To change USB power settings in Windows 11, right-click Start, select Device Manager, expand Universal Serial Bus controllers, open the Properties of a USB Root Hub, and on the Power Management tab check or clear Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power. To change the setting for every port at once, open Edit power plan > Change advanced power settings > USB settings > USB selective suspend setting.
Applies to: Windows 11. Checked against Microsoft Support and Microsoft Learn on October 7, 2026.
What the USB power settings do
Windows saves energy by pausing USB ports that are not being used. The feature is called USB selective suspend. According to Microsoft, it lets Windows suspend one port on a hub without affecting the other ports, which is most useful on laptops because it saves battery power.
Windows 11 gives you three places to control this behavior:
- Device Manager controls one USB hub at a time. Use it when a single port or device is giving you trouble.
- Power Options controls USB selective suspend for the whole power plan, with separate choices for battery power and wall power on a laptop.
- Energy recommendations in Settings has a battery-saving option that stops USB devices while the screen is off. It is only offered on PCs with a battery.
Microsoft’s documentation states that selective suspend is enabled by default and that Microsoft strongly recommends not disabling it. Treat the changes below as troubleshooting for a specific problem, such as a mouse, keyboard, webcam or external drive that drops out after sitting idle, and not as a tune-up every PC needs.
Before you start
- Sign in with an administrator account. Windows may ask for an administrator password or confirmation when you open these tools.
- Rule out the simple causes first. Plug the device into a different port, swap the cable, and connect it directly to the PC instead of through a hub.
- Change one setting at a time and write down what you changed. That way you know which change helped and how to put it back.
- On a laptop, expect slightly shorter battery life if you stop Windows from suspending USB ports.
Change USB power management in Device Manager
This method changes the power setting for one USB hub. A hub is the part of your PC that a group of USB ports connects to, so the setting affects the devices plugged into those ports.
- Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager. A window opens with a list of hardware categories. If Windows asks for permission, approve it.
- Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers. You will see the USB controllers and hubs in your PC. The names vary from one computer to another.
- Right-click USB Root Hub and select Properties. The USB Root Hub Properties window opens. If more than one hub is listed, start with the first one.
- Select the Power Management tab. Not every entry has this tab. If it is missing, close the window and try the next hub in the list.
- Clear the Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power check box to keep the hub powered. Leave it checked, or check it again, to let Windows save power.
- Select OK. Repeat steps 3 to 6 for the other hubs if you are not sure which one your device is connected to.
- Restart the PC, then use the device the way that caused the problem before, for example by leaving it idle for a few minutes.
Change USB selective suspend in Power Options
This method changes the setting for the whole power plan instead of one hub. It is the quicker choice when several USB devices misbehave.
- Select Start and type edit power plan.
- Select Edit power plan in the results. A Control Panel window opens showing the settings for your current plan.
- Select Change advanced power settings. The small Power Options window opens with a list of setting groups.
- Expand USB settings, then expand USB selective suspend setting.
- Choose Disabled to stop Windows from suspending USB ports, or Enabled to allow it. On a laptop there are two lists, On battery and Plugged in, and you can set each one separately.
- Select Apply, then OK.
A sensible compromise on a laptop is to set Plugged in to Disabled and leave On battery set to Enabled. Your devices stay awake at your desk, and Windows still saves power when you are running on the battery.
Change USB selective suspend with a command
If you do not see USB settings in the Power Options window, or you prefer typing a command, Microsoft documents a powercfg command that changes the same setting for the current power plan.
- Select Start, type Command Prompt, right-click Command Prompt in the results, and select Run as administrator. Approve the prompt if Windows asks.
- To turn selective suspend off while the PC is plugged in, type this command on one line and press Enter:
powercfg /SETACVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT 2a737441-1930-4402-8d77-b2bebba308a3 48e6b7a6-50f5-4782-a5d4-53bb8f07e226 0 - To turn it back on, run the same command with 1 at the end instead of 0.
- To change the on-battery value, use /SETDCVALUEINDEX in place of /SETACVALUEINDEX. Microsoft’s powercfg reference describes the first as the value used on DC (battery) power and the second as the value used on AC power.
The two long codes identify the USB settings group and the selective suspend setting. Copy and paste the command so that you do not mistype them. To see the current values for your plan, run powercfg /query, which lists every setting in the active power plan.
Stop USB devices when the screen is off (laptops)
Windows 11 also has a battery-saving USB option in the Settings app. Microsoft says USB devices consume significant energy, and this setting reduces that by blocking access to USB devices when the screen is off.
