The full Windows message reads: USB device not recognized. The last USB device you connected to this computer malfunctioned, and Windows does not recognize it. It means Windows noticed something was plugged in but couldn’t identify it, usually because the device didn’t answer the computer properly. Most of the time the cause is the cable, the port, power or a driver rather than the device itself.
Two quick tests split the problem. Plug the device into a different port directly on the computer, not through a hub or dock. Then try it on another computer. If it fails everywhere, suspect the device or cable. If it works elsewhere, the fix is this PC’s ports, power settings or drivers.
A drive with no letter, a phone that only charges and a dock that drops devices each need a different fix, so the steps below are organized by device type.
Try these first
- Unplug the device, wait ten seconds and plug it into a different port directly on the computer.
- Try another cable; some USB cables only charge and can’t carry data.
- Pick Restart from the power menu instead of Shut down, then test again.
- Unplug other USB devices and hubs, then try the failing device on its own.
- Phones: unlock the screen and choose File transfer or tap Trust when asked.
- Open Device Manager and note any yellow warning icon and its error code.
Find out where it fails
What Windows does when you plug the device in tells you which part of the chain is broken.
| What happens | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| “USB device not recognized” notification, or an unknown USB device in Device Manager | The device didn’t identify itself: cable, port, power or device fault | Another port and cable; then power settings; test on another PC |
| Nothing at all: no sound, no notification, nothing in Device Manager | Dead port, charge-only cable, ports disabled in BIOS, or no power to the device | Another port and cable; BIOS USB settings |
| Device listed with a yellow warning and a code | Driver problem | Code table below |
| Drive shows in Disk Management but not File Explorer | No drive letter, or the drive is unformatted or damaged | Flash drive steps below |
| Phone charges but no files appear | Phone is in charge-only mode or hasn’t trusted the PC | Phone steps below |
| Works, then disconnects after a few minutes or after sleep | Power saving turning the port off | Power settings section |
| Works plugged into the laptop, fails through the dock or hub | Dock power, dock firmware or the wrong port type | Dock steps below |
| Drives never open on any company laptop (phone file transfer may fail too), but keyboards and mice work | Removable storage blocked by policy | Office section |
Read the Device Manager code
Right-click Start, open Device Manager, and look under Universal Serial Bus controllers, Other devices and the category for your device type. Double-click anything with a yellow warning icon; the code is in the Device status box on the General tab.
| Code | What it means | What to try |
|---|---|---|
| Code 43 | Windows stopped the device because it reported a problem | Different port and cable, unplug and reconnect, update the device’s driver or firmware; if it fails on two PCs, the device is faulty |
| Code 28 | No driver is installed | Install the driver from the device maker’s website, or run Windows Update and restart |
| Code 10 | The device or its driver failed to start | Uninstall the device, unplug it, restart, plug it back in; then update the driver |
| Code 22 | The device is disabled | Right-click it and choose Enable device |
| Code 45 | The device isn’t currently connected | An old entry; nothing to fix unless the device is plugged in |
An entry named Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed) means the device never identified itself. That points to the cable, the port or the device’s power, not to a missing driver.
Stop Windows powering the port down
If a device works for a while and then drops out, or fails after the laptop wakes from sleep, power saving is the likely cause. Windows can switch off idle USB ports to save battery, and some devices don’t wake up cleanly.
Turn off power saving on the USB root hubs
- In Device Manager, expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.
- Open each USB Root Hub entry, go to the Power Management tab and clear Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.
- Restart and test.
Test with USB selective suspend off
Search Start for Edit power plan, select Change advanced power settings, expand USB settings > USB selective suspend setting and set it to Disabled. Some laptops don’t show this option; if yours doesn’t, skip it.
Treat this as a test: Microsoft recommends leaving selective suspend on. If turning it off fixes the dropouts, the device doesn’t handle power saving well, so update its driver or firmware and then turn the setting back on.
Windows 11 also has Settings > Bluetooth & devices > USB. Where USB battery saver appears, it stops USB devices while the screen is off; turn it off only to test a device that drops out when the display sleeps. Keep Connection notifications on, or Windows won’t tell you when a USB device has a problem.
