USB Ports Stopped Working in Windows? Reinstall the Controllers and Stop Windows Powering Them Down

Published ✓ Verified ⏱️ 2 min read March 18, 2025 · by Ryan Bennett

One day a USB port (or every port) just stops responding — devices don’t mount, no chime, nothing in Device Manager. It often shows up after a Windows update or after the PC wakes from sleep.

Why: two common causes. The USB controller drivers got into a bad state (an update or driver swap can trigger this), or power management put the ports into selective suspend and Windows failed to wake them. Reinstall the stack first, then stop Windows from sleeping the ports.

Fix 1: Reinstall the USB controllers

This rebuilds the USB driver stack that an update may have left corrupt.

Press Win + R, type the command, and press Enter:
```
devmgmt.msc
```
Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.
Right-click each entry — host controllers, USB Root Hub, generic hubs — and choose Uninstall device, one at a time.
Restart the PC. Windows automatically reinstalls every USB controller on boot, usually restoring the dead ports.

Fix 2: Disable USB selective suspend in the power plan

This stops Windows from putting idle ports to sleep.

Press Win + R, type the following, and press Enter:
```
control.exe powercfg.cpl
```
Beside your active plan, click Change plan settings → Change advanced power settings.
Expand USB settings → USB selective suspend setting.
Set Plugged in to Disabled (and On battery → Disabled on laptops).
Click Apply → OK.

Fix 3: Stop a Root Hub from being turned off

Per-device power management can override the plan and suspend a specific hub.

In devmgmt.msc, expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.
Right-click USB Root Hub → Properties → Power Management tab.
Untick “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.”
Click OK. Repeat for each USB Root Hub entry.

Microsoft documents that the “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power” checkbox lives on the Power Management tab of the USB Root Hub Properties dialog and controls whether the hub is suspended. Clearing it keeps the hub awake.

Fix 4: Reseat the hardware

A physical reset clears a stuck controller:

Shut down, unplug the PC (or remove a laptop battery if removable) for ~30 seconds, then power back on. This drains the USB controllers fully.
On a desktop, also confirm the front-panel USB header is seated on the motherboard if only the front ports are dead.

FAQ

Only the front ports are dead, rear ones work. That points at the case’s front-panel USB cable/header, not Windows — reseat the internal header.

A single device throws “USB device not recognized,” but other devices work in that port. That’s a per-device driver fault, not a dead port. See “USB device not recognized”.

Sources: Microsoft Learn — “USB Device not recognized” error (reinstall USB controllers; disable selective suspend) · Microsoft Learn — Power management option isn’t selected (“Allow the computer to turn off this device”)