When you connect a USB Device to the computer, Windows operating system should automatically identify the device, load the required drivers and mount the device for use. However, it is also not uncommon to find cases of USB Device not being not being recognized or not working on a Windows computer.
The reason for a USB Device failing or not working on a Windows computer could be due to a variety of reasons, ranging from a temporary glitch to outdated or corrupted drivers, power related issues to the USB ports not working or being disabled on the computer.
USB Device Not Working in Windows 11/10
In certain cases, this issue can be fixed by providing the USB Device an opportunity to reconnect with the computer; which can be done by unplugging the device from the computer and plugging it back again.
Before moving to other troubleshooting steps, make sure that you have tried other USB ports and confirmed that the USB device is not showing up on the File Manager screen.
1. Power Flush the Computer
The problem could be due to a software glitch or stuck program/process preventing the USB Device from working properly.
1. Shut Down the computer and unplug it from the power source.
2. After 30 seconds > Restart the computer and see if the USB Device is now working.
This method should also result in the driver software for the device being loaded by the system.
2. Update Device Drivers
As mentioned above, the problem could be due to the driver software of the USB device not being updated to the latest available version.
1. Right-click on the Start button and click on Device Manager.
2. On the next screen, click on the Action tab and select Scan for Hardware Changes option.
3. Wait for Windows to scan the computer for Hardware changes and update the drivers.
3. Uninstall the Faulty Device
If the above step did not help, the next step would be to uninstall the faulty device and allow Windows to locate and install the proper device driver.
1. Open Device Manager > Locate the USB Device that is not working on your computer.
2. On “Device Manager” screen, expand the Device entry > right-click on your Device and select Uninstall Device option.
3. Restart the computer and Windows should automatically load and install the right driver.
4. Plug Device to Another Computer
If above steps did not help, the problem could either be due to the USB Ports of the computer not working or the device itself being damaged or corrupted.
You can rule out this possibility by connecting the Device to another computer. If the USB Device does not work on another computer, it confirms that it has become faulty.
If the USB Device works properly on another computer, you need to focus your attention on fixing the USB ports of the computer: Fix: USB Ports Not Working Issue in Windows 10/11.