Disabling the USB Selective Suspend feature, which is enabled by default in Windows 10 & 11, can solve several problems with USB connectivity. In this article, I will tell you what the USB Selective Suspend feature is, why you might need to disable it, and how to do so when necessary. Let’s get started.
What is the USB Selective Suspend?
USB Selective Suspend is a Windows power management feature that allows the system to suspend individual ports (low-power state) when they are not in use without affecting other ports or the USB hub itself.
For example, imagine you connected a lot of USB devices, such as a keyboard, mouse, and external hard disk, to your laptop. When Windows detects your external hard disk is idle for some time, it might suspend its port to reduce power consumption. When you access the device again, the system sends a wake-up signal, and the device returns to full power.
Source: Microsoft Documentation
Why Disable USB Selective Suspend?
While this feature is helpful to reduce power consumption and improve laptop battery life, it is not supported by all USB devices. It is known to cause problems such as connectivity issues, suspending ports in the middle of usage, not waking devices from the suspended state, and not recognizing USB drives.
If you face any of the above issues, you should consider disabling the USB Selective Suspend feature. Turning it off might increase laptops’ overall power consumption, but depending on the USB device, the impact is pretty minor.
Steps to Disable USB Selective Suspend
To disable or turn off the USB Selective Suspend feature, you edit your current power plan via the Control Panel. It is a simple process. Follow the steps below:
Simple Steps:
- Open Control Panel.
- Select Power Options.
- Click the Change Plan Settings link next to your active power plan.
- Click on Change advanced power settings.
- Expand the USB Settings section.
- Expand the USB selective suspending settings section.
- Select the Disabled from the dropdown menu.
- Click OK.
- Restart your computer.
Detailed Steps:
Step 1: First, open the Control Panel. You can search for it in the Start menu or use the “control” Run command.
Step 2: After opening the Control Panel window, select “Large icons” from the “View by” dropdown menu. Next, find and click on the “Power Options” setting in the Control Panel window.
Step 3: The above action will open the Windows Power Plan settings page. Here, click the “Change plan settings” link next to the active plan. You can recognize the active plan by looking at the checked radio options.
Step 4: The option we are looking for is considered an advanced setting. So, we have to open the Advanced Power Plan settings. Click on the “Change Advanced Power Settings” link appearing at the bottom.
Step 5: Now, find and expand the “USB Settings” menu, expand the “USB selective suspending settings” menu, and select the “Disabled” option from the dropdown menu(s).
Step 6: Click the “Apply” and “Ok” buttons to save the changes you just made.
Step 7: Finally, close all the windows and reboot the computer.
That is it. With that, you have successfully disabled the USB selective suspend setting.
Note: If you cannot see the “USB Selective Suspend Setting” option under advanced settings, your device doesn’t support it.
Steps to Enable the USB Selective Suspend Setting
To turn on or enable USB Selective Suspending, follow the below steps.
- Open the Control Panel.
- Open Power Options.
- Click on the Change Plan Settings link.
- Click on the Change Advanced Power Settings link at the bottom.
- Expand the USB Settings > USB Selective Suspend setting menu.
- Choose Enabled from the dropdown menu.
- Click the OK buttons.
- Close all windows and restart the computer.
After rebooting, the USB selective suspending setting is fully turned on.
Wrapping Up — Stopping Windows from Suspending USB Ports
If you are facing problems with USB connectivity, disabling the USB Selective Suspend feature might help solve the issues. Modify the power options as shown, then restart your computer to apply changes. If you find that this feature is not responsible for your USB issues or need that little extra power-saving feature, you can always re-enable the USB Selective Suspend feature.
If you have any questions or need help, comment below, and I will help.