Many Windows operating system users have occasionally encountered the “USB device not recognized” warning message on their system. It is surely one of the most irritating issues with Windows computers. 

There are a number of causes behind this error including both hardware and software problems. Hence, in order to assist you in fixing your problem quickly and easily, we are going to explain how to resolve the USB device not detected Windows 11/10/8/7 error in this article.

Simple Methods to Fix USB Device Issues On Windows

Below are some of the possible and effective solutions to fix your USB device and resume its working.

Reboot your system

Have you ever tried to turn your system ON and OFF to fix any error? If not, then reboot your system right away. There is a good possibility that the USB device error might get resolved.

This easy repair works so well because rebooting your system forces all open programs to quit, preventing troublesome programs from running and creating problems. Hence, after your computer has booted up, it will provide the system with a fresh start and will solve all the basic issues.

Update the drivers

If your MTP USB device drivers are outdated or damaged, it may give rise to various USB device-related problems. Hence, if you are facing this error, you should consider updating your USB device drivers.

To do so, follow the steps given below.

  1. Go to the Start menu and search for Device Manager. Select it and scroll down through the list of options.
  2. Locate and double-click on the Universal Serial Bus Controllers option to expand it. Right-click on the device and select the Update driver option. 
  3. In the next window that opens, choose the Search automatically for drivers option.

This will enable your Windows system to search for and install correct and compatible drivers into your system.

Reinstall the drivers

Even after updating the required drivers did not help you enough, then try to uninstall and reinstall them. Sometimes, the uninstalling and reinstalling process helps in repairing the corrupted drivers.

Hence, to perform this method, refer to and follow the instructions given below.

  1. Go to the Start menu and search for Device Manager. Select it and scroll down through the list of options.
  2. Locate and double-click on the Universal Serial Bus Controllers option to expand it. Right-click on your desired device and choose the Uninstall Device option. 
  3. Confirm all the prompts and appears to start the uninstallation. After the process is complete, choose the Scan for hardware changes option.

Then, restart your PC. On restarting, Windows OS will automatically reinstall the correct drivers for your device.

Run the Windows troubleshooter

Windows system comes with an in-built troubleshooting feature that helps in fixing a variety of hardware or software issues easily. Therefore, you may try running the troubleshooter to fix your problem handily. 

To use this tool effectively, follow the below steps.

  1. Go to the Start button and search for Settings. Open the Settings window. 
  2. Now, search for USB troubleshooter in the search bar and hit Enter.
  3. Choose the relevant option and hit the Run button to start the troubleshooting process.

Restart your PC after the process is finished.

Tweak the system settings

The Windows operating system powers down some USB devices automatically after a predetermined period of inactivity in order to conserve battery life and extend their lifespan. 

If your previous USB device malfunctioned, then this setting can obstruct the use of other devices and can result in issues with devices not appearing. However, we can easily tweak this setting OFF. Here’s how you can do it:

  1. Move to the System section in the Settings app of your computer. Then, select the Power & Sleep option.
  2. Go to the Additional Power option. Now, select the Change Plan settings option and move to Change Advanced power settings.
  3. There, double-click on the USB settings group to expand it. Again, double-click on the USB selective suspend settings group to further expand it.
  4. Now, from the drop-down menu, choose the Disabled option. 

Tweak the power management settings

The Windows OS is created to be power-efficient in order to maintain your power cost down and to conserve your computer’s remaining battery life.

However, in rare circumstances, the helpful power management capabilities might lead to a variety of problems, such as the USB device not recognizing errors. But don’t worry, by following the steps below, you can stop your system from powering off your USB devices easily:

  1. Hit the Windows key + R to open up the Run dialogue box. Type devmgmt.msc in the box and hit the Enter button.
  2. Now, locate and double-click on the Universal Serial Bus controllers option. Right-click on the USB hub to which your linked USB storage device is attached.
  3. Choose Properties from the context menu. There, move to the Power Management tab.
  4. Now, untick the checkbox next to Allow the computer to turn off this device to conserve power option.

Conclusion

It’s annoying to encounter a USB device not recognized error while attaching a USB flash drive, external hard drive, or memory card to the computer. Fortunately, there are a number of simple fixes for this annoying issue. We’ve aforementioned a few of them in this blog to help you get back your data and resume working. We hope you found all the methods listed above useful.

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