Fixed: Issue with USB devices not being recognized or malfunctioning in Windows 10/11

6 Fixes for “USB Device Not Recognized” and Other Issues

Here are the solutions to fix "USB Device Not Recognized" and unrecognized issues. If you receive the "One of the USB devices attached to this computer has malfunctioned" error, don't worry. The methods below will make your USB device recognizable and usable again.

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The "USB Device Not Recognized" error typically occurs when you plug a USB device into a Windows computer. When your USB drive is not showing up on the computer, you can't access the data. Depending on the situation, this error may come with various messages:

"The last USB device you connected to this computer malfunctioned, and Windows does not recognize it."

One of the USB devices connected to this computer has failed and is not recognized by Windows. Click this message for help with resolving this problem.

Image alt: "USB Device Malfunctioned and Not Recognized" Height "350" Source "/images/en/data-recovery/drw-pro/usb-device-malfunctioned-not-recognized.png" Width "700".

The USB device you last connected to this computer had a problem. It has now been fixed.

If your device isn't showing up on your computer, try each of the six methods below to get it to reappear. We recommend that you attempt them in the order presented, as each method applies to a specific situation that can cause the “Windows doesn't recognize USB device” error for various reasons.

Note: For other USB issues, including the USB not showing in Disk Management, damaged USB, and USB Code 43, you can refer to the online guide on how to fix USB drives and recover data.

Video Tutorial: How to Fix the "USB Device Not Recognized" Issue

This video consolidates 4 surefire solutions to fix the USB device not recognized issue. For a detailed text guide, refer to the methods below.

Solution 1: Disconnect the computer from power.

This is a very simple fix, but it works! Most unrecognized USB devices just need a quick restart. This will reboot your motherboard, which connects all of your computer's hardware, including the USB ports. A quick reboot can often fix temporary power issues with external devices.

The first step is to unplug the computer – that is, to remove it from its power source.

Step 2: Unplug your computer for a few minutes, then plug it back into the wall.

Step 3: Check if your computer detects the USB device and assigns it a drive letter.

If that doesn't work, don't worry. Try one of the other solutions below.

Solution 2: Try another USB port

Did your computer's USB port stop working? Try each available USB port to determine if the problem is with your computer's hardware or the device itself. If it works in a different port, the original one is faulty. You can either stop using the broken port or get your computer repaired.

Solution 3: Uninstall USB Device Drivers to Make USB Recognizable

If the USB driver is corrupted or outdated, this will remove it. Note that uninstalling the driver may cause all USB ports to stop working properly.

Step 1: Right-click the Windows icon and select Device Manager.

Step 2: Look for and expand the “Universal Serial Bus controllers” section. Right-click on any USB driver and select “Uninstall.” Do this for all USB drivers one by one.

Step 3. Restart your computer. The USB driver should automatically reinstall and fix the corrupted USB device.

Fix 4: Update/Rollback Device Drivers

Many YouTube videos and IT forums suggest using Device Manager to fix unrecognized USB devices. Try this method and see if it works for you.

Step 1: Right-click the Windows icon and select Device Manager.

Step 2: Expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers section, and look for an entry called Generic USB Hub. Right-click the first Generic USB Hub entry, and select Properties.

Step 3: Navigate to the “Driver” tab and select “Update Driver.”

Step 4: When the system asks how to search for driver software, you have two options.

1. Search for driver update software

This will usually be through Windows Update. Once that's done, unplug the USB device, restart your computer, and plug the USB device back in. Windows should install the most up-to-date drivers for you.

2. Search for driver software on my computer

When you select this option, you will be prompted to “Browse my computer for driver software.”

Select “Generic USB Hub” from the list, which should be your only option. Click “Next,” and Windows will automatically install the driver for the hub.

Select the driver you wish to update.

Just like with updating the driver, you can roll back to a previous driver before the error occurred. On the Driver tab, click Roll Back Driver this time instead of Update Driver.

Your power settings and device drivers should now be updated, and your USB devices should be working properly. If the problem persists, try the other three methods.

Fix 5: Change USB selective suspend setting

Another reason your USB device might be having issues is that the hub driver is suspending USB automatically. In this case, changing the USB selective suspend settings might help.

Step 1: Right-click the Windows icon and select “Power Options.”

Step 2: In the Choose or customize a power plan window, click Change plan settings.

Step 3: Click on “Change advanced power settings” in the “Edit Plan Settings” window.

