USB Not Detected on Windows - 9 Things to Check Before Assuming It’s Dead

You plug in a USB drive no connection sound, nothing appears in This PC, and even Device Manager shows no reaction.

At that moment, most people think:

“Is this USB dead?”
“Do I need to format it or just throw it away?”

But USB drives actually fail far less often than Windows power settings, drivers, or controllers do.

Before you format the drive or give up on it, walk through the checks below in order.
In many cases, the USB comes back without losing any data.

First, confirm this matches your situation

This guide applies if any of the following are true:

Plugging in the USB does absolutely nothing
The USB powers a device, but files don’t appear
The USB works on another PC, but not on yours
A previously working USB suddenly stopped being detected

1️⃣ Start with the USB port (don’t skip this)

Basic, but surprisingly effective.

Try a different USB port
Switch between front ports and rear ports

👉 Rear ports are more reliable for testing.
Front ports often fail due to internal cable issues.

2️⃣ Quickly rule out USB hardware failure

This single test saves a lot of time.

Works on another PC → likely a Windows issue
Fails everywhere → likely a USB hardware issue

This step alone eliminates over half the possibilities.

3️⃣ Static discharge can lock up the USB controller

(The “Cold Boot” trick ⭐)

One of the most overlooked causes of USB detection failure is static discharge / residual power left on the motherboard.

🖥️ Desktop PCs

Shut down the PC completely
Unplug the power cable
Press the power button 5–10 times
Reconnect the power cable and boot

👉 This resets the USB controller and often restores detection instantly.

💻 Laptops

Disconnect the power adapter
If the battery is built-in:
→ Press and hold the power button for 15–30 seconds

This forces a full discharge and controller reset.

👉 USB detection issues often occur alongside network or Wi-Fi problems.
If power management or system controllers are misbehaving, similar symptoms can appear.
You may want to check the guide below as well.
[Wi-Fi Is Connected but There’s No Internet – Wi-Fi Is Connected but There’s No Internet]

4️⃣ USB power management may be shutting ports down

Windows aggressively cuts USB power to save energy.

📌 Check Device Manager settings

Open Device Manager
Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers
Right-click USB Root Hub → Properties
Open the Power Management tab
❌ Uncheck

Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power

Repeat this for each USB Root Hub listed.

5️⃣ Disable USB Selective Suspend (critical step)

This looks similar to Step 4, but it’s a different setting and often the real culprit.

📌 Path

Control Panel → Power Options
Change plan settings
Change advanced power settings
USB settings → USB selective suspend setting
Set to Disabled

👉 This prevents Windows from cutting power to “idle” USB ports that are actually in use.

6️⃣ Check Disk Management

(Visible but Unreadable: RAW / Unallocated ⚠️)

Sometimes the USB is detected—but not usable.

📌 Open Disk Management

Press Win + X → Disk Management

Now check how the USB appears:

✅ Blue bar, but not visible in File Explorer

Likely missing a drive letter.

Fix:

Right-click the partition
Select Change Drive Letter and Paths
Assign a letter (E:, F:, etc.)

👉 The drive often appears instantly.

⚠️ Shows as RAW

File system corruption.

❗ If Windows asks “Do you want to format this drive?”
Do NOT click Yes if the data matters.

Formatting dramatically lowers recovery success.

⚠️ Shows a Black bar (Unallocated)

This means the partition itself is gone.

Right-click → New Simple Volume will restore usability
⚠️ Data will be erased

If data is important, stop here and consider recovery first.

7️⃣ Using a USB hub? Suspect power shortage

Unpowered hubs are a common failure point.

Especially when:

Multiple devices are connected
External drives are involved

📌 Best test

Remove the hub
Plug the USB directly into the PC

This eliminates power issues immediately.

8️⃣ Device Manager: drivers can be broken even without warnings

Look under Universal Serial Bus controllers.

Even if there’s no yellow warning icon, these can still be the problem:

USB Mass Storage Device
Unknown USB entries

📌 Best reset method

Right-click USB Mass Storage Device
Select Uninstall device
Reboot

Windows will reinstall the driver automatically this is often more effective than “Update driver.”

👉 USB detection problems and printer connection issues often share the same root causes.
Driver conflicts and port misconfigurations are common examples.
The guide below covers a similar troubleshooting approach.
[Printer Connected but Not Printing – 9 Things to Check Before Reinstalling Drivers]

9️⃣ Prevent the issue from coming back (Fast Startup)

If USB issues keep returning after shutdowns, Windows’ Fast Startup feature may be to blame.

📌 Disable Fast Startup

Control Panel → Power Options
Choose what the power buttons do
Uncheck Turn on fast startup

👉 This prevents Windows from restoring USB states incorrectly between boots.

Final Thoughts

When a USB isn’t detected, it’s easy to assume it’s dead.
In reality, the most common causes are:

Power management
Windows settings
Driver corruption

Following this checklist step by step can save your data—and your USB—from being unnecessarily discarded.

🔎 One last practical tip

If nothing works, inspect the USB port itself.
Dust or debris can block contact.

Sometimes, a gentle air blow is all it takes.

👉 If your USB is detected but file access feels slow or unstable, the issue may be related to browser or system resource usage rather than the device itself.
The following Chrome troubleshooting guide may help.
[Google Chrome Suddenly Feels Slow?]

🌍 This guide is also available in Korean.
If you prefer reading technical instructions in Korean, you can find the original version below.
[USB를 꽂았는데 인식이 안 될 때 – 고장 의심 전에 반드시 확인해야 할 9가지 점검 순서]