Some users have already needed to fix the USB device not recognized error in Windows 11. That issue shows up when they plug their USB drives into PCs. When they insert their USB drives into ports, this error message appears: USB device not recognized. The last USB device you connected to this computer malfunctioned, and Windows does not recognize it. Thus, Windows 11 doesn’t recognize USB storage devices when that issue arises. As a consequence, users can’t access their USB drives that aren’t recognized in File Explorer.

Why does Windows 11 not recognize my USB device?

The causes for the USB device not recognized error often pertain to USB controller or device drivers and certain power saver features. These are some of the likely causes to consider:

Faulty or incompatible USB port: The USB port you’re plugging the device into might be faulty or incompatible with the storage drive Power management settings that suspend (or turn off) USB devices and hubs can cause the issue Faulty USB device driver: The driver for your USB storage device might be corrupt Outdated USB controller drivers: Your PC’s USB hub drivers might need updating

Do you need to fix the USB device not recognized error in Windows 11? If so, give these potential resolutions a try.

How do I fix USB device not recognized by Windows 11?

1. Plug the storage drive into different USB ports

First, try plugging your USB drive into alternative USB ports. The error might not occur when you plug it into a different port. If that’s the case, one of your PC’s USB ports is probably faulty. If the issue arises for an external hard drive, it might also help to change the device’s USB cable. At the very least, check the condition of the drive’s cable. You might need to get a new USB cable for the hard drive to resolve the error.

2. Disable the selective suspend option

In order to solve not recognizing USB on Windows 11, we recommend to follow the steps below to disable the selective suspend option.

  1. First, press the magnifying glass icon on Windows 11’s taskbar to bring up the search tool.

  2. Enter the keyword edit power plan in the search box.

  3. Click Edit power plan to bring up the Edit Power Plan Control Panel applet.

  4. Next, click Change advanced power settings in that applet. SPONSORED

  5. Double-click USB settings on the Power Options window.

  6. Then double-click USB selective suspend to open the setting that you can see below:

  7. Select the Disabled option on the Setting drop-down menu.

  8. Press the Apply button on the Power Options window.

  9. Click OK to exit the window.

3. Change the power management settings for USB root hubs

4. Assign a drive letter to the USB device

5. Update drivers for USB root and generic hubs

Alternatively, you can update USB controller drivers with third-party driver updater software. Scanning your PC with a third-party driver updater utility will list all its devices that have outdated drivers. Then you can select to download and install the latest drivers with the software, so don’t hesitate to check out DriverFix in that regard.

6. Reinstall drivers for the USB drive that isn’t recognized

Who can I contact about fixing this USB error?

If you still need to fix the USB device not recognized error, try contacting Microsoft’s support service for Windows. You can do so by clicking the Get support link on the Contact Microsoft Support webpage. Then click Get Help, followed by Contact support after entering an issue description. Some users might prefer to post on Microsoft’s support forum for Windows instead. Click Ask a question on that forum to open a text editor. Then, simply enter a forum post question in the text editor, and press the Submit button. However, the potential fixes above might be enough to get rid of the USB device not recognized error in most cases. The second resolution is among the most widely confirmed to solve the issue. Give them all a try before contacting Microsoft support. You can also try formatting the USB drive to resolve this issue. As that will erase all files on it, however, that’s hardly an ideal potential fix. If you don’t have any important files on the storage drive though, reformatting it might be worth a shot. Of course, there might be more ways to fix the USB device not recognized error not specified above. If you’ve discovered another resolution that fixes this issue, feel free to share it in the comments below.

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