Top 12 Fixes For USB Ports Not Working in Windows

USB ports are essential for today’s technology. There are new types of USB ports from 2.0 to 3, even type C and so on. With upgrading technology, it is essential to make sure that your universal bus controllers are working optimally. Are your USB Ports not working? Don’t worry. This is the complete guide to help you fix the problem.

Let’s get down to the solution for the USB ports not working. Before we begin, make sure that you understand this is for USB ports and not the device. But, there will be some solutions related to both a USB device and a USB port. 

Either way, you will find some of the best solutions for USB ports not working. So, let’s begin: 

Solutions For USB Ports Not Working

1. Restart Your System
2. Check Your USB Devices
3. Change The USB Port
4. Try The Troubleshooter
5. Reinstall USB Device Drivers
6. Update USB Root Hub Drivers
7. Uninstall The Universal Serial Bus Controllers
8. Change Power Management Settings
9. Disable USB Selective Suspend Feature
10. Turn Off Fast Startup
11. Edit Your Registry
12. Update The Windows

Solutions For USB Ports Not Working On Windows 10

Restart Your System

The first solution would be to unplug all your USB devices and ports. After that, restart your PC. Then replug your USB devices. See if it solves the issues. Often, the problem is either errors in communication or power supply issues. Thus, you can also try to unplug the power supply and replug it before you restart Windows.

If you’re using a laptop, the power supply is most likely the cause of the issue. So, unplug all the USB ports and shut down the computer. Then remove the battery and the charger plug, then replug them.

Check Your USB Devices

Check the portable devices that you’re trying to use. See if they are working with another computer or device just fine. If they work fine, use the ‘eject’ option from the taskbar.

Do this before you unplug your USB flash drive. This also applies to a USB mouse, keyboard, or other USB device. After that, replug it into your system and see if it works.

Another tip is to check the USB cable and device physically. Check for any possible damage to the cable or the device.

Change The USB Port

There’s a possibility of a broken USB port. But, before you get to that decision, make some changes. First, see if you use the right USB Root Hub Driver or USB Root Hub Devices.

Make sure that if you need version 3.0, your USB port supports it. The version of the Universal Serial Bus will always play an important role.

Also, check if the USB ports are loose. Frequent use of a USB port can cause it to loosen up. If your device is not fitting firmly, it is a loose USB port. You might want to fix USB Ports.

You can do that by adding a USB port extension or visiting the workshop.

Try The Troubleshooter

One of the best ways to fix USB Ports not working is by using the Troubleshooter. Windows Troubleshooter is a diagnostic tool. If you have an active internet connection, it will scan for the problem and fix it. 

• Click on Windows Icon or the Windows Search Bar (also known as Cortana).

• Type ‘Troubleshoot,’ and left-click on Troubleshoot Settings.

• Find ‘Hardware And Devices’ Troubleshooter. If you can’t find it there, check ‘Additional Troubleshooter.’

• See if the option is available there.
• Once you launch the Troubleshooter, let it scan.

• You will get ‘Apply this fix’ or ‘Apply Repair Automatically.’ Choose either one.

If you can’t find any Troubleshooters, your Windows 10 might not have it. Then, you will have to move to other solutions.

Reinstall USB Device Drivers

A common reason for USB port problems can be a USB driver. It could be due to corrupt settings or wrongly updated driver software. As almost every device relies on drivers, it is a good idea to check for this solution. 

• Open the Device Manager. If you can’t find it, press Windows + X key, or search for it in the search bar.

• Go to and expand Universal Serial Bus Controllers section.

• Find the USB drivers you want to uninstall. It can be the first USB controller or the USB Root Hub. 

• Right-click on them and click on ‘Uninstall Device.’
• If that doesn’t work, you can go to properties or double-click the device name.
• Go to the Driver tab. Find the ‘Uninstall Driver’ option. Then, click on it.

• Once the driver uninstalls, you can return to the main Device Manager Window.
• You can follow this step for all the USB Controllers and devices. 
• The ‘Scan For Hardware Changes’ option is in the top-left corner.
• Click on it and let Windows install the relevant drivers

This will automatically reinstall all the relevant drivers and other USB devices connected to your system. 

Update USB Root Hub Drivers

The system won’t automatically scan and install the latest USB drivers for you. To get drivers automatically, you will have to obtain a third-party tool. But there is a way for you to install drivers manually. In addition, you can fix the USB ports not working issue if you update drivers: 

• Navigate to Device Manager and expand Universal Serial Bus Controllers > USB Root Hub.
• Right-click and click on ‘Update Driver.’ If you can’t find the option there, go to properties. You will find the ‘Update Driver’ option in the Driver tab.
• Select ‘Search automatically for the updated driver.’ It usually works.
• Allow it to update.

