USB Keeps Disconnecting After a Few Seconds? Fix It on Windows 10/11

A USB device powers off after a few seconds may result from power settings, driver issues, hardware problems, or drive corruption.

This guide explains the causes and solutions, along with how to recover data if your USB becomes inaccessible.

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Learn how to repair a corrupted USB flash drive on Windows 10/11 without losing data. Use MiniTool Partition Wizard to perform.

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Common Causes of USB Disconnecting After a Few Seconds

A USB drive that keeps disconnecting after a few seconds may be caused by various issues. Here are the common causes and recommended solutions.

Before applying any fixes, protect your important data first. A USB drive that keeps disconnecting may lead to file corruption or data loss. If you can still access your files, back them up immediately.

Also read: How to Back Up Files in Windows 10/11 Easily: 4 Simple Methods.

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This article introduces 2 methods to transfer data between USB drives, among which the most recommended one is MiniTool Partition Wizard.

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Method 1. Perform a Simple Restart

The first and simplest solution is to perform a simple restart of your computer and USB devices. By doing so, the temporary glitches should be cleared. Also, you can try disconnecting and reconnecting the USB drive properly several times and check if it works. If it still doesn’t work, move down to the following methods.

Method 2. Update or Reinstall the Universal Serial Bus Controllers

As discussed above, the “USB not recognized after a few seconds” error is often related to outdated or corrupted USB drivers. To rule out this factor, you can try updating or reinstalling the Universal Serial Bus Controllers driver.

Step 1. Right-click Windows Start menu and choose Device Manager. Alternatively, you can press Windows + R on the keyboard and type devmgmt.msc, and hit Enter to open Device Manager.

Step 2. Expand Universal Serial Bus Controllers section, right-click the affected USB driver, and select Properties.

Step 3. Navigate to the Driver tab and click on Uninstall Device. Then click on Uninstall to confirm this operation.

Step 4. Once uninstalled, reboot your computer and wait for Windows to reinstall the default controller driver back.

Step 5. Now, reconnect the drive and check if the “USB drive powers off after a few seconds” error persists. If it still occurs, you can revert to the Properties window like Step 3 and click on Update Driver, and then follow the on-screen prompts to update your USB driver.

Method 3. Turn off the Power Saving Option

There is a power option in Device Manager that allows your computer to turn off the device to save power. If you constantly encounter the “USB powers off after a few seconds” issue, you can try disabling the power-saving option.

Step 1. Follow Steps 1 to 3 in # 2 to open the Properties window of the affected USB driver.

Step 2. Navigate to the Power Management tab and then uncheck the option Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power. At last, click OK to confirm the change.

Now, you can re-plug the USB drive and see if the problem disappears.

Method 4. Disable USB Selective Suspend

You can disable the USB Selective Suspend to save power. Here is the guide:

1. Type Control Panel in the Search bar to open it.
2. In Control Panel, go to Power Options > Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings.
3. In the Power Options window, expand USB settings, and set the USB selective suspend setting to Disabled.
4. Click Apply > OK.

Method 5. Run Hardware and Device Troubleshooter

The Hardware and Devices troubleshooter is a Windows built-in tool that can help troubleshoot the issues related to hardware devices including USB drives. To fix the “USB device powers off after a few seconds” problem, you can try running the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter.

Step 1. Press the Win + I keys to open the Settings app.

Step 2. Click on Updates & Security > Troubleshoot one by one.

Step 3. Double-click the Hardware and Devices on the right pane and click on Run the troubleshooter.

Step 4. Then this troubleshooter will automatically detect issues with the hardware. If any problems are detected, click on Apply this fix and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the troubleshooting.

Step 5. Once done, restart your computer and check if the “USB power off after a few seconds” problem gets resolved.

Method 6. Check for the USB Ports

A faulty USB port may cause your USB drive to disconnect after a few seconds. Try connecting the USB device to another port or a different computer to check whether the issue is caused by the port.

If you are using a desktop PC, try a rear USB port, as it is usually connected directly to the motherboard and may provide a more stable connection.

Method 7. Reset the USB Ports

In addition, you can try resetting the USB ports and check if the “USB devices stop working after a few seconds” problem gets fixed. This method has been proven by some people to be useful. It’s worth having a try. To know more details, you can read this post “How to Reset the USB Ports on Windows 10”.

Method 8. Try Using a USB Hub

If the “USB drive powers off after a few seconds” error happens on a specific device, it may indicate that this device needs more voltage than the USB ports being used. In this case, you can try using a USB hub which comes with more power sources and has high-speed charging ports to supply the power to your device.

To do so, you just need to connect the USB hub to a USB port of your computer and connect your USB drive to the hub.

Method 9. Perform a Clean Boot

Sometimes the “USB devices recognized only for a couple of seconds” problem can be caused by third-party software interference. If the problem just occurs after you installed a suspicious program, you can uninstall it and check if the issue gets fixed.

Well, if you are not sure which software is conflicting with the USB device, you can perform a clean boot and uninstall the problematic software.

Method 10. Check the USB Drive Itself

If none of the above methods work, it may indicate that the “USB devices stop working after a few seconds” problem is related to the USB drive itself. So, we recommend you check if there are bad sectors on the USB device.

Although CHKDSK can be used to check the hard drive, this tool often runs into various issues like CHKDSK write protected, CHKDSK getting stuck, etc. In this case, MiniTool Partition Wizard can help you check USB drives for errors quickly.

MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1. Launch the MiniTool software to get its main interface, and then select the USB drive from the disk map and click on Surface Test from the left pane.

Step 2. Click on the Start now button in the pop-up window. After that, this tool will scan the drive immediately and show you the test result.

Step 3. If any blocks are marked with red color like in the following picture, it indicates that the USB device gets damaged. In this case, you can try using the bad sector repair guide or consider replacing the drive with a new one.

Bonus Tip: Recover Lost Data from the Corrupted USB Device

Many users worry that they will lose data on the USB drive due to the problem. Don’t worry. MiniTool Partition Wizard can help you recover data from the USB drive as long as the drive is not physically damaged or overwritten.

If you need to recover data from a USB drive, you follow the detailed steps below.

MiniTool Partition Wizard DemoClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1. Make sure you connect the USB drive to your system properly.

Step 2. Launch the MiniTool software to enter its main interface, right-click the USB drive and click on Data Recovery. Then this tool will automatically scan the USB drive.

Step 3. When the scan is complete, make sure you check all items that you want to recover and click on Save.

Step 4. In the pop-up window, select a location to save the selected files and click on OK.

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What’s Your Opinion

How to fix the “USB powers off after a few seconds” issue? This post offers 10 methods for it. And you can recover lost data from the USB drive using MiniTool Partition Wizard.

If you have any questions about the MiniTool software, you can send us an email via [email protected] and we will help you as soon as possible.