- Select Start > Settings > System > Power & battery.
- Select Energy recommendations.
- Find Stop USB devices when my screen is off to help save battery and apply it if you want the extra battery life.
Microsoft notes that this recommendation is not available on devices without batteries, so you will not see it on a desktop PC. If a USB device stops responding every time your laptop screen turns off, this is the setting to review.
How to confirm the change worked, and how to undo it
Recreate the situation that caused the problem. If a drive disconnected after ten idle minutes, leave it idle for at least that long. If a keyboard stopped responding after the screen turned off, let the screen turn off and try again. A device that now stays connected tells you the power setting was the cause.
To undo a change, go back to the same place and reverse it:
- In Device Manager, check Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power again on each hub you changed.
- In Power Options, set USB selective suspend setting back to Enabled, which is the default.
- If you used the command, run it again ending in 1.
If the change made no difference, put the setting back. There is no benefit to leaving power saving off when it was not the cause.
Troubleshooting
There is no Power Management tab
Some entries under Universal Serial Bus controllers do not offer this tab. Check the other hubs in the list. If none of them has the tab, use the Power Options or command method instead, because those do not depend on it.
The check box changes back after a restart
Microsoft has a support article about the Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power check box not staying selected on a USB Root Hub after a restart. The workaround it gives is to control the behavior through USB selective suspend setting in Power Options, as described above.
You cannot change the settings
These tools need administrator rights. On a work or school PC, your organization may manage power settings centrally, and a change you make can be reversed by policy. Ask your IT help desk before changing a managed computer.
Windows says the USB device might need more power
The message “Your PC might not provide enough power to the USB device” is a different problem. Microsoft lists these fixes: plug the device into its own external power source if it has one, plug the PC into wall power instead of running on the battery, and disconnect other USB devices you are not using. Power-saving settings will not help a device that needs more power than the port can supply.
The device still disconnects
Power management is only one possible cause. A damaged cable, a worn port, an unpowered hub with too many devices, or a failing device behaves the same way. Test the device on another computer. Then install pending updates from Start > Settings > Windows Update, and see our guide on how to update USB drivers in Windows 11. You can also right-click the device in Device Manager and select Update driver, or select Uninstall device and restart so that Windows installs the driver again.
An external drive disappears from File Explorer
If the drive vanishes completely instead of pausing for a moment, check whether Windows can still see it. Our guide on how to access an external hard drive on Windows 11 covers the checks to make before you change anything on the drive.
Frequently asked questions
Should I turn off USB selective suspend?
Only if you have a USB device that misbehaves after being idle. Microsoft enables the feature by default and recommends leaving it on. Turning it off costs some battery life on a laptop and makes little difference on a desktop PC that has no such problem.
Does this stop USB ports from charging my phone when the PC is off?
No. The settings in this article control how Windows manages USB ports while it is running. Whether ports supply power when the computer is shut down depends on the computer’s own hardware and firmware, so check your PC or motherboard manufacturer’s documentation for that.
Do I need to change every USB Root Hub?
No. Each hub serves its own group of ports. If you know which hub your device uses, change only that one. If you do not, change them one at a time and test after each, or use the Power Options method to cover every port in one step.
Will changing these settings damage my PC or devices?
No. They only decide whether Windows may pause idle USB ports, and every change is reversible from the same screen. The trade-off is power use, not safety.
How do I see which devices can wake my PC from sleep?
Open Command Prompt as an administrator and run powercfg /devicequery wake_armed. Microsoft’s powercfg reference says this lists the devices currently configured to wake the system from any sleep state.
Why does my laptop show two values for USB selective suspend?
Laptops have separate values for On battery and Plugged in so that you can save power away from your desk and keep devices awake when you are connected to an outlet.
Microsoft references
- Power management option isn’t selected (Microsoft Learn): the USB Root Hub check box and the USB selective suspend setting.
- USB selective suspend (Microsoft Learn): what the feature does and its default.
- Powercfg command-line options (Microsoft Learn).
- Learn more about energy recommendations (Microsoft Support).
- Fix USB-C problems in Windows (Microsoft Support).
Start with the single hub your problem device uses, test it, and only move on to the plan-wide selective suspend setting if the device still drops out.
Related: How to check USB ports on Windows 11.
Matt Jacobs has been working as an IT consultant for small businesses since receiving his Master’s degree in 2003. While he still does some consulting work, his primary focus now is on creating technology support content for SupportYourTech.com.
His work can be found on many websites and focuses on topics such as Microsoft Office, Apple devices, Android devices, Photoshop, and more.