Step 4. In the Power Options window, find and expand USB Settings, then expand USB Selective Suspend Setting, and disable both Battery and On Battery options.

Step 5: Click “Apply,” then “OK” to save your settings.

Fix 6: Repair the USB Root Hub

A USB root hub is a software driver that allows you to connect multiple USB peripheral devices to your computer. Most computers have several root hubs so that the data bus can be shared between many devices. As such, if your computer isn't recognizing your USB drive, try repairing the USB root hub.

Step 1: Open Device Manager and locate the "Universal Serial Bus controllers" option. Click to expand it.

Step 2. Look for the 'Universal Serial Bus controllers' category, right-click on it and select 'Properties'.

Step 3: Go to the Power Management tab, and uncheck the box for “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.” Click OK to save your changes.

Fix 7: Use Remote USB Repair Service

If the USB drive still can't be fixed, you can turn to our Data Recovery Service. Our USB repair experts can easily get your issue resolved.

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USB Data Recovery Service

Contact our experts for a free evaluation

Consult with our Data Recovery Wizard experts for one-on-one manual recovery services. After a free diagnosis, we offer the following services:

• Fix issues with HDDs, SSDs, external hard drives, USB flash drives, and pen drives
• Repair disks that are unreadable or inaccessible due to bad sectors
• Restore disks that have become GPT protected partitions
• Recover damaged RAW drives that require formatting (also supports BitLocker encrypted drives)
• Erase data, format hard drives, install/uninstall software or drivers, etc.

More troubleshooting: Recover data from a USB flash drive

The above six methods are all possible solutions to the “USB device not recognized” problem.

If any of these methods worked, you should now have access to your USB device and the data it holds once more.

If the issue is resolved but you find data missing from your USB flash drive, you'll need third-party software to retrieve the data. In this case, the Data Recovery Wizard tool can help when your USB device doesn't show up on your computer but appears in Disk Management. The program works well on Windows 10/8/7/XP and earlier versions.

Step 1: Select the USB drive to scan

Run the Data Recovery Wizard and select the USB drive where you lost important files. Click “Scan” to start.

Step 2: Check and Preview USB Drive Data

Once the scan is over, you can use the filtering options and search function to locate specific types of files quickly.

Step 3. Recover Data from the Flash Drive

Once the scan is complete and lost USB drive files are found, click “Recover” to restore them. You should save the recovered files to a secure location on your computer instead of the USB drive.

When retrieving data from a USB device, we recommend saving the retrieved files to a secure location to avoid further issues.

Additional tip: Format the USB to NTFS/FAT32 and recreate the USB partitions

A few people have reported that they've encountered this problem more than once with the same USB device. They say that after fixing it, the issue comes back soon after. If this is your situation, formatting and recreating a new partition might help.

1. Connect the USB to your computer and right-click on "This PC/My Computer" then select "Manage." 2. In the "Device Manager," navigate to "Disk Management." Locate your problematic USB device, right-click on it, and choose "Format Volume..." 3. Complete the formatting process and set the file system to NTFS or FAT32.

Check if the USB device is showing up on your computer. If it doesn't, try the following:

1. Launch Disk Management, right-click on the USB drive, and select "Delete Volume." Proceed with the operation. 2. When the USB drive appears as "Unallocated," right-click on it and choose "New Simple Volume." Assign a drive letter, select a file system (NTFS/FAT32), and then complete the process.

After this, you should be able to access the USB drive on your computer and save the data again.

"Frequently Asked Questions about 'USB Device Not Recognized'"

Read the following question and answer for more information about fixing the error, "The last USB device you connected to this computer malfunctioned, and Windows does not recognize it."

Why isn't my USB device showing up?

There can be several reasons why your computer fails to recognize a USB drive.

• The USB device is not properly connected to the computer
• The USB port on the computer is damaged
• The USB driver is outdated or has issues
• The USB drive is damaged or has data loss

How do I get my USB port to recognize my device?

To get a USB port to recognize your USB drive, you can:

• Unplug the USB device and plug it back in after a few minutes.
• Try connecting your USB drive to a different USB port.
• Connect your USB flash drive to another computer.
• Update the USB device driver.

How to fix the issue of USB devices not being recognized in Windows 10?

If you encounter the "The last USB device you connected to this computer malfunctioned" issue, you can try the following troubleshooting steps:

• Restart your computer
• Try another USB port or computer
• Update the USB driver
• Recover data from the USB and format the USB drive