due to power-saving settings.

Use the Hardware and Device Command

1. Press Win + R, type msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic, and press Enter.
2. This launches the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter.
3. Click Next and follow the on-screen instructions.

This method runs a deeper scan than the standard troubleshooter, identifying additional USB-related problems.

Registry Tweak To Fix Device not recognized Error

If all above methods fail to fix USB Device not recognized Error then We need to perform some advanced Tweak to fix this issue.

• First, plug in the problematic Device, then open Device Manager
• Now expand Universal Serial Bus controllers
• Right click on yellow exclamation marked USB device, which one is causing the problem and select properties.
• On Device property move to the Details tab. Below Property drop-down, select Device instance path.
• And in the Value section, highlight the value and right click it, select Copy.

For example:  As shown below my device instance path is USB\VID_054C&PID_05BA\CB00000000005C.

Tweak on the Windows registry editor

After copying the device instance path, open the Windows registry editor

Press Windows + R, type regedit and ok, then navigate to the following key.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\<Device Instance Path>\Device Parameters

Note Device instance path: USB\VID_054C&PID_05BA\CB00000000005C ( Highlighted one is Device Instance Path.) May, for your Device instance path is different, change it as per yours.

So for me the registry path is :

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\ USB\VID_054C&PID_05BA\Device Parameters.

• Here select the Device Parameters registry key on the middle pane, right-click New > DWORD Value and name it to EnhancedPowerManagementEnabled.
• Again, Double click on it and on the value field set 0.
• click ok and Close Registry Editor.

Now remove the USB device and simply restart the windows. When next time you plug in the device this will work without any error.

Format the USB Device (If Recognized but Not Working)

If the USB device appears in File Explorer but cannot be accessed, formatting may help restore functionality.

• Open File Explorer and right-click the USB device.
• Select Format.
• Choose FAT32 or NTFS as the file system.
• Click Start and follow the instructions.

Warning: Formatting erases all data on the USB drive. Back up important files before proceeding.

Also read:

• How to Fix location is not available on Windows 11 and 10
• Solved: File History Not Recognizing This Drive Error Windows 11
• Fix USB Ports not working on Windows 10 version 22H2 (7 easy solutions)
• 6 Ways to fix Discord update failed loop windows 11
• Solved: kernel Security Check Failure Windows 10 Blue Screen Error