How to Prevent Windows from Turning Off Your USB Devices

Aseem Kishore
·
4 min read

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Floating USB Power settings dialog above a desk setup, indicating USB Power is Disabled.

Your USB keyboard, mouse, scanner, or phone keeps disconnecting and Windows is the one cutting the power. Windows intentionally shuts down USB ports to save energy, but when it can’t properly restore power after sleep or startup, your devices stop working until you reboot.

Fix #1: Disable USB Selective Suspend via Power Options

USB Selective Suspend is the Windows feature that powers down idle USB ports. Turning it off is the fastest fix and works for most people.

  1. Open the Start Menu, type Control Panel, and press Enter.
  2. Click Hardware and Sound > Power Options.
  3. Click Change plan settings next to your active power plan.
  4. Click Change advanced power settings.
Power Options advanced settings dialog open, showing the USB settings section expanded
  1. Scroll down and expand USB settings, then expand USB selective suspend setting.
  2. Set the value to Disabled. On a laptop, you’ll see two options — set both On battery and Plugged in to Disabled.
  3. Click Apply, then OK.
Advanced Power Settings dialog with USB settings expanded, USB selective suspend setting set to Disabled for both On battery and Plugged in

Idle your device for a few minutes and confirm it stays connected. If it disconnects again, move on to Fix #2.

Fix #2: Stop Windows from Powering Down USB Hubs via Device Manager

Even with Selective Suspend disabled, Windows can still cut power to individual USB hubs through Device Manager. This fix handles that.

  1. Press Win + X and select Device Manager.
  2. Expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers section.
Device Manager open with Universal Serial Bus controllers section expanded, showing USB Root Hub and Generic USB Hub entries
  1. Right-click the first USB Root Hub or Generic USB Hub in the list and select Properties.
  2. Click the Power Management tab.
  3. Uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.
  4. Click OK.
USB Root Hub Properties dialog open on the Power Management tab, with "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" checkbox unchecked
  1. Repeat steps 3–6 for every USB Root Hub and Generic USB Hub listed under Universal Serial Bus controllers.

Once you’ve unchecked the setting on all hubs, restart your PC and reconnect your USB devices.

Fix #3: Disable Fast Startup (if devices fail to reconnect after boot)

Fast Startup skips a full shutdown to speed up boot times, but it can leave USB controllers in a half-initialized state. If your devices work fine during a session but fail to appear after a fresh boot, this is likely why.

  1. Open the Start Menu, type Control Panel, and press Enter.
  2. Click Hardware and Sound > Power Options.
  3. Click Choose what the power buttons do in the left sidebar.
  4. Click Change settings that are currently unavailable.
  5. Under Shutdown settings, uncheck Turn on fast startup (recommended).
  6. Click Save changes.
System Settings (Power Options) showing Shutdown settings section with "Turn on fast startup" checkbox unchecked

Restart your PC and test your USB devices again after boot.

Fix #4: Power-drain the PC and check BIOS USB settings

If none of the above fixes work, the USB controller itself may be stuck in a bad power state — or BIOS-level USB settings are interfering.

  1. Shut down your PC completely.
  2. Unplug all USB devices except a keyboard and mouse.
  3. Disconnect the power cable (and remove the battery on a laptop).
  4. Press and hold the power button for 10 seconds to drain residual power.
  5. Reconnect power and boot into BIOS (usually F2, Del, or F10 at startup — check your motherboard or laptop manufacturer’s documentation).
  6. Find the USB Configuration or Legacy USB Support setting and confirm it’s set to Enabled.
  7. Confirm USB Controller is also Enabled.
  8. Save and exit BIOS, then let Windows boot normally.

Reconnect your USB devices one at a time and confirm each one stays powered.

When the fixes don’t work

If your USB devices still drop out after applying all four fixes, the USB port itself may be failing — especially on older hardware. Try connecting the device to a different physical port or a powered USB hub to rule out a hardware fault. If the disconnections only started after a Windows update, check the Windows release health dashboard for known USB-related issues and consider rolling back the update via Settings > Windows Update > Update history.

Conclusion

Fix #1 (disabling USB Selective Suspend) resolves random disconnections for most people, and Fix #2 closes the gap for devices that still drop out. If you’re only seeing the problem after a reboot, Fix #3 is the one to try. Persistent disconnections across all fixes, especially on a specific port, point to a failing USB port rather than a software setting.