{Solved} 13 Ways to Fix USB Ports Not Working Error

USB Ports enable USB devices like USB flash drive, SD card, external hard drive, pen drive, etc. to be connected to a computer in order to transfer data through digital cables. But when USB Ports stops working, your PC won’t be able to read and detect any of those portable devices. A lot of our readers tell us that “my USB ports are not working” and usually ask for a fix. This leads to users facing the issue of USB Ports not working error, in which USB ports stop recognizing any USB device, whether it be USB Mouse, Printer, Pen drive, Keyboard and so on.

In this case, the problem lies with the USB ports and not with any particular device. But the biggest problem is that this issue can also affect all USB ports not working on a specific system and not just one.

Reasons for the Occurrence of USB Ports Not Working

• Obsolete or faulty device drivers
• Issues in Power Supply of computer
• USB Ports has damaged
• Power Management issues

However, it is not easy to always find the exact cause for an error but these were some common causes which can lead to USB Ports not working error.

How to Fix USB Ports Not Working Error

To solve this, there are a number of tried and tested solutions that help users to get rid of this error. However, different users have different problems and so you need to look out for the best possible solution to your problem.

Below here is a list of some methods that can actually fix the usb not working windows 7, Windows 8, 10. So without wasting time, you can go on and try them.

Method #1 Uninstall Your USB Controller

To fix the USB Ports not working error, try to reinstall the USB Controller on your system by following the steps:

1. At First, press Window Key+R together to open Run.

2. Then type “devmgmt.msc” and hit OK to open Device Manager.

3. Afterwards, look for Universal Serial Bus Controllers and expand it.

4. After this, right-click on the first driver that appears in the Universal Serial Bus section and press Uninstall. Repeat the same for uninstalling other drivers as well.

5. Then open the Device Manager and click on Action tab & choose Scan for hardware changes. This will enable the USB Port to appear.

6. Now reconnect those portable devices in your system and these devices will start showing up and your PC will be able to detect them now.

7. At last, restart your system.

Method #2 Look Out for Device Drivers

USB Ports not working error can be caused due to driver issues in your system. If your front USB port not working, then you can try this method. To rectify this problem, DriverEasy can be used. DriverEasy will spontaneously recognize your system’s requirements and will find the correct drivers which are required for the smooth functioning of the operations of your computer system. It helps the users not to face any risk of downloading and installing the wrong driver which can harm the system. To try this out, follow the steps:

1. At First, download and Install DriverEasy in your computer.

2. Then open Driver Easy and click on the Scan Now button. The scanning process will look out for any problematic drivers in your computer.

3. Next, click on the Update button or Update All that will automatically download and install the correct drivers that are suitable for the system.

To update all the drivers at once, the Pro version of Driver Easy is required, which saves a lot of time by updating all the drivers at once with just 2 clicks.

See Also: Fix: “Currently This Hardware Device Is Not Connected To The Computer”

Method #3 Disable USB Selective Suspend Feature

This is a power saving feature available on all Windows computer. The feature works as a battery saver for the computer by minimizing or suspending the power which is sent to the USB device. But sometimes, it has been reported that this feature does not enable the USB device to get detected. And as a result, USB Ports not working error appears. There may be chances, your laptop USB ports not working error might pop up. So to rectify the error in this case, you can disable the USB Suspend Feature by using a registry key. To disable Selective Suspend Registry key follow the steps:

1. At First, press Win+R keys together to the open Run box.

2. Then type “devmgmt.msc” in the Search bar and then press OK. This will open Device Manager.

2. Now, expand Universal Serial Bus Controllers from the Device Manager.

3. After that, search for USB Root Hub & right-click on it to select Properties.

4. Then navigate to Power Management tab & uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.

5. Afterwards, just click on Apply followed by OK.

6. Then repeat steps from 3 to 5 for each USB Root Hub device present in the list.

7. Finally, reboot your system to reflect the changes.

This process will disable the Selective Suspend feature and will allow the power to enter the USB Ports which in turn will remove the USB Ports not working error.

Method #4 Use Hardware & DevicesTroubleshooter

USB Ports not working error can fix up by using Troubleshooter. To do this, follow the given steps:

1. At First, click on Start menu and then type “Troubleshooter” in the Search box.

2. Then press on the result displayed to open Troubleshoot center.

3. Afterwards, find the option Hardware and Devices under Find and fix other problems.

4. Now, just click on Run the troubleshooter to detect the issues.

5. Then wait for some minutes to let the program identify and fix the issues in your drive.

6. Afterwards, click on Apply this fix option and then choose Next.

After the completion of this process, you will be able to get rid of the USB Ports not working error and your USB Ports will start working uninterruptedly enabling you to save or transfer the data from your USB to computer system.

Method #5 Check Out the Power Supply in Your Laptop

A continuous supply of power is an essential requirement for USB Ports to let them work properly and smoothly. The supply of power varies in a computer system and a laptop and many times, due to some reasons the USB Ports fail to get enough power supply to work properly on a laptop. This issue can be addressed by following the steps:

1. At First, remove the charger pin of your laptop if it is on charging mode.

2. After that, reboot your laptop.

3. Now try to connect the USB device in the USB Port.

4. Finally, put your laptop again on the charging mode.

Now the USB Ports will be able to get enough power supply that is needed to remove the USB Ports not working error and all the USB devices will start working correctly.

