USB Ports Not Working

As the universal serial bus or USB takes over more of the workload that was once the domain of disc drives and other media storage options, malfunctions in them could become less of an inconvenience and more of an emergency. Although failing hardware sometimes is the cause, in other cases, it can be from software compatibility problems that users can resolve without much work. As with different troubleshooting scenarios, users can run down bread and butter solutions before moving onto advanced ones and isolate the probable causes along the way.

First, check whether the device or the port is the problem. Test each USB port in turn, including rear ones on desktop PCs. If possible, plug your USB product into another computer for testing. USB ports are, theoretically, fully backward compatible, but changes between 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 versions can cause glitches in some scenarios.

Check USB ports for obstructions periodically, which can include not just solid matter but also dust. A can of compressed air is the recommended means of cleaning USB ports and other hardware.

Make sure that the ports aren't loose excessively. There should be little to no 'wiggle room' in USB ports. Over time, strain and repeated usage may loosen a port and, in rare cases, even require re-soldiering it.

Like other parts of computers, USB ports need power. Users should check that their power-saving settings aren't interfering with USB ports. Open the Control Panel (type its name into the taskbar search area) and choose Hardware and Sound, Power Options, Change Plan Settings and Change Advanced Power Settings. The new window shows various device entries; double-click the USB entry and set it to 'disabled.' Like with other system settings changes, always reboot after implementing the fix. However, since the device will no longer reduce power flow to ports not in use currently, this solution can increase battery drain.

The Windows Device Manager is another useful tool for controlling USB ports. As with the Control Panel, users can open it by typing the name into the search field and clicking the result. The USB or 'Universal Serial Bus Controllers' entry should be on the bottom. From here, users can test various fixes:

• Right-click the entry and select 'scan for hardware changes,' which may help Windows detect new ports or newly-introduced USB devices.
• Double-click the entry and expand it, which shows all related hardware, including the Controllers. Right-click each Controller entry and uninstall it. Windows will reinstall it after a reboot automatically.
• The 'update driver' option also can be useful for users whose hardware is using out-of-date driver software excessively. Choosing the update option in the Device Manager prompts Windows to detect, download, and install any updates for the device. Alternatively, users can look up the appropriate manufacturer website manually and perform the download and installation themselves.

Unfortunately, macOS users don't have a direct analog to the Windows Device Manager. However, they can retrieve similar information on devices through System Information and System Profiler. As an alternative, experts suggest that macOS users try resetting the SMC (System Management Controller).

Haven't USB ports that don't work puts at risk almost any information that users are accustomed to passing back and forth between USB storage devices and a regular PC. On the brighter side of things, as inconvenient as it is, it's rarely a problem that needs more than a little attentiveness for fixing and rarely requires expensive hardware repair.