USB Selective Suspend – What is It and How to Enable and Disable It

If you are facing a problem with a USB connection or when you plug in a USB and get the message “USB device not recognized,” you are at the right place. In this post, we will discuss how to fix this issue and how to stop your laptop or tablet battery from draining. Recently, many users have reported facing these issues, and in most cases, the problem is caused by Windows: USB Selective Suspend. If, like others, you too are wondering what this feature is? And can you disable it? Keep reading. We will answer these questions and will explain how to disable it so that you avoid facing USB connection-related issues. 

What is a USB Selective Suspend

It is a built-in feature in Windows that allows the hub driver to suspend an individual port without affecting other connected USB ports. The service comes in handy for laptop users as it helps save battery. 

USB devices like printers, scanners, headphones, etc, are not always active but still consume power. Therefore, to prevent unnecessary power consumption, Windows uses this feature to put unused USB devices into a low-power state automatically. That said, when the USB is suspended, the external devices are put into an idle state so that charging power can be saved, and you don’t need to charge the laptop frequently. However, this feature works when the USB is connected and your system has the recent USB drivers running. (If you want to know whether or not your PC has the latest USB drivers, try Advanced Driver Updater.) 

What is the Use of this Feature

When you connect a device via USB and the port is active, the data transfer schedule for that port is active, and the system’s physical memory is used, which means there is power consumption, and the CPU cannot go into sleep or hibernate. Therefore, the unused USB ports should be suspended to let Windows hibernate or go to sleep.

For those who work on a laptop or tablet, this feature is a boon as they can save battery without affecting the working of other connected devices. However, the feature can sometimes trigger problems, like random disconnection of USB ports, unrecognized USB devices, and others. Hence, disabling selective USB suspension settings is suggested when you face such issues.

How to Disable the USB Selective Suspend Feature on Windows 11 and 10

If you frequently encounter a USB device not recognized, use a laptop with the charger plugged in, or require a laptop to always run on a maximum charge with a USB connection, you should turn off this feature. To do so, follow these steps:

The screenshots here are shown in Windows 10, but all the operations apply to Windows 11, 8, and 7

1) Press the Windows key  + S, and in the search field, type power plan.  Select Choose a power plan from the search results.

2) Click Change plan settings.

3) Click Change advanced power settings.

4) Double-click on USB settings to expand and find the USB selective suspend setting.

5) From the drop-down, select Disabled > click Apply >OK.

Turning USB Selective Suspend from Device Manager

If you cannot find the settings under Power Plan, you can turn off USB selective suspend by altering the power management setting from Device Manager. To do so, follow these steps.

1. Press Windows + X and select Device Manager from the Quick Access menu.
2. Double-click on the Universal Serial Bus controllers section. Right-click any “Generic USB Hub” or “USB Root Hub” drivers > select Properties.

3. Click the Power Management tab and uncheck the box next to “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.”

4. Click OK to save the settings.
5. Now try to use the USB it should work. If you face any problems, repeat the steps for the USB you are using.

Read Also: Fixed – USB Drive Not Showing Up – Windows 11/10

Disabling USB Selective Suspend Via Command Prompt

If you like using Command Prompt, here are the steps to turn off USB Selective Suspend through it.

1. Press Windows + S, and in the search field, type cmd.
2. Click Run as administrator to run Command Prompt with admin rights.
3. Copy and paste the following command and press Enter key.

powercfg /SETACVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT 2a737441-1930-4402-8d77-b2bebba308a3 48e6b7a6-50f5-4782-a5d4-53bb8f07e226 0

4. Reconnect the USB you are facing issues with and check it. It should be working.

This way, you can use the connected USB device. However, if you still face problems, USB drivers may be outdated. To update them, follow these steps.

Update USB Drivers Automatically and Fix USB device not recognized error

If disabling the USB Selective Suspend setting fixes the USB device not recognizing the problem, update USB port drivers. 

A tech-savvy person with enough time can manually update drivers via Device Manager or the manufacturer’s website. However, Advanced Driver Updater is your go-to tool if you are short on time or looking for a simple way to update drivers and save time. Using this one of the best driver updaters for Windows in no time, you can identify outdated drivers and update them. The paid version of the tool allows updating drivers all at once, offers a 60-day money-back guarantee, and is backed by technical support. To use Advanced Driver Updater, follow these steps:

1) Download, install, and run Advanced Driver Updater.

2) Click Start Scan Now to scan the PC for outdated drivers and update them.

3) Review scan results and update outdated drivers. If you are using the trial version, click Update driver next to the driver you want to update, as the trial version allows updating one driver at a time. However, if you use the paid version, click the Update All button to update all drivers in the list.

4) Restart the PC after updating drivers and try using the USB. You should not face any problems. 

USB Selective Suspend – Useful But Can be Problematic

The USB selective suspend is an excellent feature for saving power. However, sometimes using this feature means facing problems with the USB connection. Therefore, when you face issues with a USB connection, try disabling the feature to see if it helps fix the problem. 

You can use any of the above steps to turn off USB selective suspend on Windows 11 and 10. Also, to keep drivers updated, you can use Advanced  Driver Updater. The tool will not only help keep drivers updated but will also help avoid facing driver-related issues. We hope you found the post helpful. Please share your feedback in the comments. 

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