Have your PC or laptop USB ports stopped working? To prepare this, you need to diagnose the root of the problem. Hither's everything yous demand to know to quickly get your USB ports working again on whatever PC or laptop.

Think Your USB Port Is Not Working? Test It!

Before proceeding, be sure that it is the port that is faulty, rather than the device you're connecting.

To establish which is the trouble, you'll demand to know how to troubleshoot the USB port. This means knowing how to test the USB port.

Start by connecting the device to another USB port. If it works, then the problem is the first port; if the device remains undetected, you accept a faulty device. (Note that if you lot can't reformat the USB bulldoze, it volition demand replacing.)

Have your USB ports stopped working?

If there'south a problem with your USB port, you'll discover it thanks to either of these things:

  • The connected device fails to be detected
  • Your operating system displays an error message relating to the device (removing and replacing the device might solve this)

Either way, y'all should investigate the state of the USB port. Has it been damaged in any style? The safest manner to find out is to shut down your PC or laptop.

Adjacent, look at the USB port. Is it clean and grit gratuitous? There'southward a chance that dirt, grit, and general detritus might have become embedded in the port. This can happen with laptop and desktop computers alike.

Dust will reduce airflow, causing your arrangement to overheat. Information technology is particularly damaging to laptops, where overheating tin can reduce performance in seconds. To fix this, clean out the USB port with a can of compressed air. A vacuum cleaner might also bear witness handy here.

Finally, take hold of a USB cable (or flash drive) and gently jerk it around. If the bulldoze is moving and feels loose---typically this will be up and down---then you have a trouble.

How to Prepare a Cleaved USB Port on PC and Laptop

We'll await at some software fixes in a moment, but start, what if the USB port is loose?

USB ports are soldered to a lath within your calculator. This may exist the motherboard only is typically a secondary printed excursion lath (PCB). With regular use, ports can become movable, at times completely unattached.

Oftentimes, this is down to the shape of the connected USB devices. While small Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and fifty-fifty new USB flash retentiveness are unlikely to put whatsoever meaning strain on the port'due south physical connection, older "stick" retentivity drives are a different story. So are USB cables; their size and associated weight act as a sort of lever, contributing to USB ports working loose.

If you lot doubtable that your motherboard USB ports are not working, replacing them isn't like shooting fish in a barrel. On a desktop computer, you may be able to find a replacement lath that can be slotted in without likewise much endeavour. Desire to know how to gear up a USB port on a laptop? Information technology's going to take a soldering atomic number 26. Hither's an example of what you might need to go through to re-solder the USB connector back into your laptop:

Of form, you could accept this to an good for repair, but in that location will be associated costs with this. If you want to practise it yourself, make sure you know how to solder. If you're not sure, check out the software fixes first.

Can Restarting a Computer Set Cleaved USB Ports?

"Accept yous tried turning it off and back on over again?"

This erstwhile tech support standby is well-known for a reason: information technology works!

With your unrecognized USB device correctly inserted into the doubtable USB port, restart your computer. Once the operating system has rebooted, it should detect the USB device. If non, it's worth looking at the device in the Windows device manager.

How to Check USB Ports on Windows 10 With Device Manager

Device Managing director is a arrangement tool in Windows that lists devices fastened to your computer. They're grouped into categories, listed alphabetically, which enables you to quickly discover the device yous're looking for.

To check the status of your USB ports in Windows 10 and 11:

  1. Right-click Outset and select Device Manager
    Open Windows Device Manager
  2. Scan the listing for Universal Serial Bus controllers
  3. Expand this and wait for the USB Host Controller (your device may have a longer title, merely it will feature those iii words)
    Find the USB Host Controller
  4. Right-click USB Host Controller (and any duplicates) and select Uninstall
    Uninstall USB Host Controller
  5. Restart your computer
  6. If no USB Host Controller is listed, click Browse for hardware changes on the toolbar

Annotation that if you're using a USB mouse and keyboard, it will be disabled while the USB Host Controllers are uninstalled.

Take Ability Settings Stopped Your USB Ports Working?

If power management settings are overriding your USB controller, this volition impact the detection of USB devices. Information technology will appear that USB is not working, but in fact the operating system has put the device to sleep.

This is particularly relevant if you think your laptop USB port is not working. However, if yous're keen to reduce ability usage, y'all might take fix your Windows 10 desktop to low power.

USB Selective Suspend is a power saving setting that cuts power to the USB device, thereby reducing battery utilise.

The characteristic usually works well, but at times makes information technology look as if there is a problem with your USB ports.

Fix this by opening the Windows Control Console and adjusting the settings.

  1. Click Start and enter control panel
  2. Select the corresponding result
  3. Go to Hardware and Audio > Power Options
  4. Here, detect the selected plan and click Modify plan settings > Modify advanced power settings
  5. Find USB Settings and aggrandize to discover USB selecting suspend setting
  6. Change the drib-downwards menu to Disabled
    Alter USB power settings in Windows
  7. Click Apply and OK to confirm
  8. Finally, reboot your PC to ensure this modify is applied

You should find that any USB ports that were not working have at present been fixed.

Y'all've Stock-still Your Broken USB Port!

As you can see, you accept several options for repairing an unresponsive USB port. In about cases, it won't be dead, and yous'll exist able to set it. Remember, when your USB port is not working, you need to:

  • Brand a physical check
  • If necessary, brand a physical repair to the port
  • Reboot Windows
  • Bank check the Device Manager, uninstall the USB Host Controller
  • Disable USB Selective Suspend ability saving option

USB ports aren't the only potential weak spots on your reckoner. Looking afterward your hardware will reduce potential failures, and yous can salvage a lot of money if yous know how to test your PC for failing hardware.