There are multiple ways to see what USB devices are connected to your Windows laptop or PC, the easiest way is by using PowerShell.
1. Go to Start Menu and search for Windows PowerShell
2. Paste the following command and hit Enter
Get-PnpDevice -PresentOnly | Where-Object { $_.InstanceId -match 'USB' }
Note: The above command will not work in CMD, it simply throws an error ‘Get-PnpDevice’ is not recognized as an internal or external command.
3. It will show you the list of all available USB devices with their working status. But this includes all the embedded USB devices which are implanted by the OEMs, such as integrated webcam, integrated fingerprint sensor, built-in wireless adaptor, and others.
If you want to see the external devices only, here’s how you can do it.
How to see connected USB devices on Windows 11
1. Go to Start Menu and search for Settings
2. Select Bluetooth & devices from the left menu
3. click on View more devices
4. Now it will show you the list of external USB devices with it’s working condition.
Note: The green dot indicates that the attached device is working fine
These were the simplest ways to check connected USB devices in Windows, but if you are facing issues following these steps, alternatively you can download the USB device viewer software to see what USB devices are connected.
If the device is plugged in, but not showing in the USB devices list, you can try updating the drivers. Most of the time it happens when you attach a USB dongle.
Network cable is not properly plugged in or maybe broken
This is the most common issue with USB modems, but no worries, it’s easy to fix.
Go to Start Menu and search for Device Manager (Alternatively you can run devmgmt.msc)
Expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers with the help of the little arrow at the left and see if any Yellow Exclamation Mark is there?
Right-click on the Yellow Warning and click on Update driver.
Select Browse my computer for drivers
Choose “Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer”
Now it will show you the list of compatible drivers, click next, and you are done. The USB connection will work seamlessly.