With Fast Startup on, Shut down restores Windows’ saved driver state at power-on, while Restart starts fresh, so always test with Restart.
Fixes by device type
Flash drives and external hard drives
If the drive powers up but doesn’t appear in File Explorer, right-click Start, open Disk Management and read the drive’s status: no drive letter, Offline, Not Initialized, Unallocated, RAW or a Mac format. Some of those fixes are safe and some erase files, so follow the status-by-status steps in our guide to an external hard drive not showing up before you accept anything Windows offers. Never format or initialize a drive that held files.
A drive that asks for a password is encrypted. BitLocker To Go needs its password or 48-digit recovery key (on a company drive, IT may hold the key); drives with the maker’s own security software or a keypad need that maker’s unlock step. Don’t format it to get past the prompt.
If Windows says a portable hard drive might need more power, plug the PC into its charger, use a port directly on the computer (the rear ports on a desktop), and unplug other USB devices.
Phone not recognized by PC
Android: unlock the phone, tap the Charging this device via USB notification, and choose File transfer under Use USB for. Google notes that not all cables can transfer files, so try another cable if the option never appears.
iPhone: first install Apple’s Apple Devices app from the Microsoft Store; Apple lists it as step one even for photo imports. Then unlock the iPhone, tap Trust when asked, and import pictures with the Windows Photos app.
Headsets, webcams and microphones
These don’t appear in File Explorer. Look for headsets and microphones in Settings > System > Sound, and for webcams in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Cameras. If Windows says the USB-C audio adapter is unsupported, you have an analog adapter on a port that needs a digital one. If the headset is detected but nobody can hear you, see headset microphone not working; if a USB webcam is detected but shows a black picture in Teams or Zoom, see webcam not working in Windows 11.
Docks and hubs
Test the device directly on the laptop first; if it works there, the dock or hub is the problem. Check that the dock is on a port that supports it (Thunderbolt docks need a Thunderbolt port, usually marked with a lightning bolt), that a powered dock has its power supply connected, and that the dock firmware and laptop BIOS are current (read the BIOS precautions in the next section first).
If Windows 11 suggests a different USB port or says functionality might be limited, Microsoft lists the usual causes: the wrong USB-C port, a hub or dock in between, or too many other Alternate Mode devices connected at once. Connect the device directly to a port that supports it, with the cable that came with it.
If the dock’s monitors are the problem rather than its USB ports, see second monitor not detected.
Rather have a technician sort it out?
If a USB drive, phone, headset or dock won’t show up, a technician can connect remotely with your permission, read the Device Manager error and fix the driver or power setting while you watch. A GoProIT technician can connect remotely, with your permission, and fix it while you watch. $59 per fix, Mon–Fri 8am–8pm ET.
Check the BIOS and reset the USB drivers
If no USB port works at all, check that the ports haven’t been disabled in firmware. On a company laptop, check with IT before changing anything there; disabled ports are often a deliberate security setting (see the office section below).
On Dell laptops, tap F2 repeatedly as the computer starts and look for USB Configuration or USB Ports (usually under Integrated Devices), where Enable USB Ports or Enable External USB Ports should be checked. ASUS recommends loading BIOS defaults as a USB fix: with the PC off, press and hold F2, then press the power button (some older ASUS desktops use Del).
Before you load defaults or update the BIOS, check whether the system drive uses BitLocker or device encryption. Either change can alter the Secure Boot, TPM or firmware state that BitLocker checks, so Windows may ask for the 48-digit recovery key at the next start. Suspend BitLocker first and have the key ready; see where to find your BitLocker recovery key.
Reinstall the USB controllers
- Unplug all USB devices.
- In Device Manager, expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.
- Right-click each USB Root Hub and choose Uninstall device, then do the same for each entry with Host Controller in its name (such as USB xHCI Compliant Host Controller).
- Restart. Windows reinstalls them automatically.
