Got a USB port that isn’t working? Here’s how to fix it!

If your USB flash drive or external hard drive isn't showing up on your computer, don't worry. It could be an issue with the USB port not working properly and preventing your external storage device from being detected or recognized.

This comprehensive guide will assist you in resolving the issue of non-functional USB ports on Windows 11/10/8/7 without losing any data. Follow these steps to get your external storage devices functioning again:

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Why isn't the USB port working?

Symptom - USB port not working

"Hello, do you know how to make a USB flash drive, external hard drive, or SD card show up on a computer when the USB port isn't working? I've tried connecting my device to other USB ports on my computer, but it still doesn't appear."

"How do I fix a non-working USB port to detect storage devices on Windows 10? Please assist."

When the USB port fails or stops working, Windows desktop or laptop will fail to read or detect these external storage devices. To get the USB ports working again in Windows 11/10/8/7, you should first figure out the causes.

What can cause a USB port to fail?

Here are some possible reasons why a USB port might not be working properly:

• Power surge on the USB port
• USB port driver has been updated
• Damaged USB cable
• Faulty or damaged USB port

Note that the basic troubleshooting steps are to restart your computer and try another USB cable. If those don't work, don't worry. You can fix a USB port that's not working without losing any data and get your external storage devices recognized again by following this guide.

1. How to diagnose a non-working USB port issue

First, you must diagnose whether the problem lies with the USB port. Here are some clues:

1. Restart your computer and reconnect the device via USB port.

Disconnect the storage device > Restart your computer > Reconnect the portable device to your computer.

If the device does not appear, the issue may be a loose connection. If the USB or external drive still does not appear, proceed to the next troubleshooting step.

2. Try using a different USB cable and test with another USB port.

If it does, try firmly reinserting the USB drive into your computer, then check if the device appears. If it doesn't, proceed to Step 2.

Step 2: Check if the USB cable is damaged.

If you can, try using a different USB cable and reconnect your external drive to your computer. If the drive shows up, you're done. If not, proceed to the next step.

Step 3: Try plugging it into a different USB port.

First, try plugging the device into a different USB port to see if it's recognized. If it is, then the original port was likely at fault.

Try plugging the USB drive into a different port on your computer, or try connecting it to another computer.

If the device still does not show up, the problem is with the device itself. Follow the guide on how to fix a USB Drive Not Recognized to fix the faulty device. If the USB or external storage device shows up, then it's an issue with the USB ports.

3. Check if your computer displays any error messages.

If you see an error that reads, “Overvoltage condition at the USB port. A USB device has failed and is drawing too much power from the hub port. You should disconnect the device…,” then you have a USB port problem.

Read on to learn how you can effectively fix this problem on your own.

How to Fix a USB Port Not Working in 3 Ways

Follow the steps below to resolve issues with non-functional USB ports and restore your USB ports:

Method 1: Adjust Power Management

Step 1: Press the Windows + R keys, type devmgmt.msc in the Run dialog box, and then click OK.

Step 2: Expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers entry, right-click on a USB Root Hub, and select Properties.

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

Step 4. Repeat steps 2-3 for every USB Root Hub.

After that, check if your USB port is working normally again. If not, try the next method.

Method 2: Uninstall and reinstall the Universal Serial Bus controllers driver

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

Step 2: Expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers category and find the USB Root Hub with the yellow exclamation mark.

Step 3: Right-click on it and select "Uninstall." Click "OK."

Uninstall and then reinstall the USB Root Hub driver:

Step 4. Wait for the process to complete, and then restart your computer.

Step 5: After restarting your computer, open the Device Manager window and go to the Operations tab.

Step 6. Select Check for hardware changes.

Then, the USB port should appear. Plug your device back in, and your USB drive or SD card should show up on your computer. If that doesn't work, try Method 3 to fix the problem.

Method 3: Disable USB Selective Suspend to Fix “USB Port Not Working”

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

Step 2: Click “Change plan settings” next to your current plan.

Step 3: In the Edit Plan Settings window, click Change advanced power settings.

Step 4: Expand “USB Settings,” and then expand “USB Selective Suspend Setting.”

5. Disable the “Battery” and “Plugged in” settings, and click “Apply” and “OK” to save the settings.

After this process, you should be able to use your USB drive or external hard drive to save or transfer data to your computer again.

3. Recover Data from USB Device after Fixing USB Port

After fixing the USB ports not working on your Windows PC, you can try connecting your portable storage devices like USB or SD cards to transfer data. If the storage device is still inaccessible and you can't read any saved data, don't worry.

Powerful Data Recovery Wizard tool - The Data Recovery Wizard tool scans your USB storage device and locates all lost data in just a few simple clicks. This USB data recovery software enables you to:

• Recover Deleted Files, and retrieve formatted or corrupted data from USB drives
• Restore lost files from USB due to accidental deletion, drive damage/corruption, RAW drive issues, etc.
• Repair Corrupted Files, supporting photo, video, and document repair on USB

Follow the steps below to recover lost data from a portable USB or other device in Windows 11/10/8/7:

Step 1: Select the USB drive to scan

Launch the Data Recovery Wizard, select the USB drive where you lost your important files, and click “Scan” to start.

Step 2: Preview and check the USB Drive data

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

Step 3: Recover Data from Flash Drive

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

After doing this, you can reformat the removable storage device to either NTFS or FAT32 so that it can be used again for data storage and transfer.

When your USB port isn't working, stay calm – you can fix it right here.

On this page, we explain why your computer's USB ports might not be working and provide a comprehensive guide to help you diagnose whether the issue lies with the USB ports themselves.

If the problem is with a USB port, don't worry. You can get it to show up and work again by updating the USB Root Hub driver as in Method 2.

After the issue is fixed, your computer should be able to detect and use external storage devices again. If you lost files in the process, let Data Recovery Wizard help you.

If your USB port isn't working, don't panic. Take immediate action and fix it by following this guide.