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7 Ways to Overcome USB Device Not Recognized (All Windows)

How to Fix USB Device Not Recognized

Surely you have inputted a USB cable into a USB port on a computer and then it says USB Device Not Recognized. This makes the device to be connected to the computer undetected. However, you shouldn’t need to panic, because how to deal with USB Device Not Recognized is very easy.

There are many reasons why a USB device is not recognized by the computer, it could be because the driver has not been updated, the USB port is dirty, and so on. Here you can see the solution to overcome the USB Device Not Recognized:

How to Fix USB Device Not Recognized

1. Unplug and Plug in the USB Cable

We’ll start with the easiest one, by unplugging and then plugging in the USB cable. If the first time you input the USB cable and then appears USB Device Not Recognized, maybe this easy way can be a solution.

Yes, by unplugging the USB cable and then plugging it back in, the computer will refresh automatically so that the USB device can be recognized. If there are no problems or complex causes, this should fix the USB device not being recognized.

2. Restart Computer

After the computer is turned on and used for a long time, the computer will heat up because it is running programs for a long time. Sometimes, it’s this simple thing that keeps USB devices from being recognized.

Well, so that the USB device can be recognized again, you must turn off or restart the computer first. After the computer turns on in a light and fresh state, then you insert the USB cable into the USB port again.

3. Make sure the USB Port and USB Cable are Working

If the USB device is not recognized by the computer, it could be due to a damaged or loose USB port or a problematic USB cable. The solution could be to move to another USB port or replace the USB cable with one that still works.

4. Update Drivers

If the device to be connected to the computer is not recognized even though it has been connected before, you may not have updated the device driver. In addition to making the device not recognized, drivers that have not been updated also make USB devices not function optimally.

Here’s an easy way to update drivers:

  1. Your first Open Start Menu then click the search field and enter keywords devmgmt.msc.
  2. If the search results appear, double click time until you enter the Device Manager menu.
  3. There you can click Universal Bus and look for the Unknown Device menu.
  4. Next click the Drivers tab then click Update Driver.
  5. Now wait for the update process to finish. If so, the Device Not Recognized problem will definitely be resolved.

5. Turn off Power Management

An alternative way to solve the next unrecognized USB device is to turn off Power Management on the USB Root Hub. You can do this method if the USB port on the computer is in the best condition and has not suffered any damage.

Here are the steps:

  1. As usual, you first go to the Start Menu then type the keyword Device Manager in the search field and press Enter on the keyboard.
  2. After the Device Manager menu opens, click Universal Bus Controllers then click USB Root Hub.
  3. In the window USB Root Hub PropertiesYou select the Power Management tab then remove the check mark pthere is an option Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.
  4. If so, now click OK to save the changes.
  5. Done, now try to re-insert the USB cable, for sure the device will be immediately recognized by the computer (don’t forget to restart the computer first).

6. Do a Scan for Hardware Change

If the USB device is still not recognized, it can scan all devices on your computer. What are the benefits? By doing a scan, the system will know which hardware has changed, so the computer can refresh automatically.

You should try this method because the device you want to connect to your computer via a USB cable may change. The method is very easy, namely:

  1. First go to Device Managereither by searching for it in the Start Menu or by click Windows key + R on keyboard then enter keywords devmgmt.msc and click OK.
  2. After arriving at the Device Manager menu, you click the Action tab then Select the Scan for hardware changes option.
  3. Wait until the scanning is complete, if you have tried to reconnect the USB cable to the computer.
  4. Done, the USB device should be recognized if the steps are correct.

7. Uninstall Hidden Device

If you’ve been using your computer for a long time, you must have lots of USB devices installed on your computer. USB devices that are many and have not been used anymore (for a long time) are usually called Hidden Devices.

Well, if there are too many Hidden Devices on the computer, it will cause crashes and errors so that the USB device is not recognized. To solve this, you can uninstall the Hidden Device, here are the steps:

  1. First open Device Managermost easily by looking for it in the Start Menu.
  2. After the Device Manager menu opens, click the View tab then select the option Show Hidden Device.
  3. After that, several Hidden Devices will appear on your computer.
  4. Now remove all hidden devices that, how to do with right click on Hidden Device then click Uninstall.
  5. If so, now restart the computer and reinsert the USB device into the USB port.

Also read: How to Overcome Your Connection is Not Private

How to overcome USB Device Not Recognized is very easy, you just have to choose one of the many solutions above. After the USB device is recognized by the computer, you can transfer files between computers to other devices (or vice versa) and other needs smoothly without any problems.