On most laptops the built-in keyboard and touchpad aren’t USB devices, so they keep working. On a desktop, a USB keyboard and mouse stop as soon as you uninstall the hub or controller they use, so you can’t reach Restart. Before you begin, save your work, right-click Start, open Terminal and run shutdown /r /t 300 to schedule a full restart in five minutes (shutdown /a cancels it).
Finish by installing chipset, USB and BIOS updates from your laptop or motherboard maker, using its update tool where there is one. For the BIOS update, suspend BitLocker if the tool doesn’t, keep the charger connected and don’t turn the PC off until it finishes; an interrupted BIOS update can leave the PC unable to start.
For offices: is USB storage blocked on purpose?
Many businesses block USB drives to stop data leaving on a thumb drive and malware arriving on one. If drives fail on every company laptop while keyboards, mice and phones charge normally, check policy before troubleshooting hardware.
- Group Policy: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Removable Storage Access. All Removable Storage classes: Deny all access blocks drives and phones; Removable Disks: Deny read access or Deny write access targets drives, and the matching WPD Devices settings block phone file transfer.
- Intune: the same settings can be delivered from the cloud through the ADMX_RemovableStorage policy area, or through device control in your endpoint security tool.
If you don’t manage your company’s devices, ask your IT admin rather than trying to change or get around these settings; the block is a deliberate security control.
If someone has a genuine need, allow specific approved, encrypted drives for specific people rather than turning the block off for everyone.
When it’s the device or the port
Stop changing settings and plan a replacement or repair when:
- The device fails on two different computers with two different cables. The device is faulty.
- One port fails with every device while the others work. The port or its connection to the board is damaged; on laptops that’s a repair.
- The connector is loose or wobbly, the plug only works at an angle, or you see bent or burnt contacts.
- A flash drive shows as No Media in Disk Management, or File Explorer asks you to insert a disk into it. That usually means its memory has failed. An empty card reader looks the same, so check a card is in it.
- An external hard drive clicks, buzzes or repeatedly connects and disconnects. Unplug it and stop retrying if the data matters; repeated attempts can make recovery harder.
If the device works on other computers and you’d rather not dig into drivers and power settings yourself, this is a typical $59 fix through our remote computer help.
Common questions
What does USB device not recognized mean?
It means Windows detected that something was plugged into a USB port but couldn’t identify what it was. The device either didn’t respond correctly or Windows couldn’t load a driver for it. The cause is usually the cable, the port, power saving or a driver, and testing the device in another port and on another computer quickly shows which.
Why is my USB drive not showing up in File Explorer?
Often Windows has detected the drive but hasn’t given it a letter, or can’t read its file system. Check the drive’s status in Disk Management; our external hard drive not showing up guide explains each status and which fixes are safe. Don’t format or initialize a drive you need files from. If it isn’t listed there at all, try another port, cable or computer.
Why does my phone only charge when I plug it into my PC?
Phones default to charging only, for security. On Android, unlock the phone, tap the USB notification and choose File transfer. On iPhone, unlock it and tap Trust when asked. If no prompt appears, try a different cable, because some cables only carry power, and plug directly into the computer rather than a hub.
Should I disable USB selective suspend?
Only as a test. Selective suspend lets Windows power down idle USB ports to save battery, and Microsoft recommends leaving it on. If disabling it stops a device from dropping out, the device or its driver isn’t handling power saving well. Update its driver or firmware, then turn the setting back on if battery life matters.
How do I fix Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed)?
That Device Manager entry means Windows saw a connection but couldn’t read the device’s basic identity, so searching for a driver won’t help. Unplug it, restart, and plug it into a different port directly on the computer with another cable. If it comes back, uninstall the entry in Device Manager, turn off USB power saving and restart again. Port Reset Failed and Set Address Failed entries get the same fixes. If it fails the same way on a second computer, the device is faulty.
Why is my USB-C device not recognized?
USB-C ports and cables don’t all support the same features. A Thunderbolt or USB4 device needs a port that supports it, and many USB-C charging cables only carry slower USB 2.0 data. If Windows says functionality might be limited or suggests a different USB port, move the device to another USB-C port, use the cable that came with it, and connect it directly instead of through an adapter or hub.