How to Make a Slow USB Flash Drive Faster

Experiencing sluggish USB data transfers lately? USB drives are a widely used method for exchanging data between devices. Their compactness and portability make them an excellent choice for on-the-go storage. It's not uncommon for USB data transfer speeds to fall short of the manufacturer's claims, leading to frustration and wasted time. Factors such as the USB type, age, and connection port can contribute to slower transfers, but your system might also be part of the issue.

If your USB data transfers have become painstakingly slow, this article offers effective solutions to accelerate the performance of your USB drives.

Why is my USB flash drive so slow?

Typically, USB transfer speeds will slow significantly if you are experiencing one or more of the following issues:

And if you have any tool that can test the speed of your USB drive, you can check the following info to estimate the status of your USB:

Besides the changes in speed, your USB might also have the issues like a never-ending transferring process. If your USB fulfills one of the aforementioned requirements, such as freezing when transferring files or failing to reach its average speed, it has a sluggish data transfer rate.

6 ways for how to make a slow USB flash drive faster

To make the file transfer speed on your USB faster, we find several ways to fix slow USB. You can try the recommended tips listed below one by one, all methods are available for all types of USB. So, if you need to speed up USB transfer on Windows 10, fix slow USB transfer on Windows 11, increase USB-C transfer speed, fix USB 3.0 is slow…, keep reading.

Way 1. Change USB Port or try your USB to another PC

Like most users, you may connect your USB to the front ports on the desktop computer to transfer files. However, the power supply of front ports may become unstable after use for a long period. Thus, the transfer speed goes down.

To speed up your USB transfer speed immediately, you can connect your USB flash drive to one of the rear ports on your computer instead. The rear ports are soldered on the motherboard of your computer, which provides a more stable power supply to your USB.

And if you have another PC, you can try your USB on that machine if the rear port also slows.

Way 2. Temporarily turn Off Windows Security

Occasionally, Windows security and real-time protection can impose limitations on transfer rates. This situation commonly arises during the initial USB connection or when the connected device has previously encountered malware. The improper configuration might cause Windows to incorrectly label it as a potential threat, leading to consistent slowdowns or even halts in processing.

Consequently, temporarily disabling Windows security becomes crucial to prevent any interference with your data transfer speed.

Step 1. Open Windows Settings app.

Step 2. Click on Update and Security from the available options.

Step 3. On the left-side bar, find Windows Security and click on it.

Step 4. From the Protection areas option, navigate to Virus & threat protection.

Step 5. Scroll down and click on Manage settings right below Virus and threat protection settings.

Step 6. Turn off the toggles for Real-time protection and Cloud-delivered protection.

Now, please restart your computer, reconnect the USB, and resume file transfers. If the transfer rate remains slow, something else has to be investigated further.

Turn on both of the toggles you just turned off in the Virus and threat protection settings to prevent jeopardizing your security. After that, you should update your USB drivers.

Way 3. Update USB's drivers

Updating USB drivers will correct outdated settings or faulty drivers, which may cause USB data transfer rates to lag. In other words, replacing the driver enhances the likelihood of reviving the USB's true transfer rate.

To update the driver:

Step 1. Plug the USB into your computer's USB port.

Step 2. Right-click on This PC and select Manage.

Step 3. In the new pop-up window, locate Device Manager on the left side and click it.

Step 4. Expand the Disk drives category. From there, right-click on your USB drive and click Update Driver Software.

Step 5. In the pop window, choose Update Driver button.

Way 4. Reinstall USB 's driver

At times, sluggish data transfer speeds stem from incorrect driver configurations and merely updating them might not suffice. In such cases, there's a possibility of restoring normal transfer rates by opting for a reinstallation. This process involves completely resetting the USB configuration along with its associated system settings.

Importantly, this action will not impact your drive's data, ensuring the safety of your files during the driver reinstallation.

Step 1. Connect the USB to a relevant USB port.

Step 2. Navigate to Manage by right-clicking on This PC.

Step 3. Click Device Manager in the left sidebar.

Step 4. Locate your plugged-in USB device by expanding the Disk drives category.

Step 5. Right-click the plugged device and select Uninstall device.

After uninstalling, remove your USB device from your computer and restart it. When you re-plug the same USB device after the reboot, Windows will automatically discover and install the USB drivers.

Way 5. Change Performance Settings

Changing the performance parameters on the gadget will improve its performance. You may adjust the maximum rate of data transmission in the computer by setting some specific disk policies. This will ultimately accelerate data transport.

Step 1. Connect your USB drive to its appropriate USB port. Right-click the Windows icon on your taskbar.

Step 2. From the list of options, select Disk Management.

Step 3. In the Disk Management window, locate your plugged-in USB drive.

Step 4. Right-click on your drive and choose Properties. Locate to the Policies tab, and then check the circle for Better performance.

Step 5. After choosing better performance, enable Write Caching on the Device.

To save your settings, click OK.

Way 6. Reformat USB flash drive

If the above methods can’t help you, the last way is to reformat your USB. This will cause data loss, so if you decide to reformat the USB flash drive, make sure all needed data is copied (if USB even can’t finish the last copy, after format, you can try data recovery tool to restore the formatted USB).

Step 1. Open ‘This PC’ and right click the USB, and select format.

Step 2. Set the file system as NTFS, click start, check the Quick Format box, and click OK to format your USB.

Windows only supports FAT32 and NTFS file systems, if your USB flash drive needs other file systems such as exFAT, and Ext 2/3/4, then you may turn to use a third-party tool.

Here, we recommend you a free tool AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard. It is a drive and disk manager for Windows PC. Users can format drives into FAT32, NTFS, Ext 2/3/4, and exFAT on Windows 11/10/8/8.1/7/XP machines. This tool can break the size limits of file systems to allow users to format drive that is larger than 32GB into FAT32.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard. Right-click the USB drive and select “Format Partition”.

Step 2. Choose the NTFS under the “File System” drop-down menu, and click on “OK”.

Step 3. Click on “Apply” and “Proceed” to commit the pending operation.

This powerful tool also has a practical function as a converter that can convert the drive between NTFS and FAT32 without reformatting. So, if your target USB flash drive needs to convert the file system, you just need to upgrade to the Professional Edition and employ this utility. All your data is safe on the drive, you don’t need to delete anything.

Step 1. Install and run AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. Right-click the drive you need to convert. Select “Advanced”> “Convert to NTFS”.

Step 2. In the pop-up window, NTFS is selected by default. Click “OK”.

Step 3. Now the USB drive is with NTFS file system. Click “Apply” to execute it.

To sum up

This is all for how to make a slow USB flash drive faster. The USB 3.0 connection, which has a maximum transfer speed of 400MB per second, is now used by the majority of customers. If your computer's USB port is too outdated (such as USB 1.1) and your USB is 3.1 or higher, it will significantly slow down your USB speed. It is a sensible decision to upgrade to a new computer.

Whatever method you use to resolve the USB sluggish transfer rate problem, make a backup of your USB file first. AOMEI Partition Assistant is always ready to assist with lost USB data. Hope this article can make your USB flash drive faster.