4 Ways to Disable USB Ports on Windows

Pankil is a Civil Engineer turned freelance writer. Since his arrival at Guiding Tech in 2021, he delves into the world of how-tos, and troubleshooting guides for Android, iOS, and Windows. Besides his new-found love for mechanical keyboards, he’s a disciplined footfall fan and loves international travel with his wife.

Method 1: Disable USB Ports Using Device Manager

Device Manager is a handy utility that lets you manage all the hardware devices connected to your system. Here’s how you can use it to disable specific USB ports on your Windows 10 or 11 computer:

Step 1:Right-click on theStart iconand selectDevice Managerfrom the list.

Step 2:Double-clickUniversal Serial Bus controllersto expand it. Right-click the USB port you want to turn off and selectDisable device.

You can repeat the above steps to disable other USB ports on your PC. Later, if you want to re-enable a USB port, right-click on it and selectEnable device.

Method 2: Disable USB Ports With Registry Editor

Another way to disable USB ports on Windows is through theRegistry Editor. However, since registry files contain crucial configurations for Windows and its apps, it’s important to exercise caution while making changes.

Step 1:Click the search icon on the taskbar, type inregistry editor, and selectRun as administrator.

Step 2:Paste the following path in the address bar at the top and pressEnter.

Step 3:Double-click theStartDWORD, type4in the Value data field, and clickOK.

Restart your PC after this, and your USB ports will be disabled. If you wish to re-enable the USB ports later, repeat the steps outlined above and set the value data of the Start DWORD to 3.

Method 3: Disable USB Ports With Group Policy Editor

Those using the Professional, Education, or Enterprise editions of Windows can disable a PC’s USB ports via theLocal Group Policy Editor, too. Here are the steps for the same.

Step 1:Press theWindows + Rkeyboard shortcut to open the Run dialog box. Typegpedit.mscin the text box and pressOK.

Step 2:Use the left pane to navigate to the following folder:

Step 3:Double-click theAll Removable Storage classes: Deny all accesspolicy on your right.

Step 4:Select theEnabledoption and hitApply, followed byOK.

Step 5:Similarly, enable theRemovable Disks: Deny execute access,Removable Disks: Deny read access​​​​​​, andRemovable Disks: Deny write accesspolicies.

Once you complete the above steps, the USB ports on your computer will stop working. You can get them working again by setting the above-mentioned policies to Not Configured or Disabled.

Method 4: Disable USB Ports via the Command Prompt

You can also run a command to quickly disable USB ports on a PC. Here’s how:

Step 1:Right-click on theStart iconand selectTerminal (Admin)from the list.

Step 2:Type the following command in the console and pressEnter.

To re-enable the USB ports later, you can use the following command:

Was this helpful?

Last updated on 13 August, 2024

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Your email address will not be published.Required fields are marked*

Name*

Email*

Comment*

Δ

The article above may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. The content remains unbiased and authentic and will never affect our editorial integrity.

More in Windows

6 Ways to Fix Outlook Search Not Working on Windows 11

How to Use Flip Tool in GIMP

JOIN THE NEWSLETTER

Get Guiding Tech articles delivered to your inbox.

© 2024 Guiding Tech Media. All Rights Reserved.