[Easily Fixed] Windows 11 USB Device not Recognized on PC

Why USB device not recognized in Windows 11？

Although Windows 11 is a new operating system, some users have already confronted this problem. Usually, this error happens when users insert their USB drives into PCs. The system will show a message telling users the USB device is not recognized, then users are unable to access USB devices that are not recognized by File Explorer.

How does this error pop out? Well, the possible reasons are multifarious:

Defective or incompatible USB port
Power management setting
Incorrect USB device driver
Drivers for outdated USB controllers
USB has some damaged files or bad sectors
The USB drive has not been formatted correctly
…

Method list for Windows 11 USB device not recognized

No matter what makes you face the error of Windows 11 not recognizing USB, the point is how to fix it. So, here we make a solution list for you to try.

Way 1. Try a different USB port or reboot your PC

There are 4 kinds of redo:

1. Disconnect the failed device and reattach it to the machine to determine if the machine recognizes it.

2. Try inserting the problematic item into another USB port on this system. If it works and your PC can identify the USB device, it suggests the problem is with the previous USB port rather than the device. Examine the USB port for physical damage such as dust collection, physical form change, or becoming wet.

3. You can try the USB device on another healthy computer to check whether this device is damaged or not. A damaged USB cannot be recognized by any system.

4. Restart the OS. You can try unplugging USB devices first, if it doesn't work, then restarting the computer and reinserting.

Way 2. Try the USB repair tool

AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard is a free tool that can manage disk and portable drives like USB flash drives for Windows 11/10/8/8.1/7/XP users. It can clone/wipe/create/format/delete partitions on the disk.

To solve the USB device not showing up error, this tool can offer you 2 options.

1. Reformat your USB

If you don’t store important data on the target USB, you can choose to reformat it because sometimes Windows might not recognize the file system of your USB. Disk Management can do this for you. But if you find that the “Format” option is greyed out, you can choose third-party software to help you.

Step 1. Install AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard. Run it, right-click the flash drive partition that you need to format, and choose “Format Partition”.

Step 2. Among the listed file system, choose an appropriate one. Then, click the “OK” button.

Step 3. Go back to the main interface. Confirm and click “Apply” to perform the operation.

2. Create a new partition for the target USB device

If the USB drive has a black bar at the top, its space has not been allocated, which might explain why the USB drive does not appear in Windows 11. To resolve the issue, just follow the steps below to assign space or construct a basic volume.

Step 1. Run the tool and right-click on the unallocated space, choose “Create Partition”.

Step 2. Drag to partition the space, and you can set more information in the “Advanced” list.

Step 3. Click “Apply” to confirm.

Way 3. Disable the selective suspend option

Step 1. Press the search icon on the taskbar to bring up the search tool.

Step 2. Enter “edit power plan” in the search box and click “Edit power plan” to bring up the “Edit Power Plan Control Panel”.

Step 3. Click “Change advanced power settings”.

Step 4. Double-click “USB settings” on the Power Options window. And double-click USB selective suspend to open the setting.

Step 5. Select the “Disabled” and press “Apply” on the Power Options window. Then click OK to exit the window.

Way 4. Change power management settings

Step 1. Right-click the Start button to select the Device Manager shortcut.

Step 2. Click the View menu and select the “Show hidden devices” option.

Step 3. Double-click the “Universal Serial Bus controllers” category, right-click a USB Root Hub listed there, and select Properties.

Step 4. Then select the “Power Management” tab. Cancel the “Allow this computer to turn off this device to save power” box to deselect that option.

Step 5. Click OK to close the USB Root Hub window. Repeat steps for all USB Root Hubs listed in Device Manager.

Way 5. Assign a drive letter to the USB device

Step 1. Plug the USB storage drive into your PC. Right-click Start and select Disk Management.

Step 2. Right-click the USB drive in Disk Management and select “Change Drive Letter and Paths”.

Step 3. Click the Add button on the Change Drive Letter and Path window that opens, then press the OK.

Way 6. Update or Reinstall the USB Driver

Step 1. Right-click on the Start button and select Device Manager.

Step 2. Scroll through the Device Manager menu and expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers section then Right-click each entry and select “Uninstall device”.

Note: You can try the “Update driver” option at first, if it’s not working, you can try to uninstall and reinstall.

Thereafter, unplug your USB device from the PC. Wait for a while, and then connect the USB drive to your PC again.

Way 7. Check for software updates using OEM Tool

Windows Update isn't flawless, and it won't include every available update for your hardware. You may be able to manually check for software upgrades using an OEM update program produced by the maker of your device. This is generally fixed by installing the appropriate drivers straight from the manufacturer or by utilizing an OEM update program.

Here, we use a Dell as an example.

Step. 1. Launch the Start menu and search the first letter of the computer’s manufacturer to find the tool.

Step 2. Launch the manufacturer’s update tool and install any hardware updates it finds.

Way 8. Run SFC and DISM Scan

The SFC and DISM utilities will search for and replace faulty system files on your local disk.

Step 1. Right-click the Start button and select “Windows Terminal (Admin)”.

Step 2. Enter the following command in the Terminal windows and hit Enter:

Step 3. After the DISM scan is complete, run an SFC scan by entering the following:

Wrap all up

In this post, to fix Windows 11 USB devices not recognized, we list a method list for you, hope one or some of them can help you. AOMEI Partition Assistant is a versatile tool, you can upgrade to the Professional Edition to unlock more practical utilities like disk clone wizard, OS migration, folder and app mover, file system convertor, and so on.

FAQs-Windows 11 USB device not recognized

Q1: What does the "USB device not recognized" error mean on Windows 11?

A1: The error indicates that Windows 11 is unable to identify or communicate with a USB device connected to your computer.

Q2: Why am I seeing the "USB device not recognized" message?

A2: This error can occur due to various reasons, including a faulty USB port, incompatible drivers, hardware issues, or problems with the connected USB device.

Q3: What should I do if the USB device is still not recognized after troubleshooting?

Consider testing the USB device on another computer to rule out device-specific issues. If the problem persists, there may be a hardware problem, and professional assistance may be needed.

Q4: Are there known compatibility issues with certain USB devices and Windows 11?

Compatibility issues can arise, especially with older devices. Check the device manufacturer's website for Windows 11 compatibility and driver updates.