You can download some third-party tools if the manual option doesn’t work. There are automatic driver updating tools available. But, the better option would be to find the manufacturer of your USB device or port and install it manually.

You can visit the manufacturer’s official website and install the latest drivers. Make sure that it is relevant to your Windows operating system.

Uninstall The Universal Serial Bus Controllers

Sometimes, it is better to uninstall the devices and drivers. This applies especially if you have many devices to a single USB port. The USB port might be hard to determine the right driver to use.

You can uninstall various devices and drivers in Universal Serial Bus Controllers. Everything will be fine if you know where to get the driver. So follow with this:

• Open Device Manager and find the USB Controller section. Expand it.
• Then right-click on each device you want to uninstall. Select the ‘Uninstall Driver.’ option.
• You can do this for each USB Root Hub device, as well.

You can also choose to restart the USB Root Hub. How? All you need to do is select the ‘Disable’ option, not the Uninstall option. By doing so, you will shut down the USB Root Hub. Then you can enable it again.

You can also choose to restart the PC after disabling it and then enable the device. Either way, it will restart the port fresh.

Change Power Management Settings

The power management option in your system often stops powering devices to save power. It happens when you have a low battery or weaker connection.

This can lead to the error message popping up in Windows 10. You must access the power management tab and change the USB controller setting. 

• Once again, open Device Manager and expand Universal Serial Bus Controller.
• Find the USB Hub Root and right-click, then select properties.
• This will open USB settings. Now, go to the Power Management Tab.
• Uncheck ‘Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.’
• Apply and Save changes by clicking OK.
• Do this for any other USB Hub Root or USB devices you want to keep active.

This option won’t save power for you, but you will most likely have a better USB performance. 

Disable USB Selective Suspend Feature

There are advanced power settings similar to the USB Controller’s power management setting. This option comes with a USB Selective Suspend feature.

You will have to change advanced power settings for this option to work in Windows 10. Many users have reported that this allows them to use the USB port to the best of their capabilities: 

• Right-click on the Start Menu. Select ‘Power Options’ from all the choices.

• In the right pane, click on ‘Additional Power Settings.’

• Go to ‘Change Plan Settings’ on the plan that is active on your device.

• Then go to ‘Change Advanced Power Settings.’

• Find USB settings from the options. Expand it.
• Find USB selective suspend setting and right-click on it, then click Disable.
• Apply the settings and click OK.

Turn Off Fast Startup

Sometimes the error message pops up because of the fast startup feature. The following method will help you fix that problem. This will also modify your shutdown settings and default switch option, but it won’t matter in the long run.

Often, a fast startup makes Windows 10 not load the USB drive. It sometimes fails to read the USB device. As a result, the USB port won’t work. Hence, it is better to turn off the fast startup feature. 

• Once again, go to the Power Options by right-clicking the Start Menu.
• In the left panel, you will see an option ‘Choose what the power button does.’
• Click on it, and there will be blue text ‘Change Settings That Are Currently Unavailable.’
• Click on it, and it will unlock some settings at the bottom of the window.
• Scroll down and select ‘turn off fast setup (recommended).’
• Make sure it is unchecked and then apply the settings, click OK.

Edit Your Registry

This is a crucial step, and that’s why it is at the end of the solutions. If you’ve tried everything so far, but nothing works, it could be the registry problem.

To work with the registry, you need apt knowledge and understanding of Windows 10. But if you’ve tried everything and nothing works, you can try this one out.

Now, before you get to the solution, you might want to back up the registry:

• Press Windows + R and launch the Run utility.
• Type ‘regedit’ and press enter.
• Go to File and click Export. Change the export range to All and save it in a safe location. You can choose the file name as you like it.

This will backup your registry. Now, relaunch Regedit. It will open the registry editor. This time, follow these steps: 

• Next, go to  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEMCurrentControl/Set/Control/Class{4d36e965-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}
• In the directory, find Upper and Lower filter options. Delete both.

You won’t find this directory or upper and lower filter in some systems. If that’s the case, the solution won’t apply to you.

Update The Windows

If you’ve tried everything, then this is the next method to give a go. Maybe there are some essential Windows 10 updates you didn’t get. Remember that the Windows 10 OS isn’t the best.

Many bugs, glitches, and issues arise from time to time. Thus, Microsoft consistently launches new updates for Windows 10.

It would be better to update Windows 10 for essential updates automatically. But still, you can check and manually update by:

• Type Windows Update in the search tab.
• You can also go to the Control Panel.
• Either way, once you’re in the search option, click on ‘Check for updates.’
• This will help you find the updates.
• Next, you can download them and restart Windows.

This should fix the issue. 

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