Method #6 Remove the Battery of your Laptop

This is the easiest method one can go for correcting the USB Ports not working error. As sometimes the issues can be fixed up with the most straightforward solutions they have. So if the USB is not working in your laptop, follow the steps:

1. At First, remove all the USBs connected to your system and shut it down.
2. Then remove the battery of your laptop, as a lot of users, has tried it and they succeeded in fixing the problem by removing the battery and then pressing the power button for 30 seconds or more to boot the computer.

This method will allow the capacitors to discharge correctly. However, users also recommend leaving the laptop shut down without its battery for the whole night so that the capacitors can discharge fully.

After this on next day, you can put your laptop’s battery again on its place and restart your laptop. However, this method does not guarantee the removal of the USB Ports not working error.

Method #7 Turn Off Fast Startup on Your Windows Computer

USB Ports not working error can appear due to some settings on your Windows computer. As the error might occur when the Windows are booting too fast and due to this the USB device fails to get detected before the computer system is booted due to not getting enough time. In this case, you can fix the USB Ports not working error by disabling the Fast Startup option. To try this, follow the steps:

1. At First, go to Start Menu & search for Control Panel. Now, just hit Enter on your system.

2. Then click on Power Options in the Control Panel.

3. Afterwards, click choose what the power button do and then click on Change setting that are currently unavailable.

4. Now, just uncheck Turn on fast startup (recommended) under the Shutdown settings of your PC.

5. After that, simply click on Save changes to reflect the changes.

Method #8 Uninstall Hidden devices

The device manager in your system by default does not show all the devices that are installed and available in your system. It only shows the devices that are at present connected to your computer. The devices which were installed by you earlier but are currently not in use will still be there hidden but won’t be shown by the device manager.

These hidden USB devices can create issues with the current ones thereby leading to the USB Ports not working error. However, you can see these hidden devices in the Device Manager window.

So to uninstall hidden devices follow the steps:

1. At First, press Windows Key+X together & select Command Prompt (Admin) from the menu.

2. Now type the following set of commands in the Command Prompt.

set DEVMGR_SHOW_DETAILS=1 

set DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES=1 

start devmgmt.msc

3. Navigate to View>>Show hidden devices in Device Manager once it opens.

4. After that, expand Imaging devices, Unknown devices, and Universal Serial Bus Controllers.

5. A list will appear and if it contains anything which says the unknown device, right-click on it and Uninstall.

In this way removing the earlier devices will make way for the newer ones to work efficiently and thus, in turn, will remove the USB Ports not working error.

Method #9 Modify Your Registry

Many times users have gotten rid of the USB Ports not working error by making few changes in their registry. So if you are also amongst them whose USB ports are not working, try this method by following the steps:

1. Press Window + R on your keyboard and type “regedit.” Hit OK.

NOTE: – It’s always recommended to backup your registry as it can cause serious issues on modifying the registry in a wrong way.

2. To do the same, navigate to File>Export.

3. Set export range as All and choose your desired location. Click on Save.

4. After that, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlClass{4d36e965-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}.

NOTE: – The name of the file might be different on your system but it should start with 4d36e965.

5. Locate UpperFilter & RightFilter from the right pane & delete them.

6. Now, just reboot your PC.

Method #10 Use a Different USB Port

The USB Ports not working error could occur due to a particular USB Port which might stop working due to physical damage. Generally, computers and laptops have more than one USB Ports, so you can unplug your USB device from a particular port to try it on another one. If the USB device starts working in the other port than probably the earlier one could have got damaged or loosened up and needs to be fixed up by a professional to be used again.

Method #11 Install the Latest System Updates

Installing the necessary system updates in your computer would solve the issue too.Usually Window’s computers automatically download and install the latest system updates, but still, there are chances of Windows 10 upgrade assistant stuck at 99.

So to install the latest system updates manually, follow the steps:

1. Go to Settings in your PC and choose Update and Security option there.

2. Now click on Check for Updates option displayed on the right pane of your screen and the Windows will look for and download the available updates for you.

3. After this install the latest updates in your system and Restart your computer to run them.

Method #12 Physical Damage to the Ports

If even after trying the methods mentioned above, you are unable to fix the issue of the USB Ports not working error, then there are possible chances that your USB Port might have got damaged physically. And to fix it you need to take your laptop or computer system to a Repair shop and then ask them to have a look at its USB Ports. If the repairer finds them actually damaged, then you can quickly get them replaced with new USB Ports that are available at affordable prices.

Method #13 Hold Down the Power Button

This is the easiest solution one can go for fixing the USB Ports not working error. By pressing the power button of your laptop for 30 seconds or more, you will be able to discharge the capacitors from your device that was creating the hindrance for USB devices. After doing this, reboot your device and for the error.

Conclusion

So these were several best methods if your usb ports not working in windows 7. These were given by various users who have faced the issue of the USB Ports not working error. These methods have been tried and tested a lot of times and are generally workable. I hope you were able to learn how to fix usb ports.

If all USB ports not working, then users can adopt any of the methods mentioned above according to their requirements and preferences as different users face the same issue but due to various reasons, so make sure to identify the cause of this error first and then go ahead to fix it. However, if none of the methods helps to solve the problem, then the USB Port must have some hardware issue which can address and repair by professionals only.

See also: {Solved} 5 Ways to Fix USB Device Descriptor Failed Error