Discover USB Settings and Notifications in Windows 11

USB 40Gbps (also known as USB4) is the latest USB standard, offering faster data transfer speeds, improved power delivery, and better performance. The second revision, USB 80Gbps, (also known as USB4 V2) doubles the maximum data transfer rate to 80Gbps and supports 120Gbps in certain configurations, ensuring faster file transfers and enhanced video output. The benefits include full backwards compatibility with all USB peripherals, compatibility with Thunderbolt peripherals, and support for multiple DisplayPort streams.

USB4's tunneling technology efficiently transfers multiple data and display protocols over a single cable, making it ideal for high-performance applications. The USB4 settings page in Windows 11 provides a centralized location for users to view and manage their USB4 hubs and devices, simplifying the user experience and ensuring optimal performance. This blog post introduces the new USB4 settings page and provides an overview of the various USB settings available in Windows 11.

How can Windows help me with USB?​

Windows has features that make using USB devices easy and user-friendly. It handles things like device power management automatically and lets you know if there’s an error. You can tweak these settings in USB Settings. While most users won’t need to change anything, this blog post will help you understand why some of these settings exist. Here are the details.


The options that show under the Windows 11 USB Settings page

Connection Notifications​

We’ve designed Windows 11 to be your vigilant assistant, notifying you if there’s an issue connecting a USB device. This feature ensures you’re always in the know and can take immediate action. This lets Windows notify you when it detects a problem with a USB connection. You can learn more about the specific notifications that Windows sends, and what you can do in response to them here: Fix USB-C problems in Windows - Microsoft Support

Show a notification if this PC is charging slowly over USB​

Did you know? Using an incompatible charger can slow down your PC’s charging speed. Always use the charger that supports the required power levels for your PC the fastest charging. This setting lets Windows notify you when your PC’s hardware indicates that it is charging slowly over USB. This could be due to a number of reasons:

• The charger isn’t compatible with your PC.
• The charger isn’t powerful enough to charge your PC.
• The charger isn’t connected to a charging port on your PC.
• The charging cable isn't powerful enough for the charger or PC.
• Dust or dirt inside the USB port on your device prevented the charger from being inserted correctly.
• The charger is connected through an external hub or dock.

You can resolve it by using making sure your charger and cable also support the power levels your PC requires for the faster charging. For example, if your PC requires 12V and 3A for the fastest charging, a 5V, 3A charger won’t give you the fastest charging.

USB Battery Saver​

The USB battery saver is a feature designed to help conserve power by stopping USB devices that do not power down by themselves when the system enters standby. Most USB devices are well behaved and tend to power down or suspend when the system enters modern standby. When the feature is enabled, the USB bus will temporarily eject misbehaving devices (i.e. those that do not suspend) for the duration of the standby session. Not doing so would prevent the system from entering a low power standby state and significantly reduce battery life. Hence, this is particularly useful for extending battery life on devices that are battery-powered and support modern standby. When the USB battery saver is on, it prevents unnecessary battery usage from high-power-consuming USB devices by stopping them when the screen is off.

However, some older USB peripherals may have compatibility issues with low-power states, which is why the option to turn off the USB battery saver exists. Turning it off can have a significant impact on the system's battery life, as it may prevent the system from fully going to standby due to some USB devices still running.


Caution: Microsoft strongly recommends leaving the feature in its default-on enabled state.

USB4 Hubs and devices​

Imagine plugging in your USB4 device and instantly accessing a world of faster data transfer and improved power delivery. If your PC supports USB4, here’s what you can expect to see in your settings. C This page is intended to give users insights into their system and device/dock’s USB4 capabilities. It is also meant to support IT administrators and /or customer-support channels when troubleshooting certain problems. (Note: The page is designed to only show USB4 and Thunderbolt 3 devices/hubs attached to your system. If you do not see a device here, it indicates that you do not have a USB4 hub/device attached or that the device operating is not operating in USB4 mode.). Here’s an example of this page:



The USB hubs and devices pages provide useful information on your USB4 devices.

How do I adjust USB settings?​

You can manage USB Settings on any Windows 11 device by opening the Settings app, and navigating to Bluetooth & devices > USB.

How do I know which USB Settings are available?​

The following settings are available on all PCs:

• Connection notifications: Show a notification if there are issues connecting a USB device
• USB battery saver: Stop USB devices when my screen is off to help save battery

If your PC supports charging over a USB-C port you will see the following option:

• Show a notification if this PC is charging slowly over USB

If your PC is a mobile system that supports USB you will see the following Settings available when using USB4 devices on a PC with USB4 ports):

• USB4 hubs and devices

Conclusion​

At the end of the day, our goal is to make USB technologies in Windows seamless and intuitive. We hope this blog post has given you a glimpse into the thought and care we put into every feature, making your experience as smooth as possible. While we don’t expect most Home | Microsoft Community Hub to have to tinker with their USB Settings, we hope this blog post gave you some useful insights into the motivation behind some of the USB settings.