Primarily, a USB Type C or USB-C connection is used for either connecting mobile phones, docking stations, or charging your Windows 10 PC, but some unforeseen conditions like incompatibility in hardware-software combination can upset the connection. In such cases, notifications displayed on your Windows PC screen can help you pinpoint the problem and try few tips to fix things quickly.
USB-C not working on Windows 10
Before you begin, make sure that you have installed all the latest Windows Updates on your device. If you receive messages like This USB port doesn’t support DisplayPort or Thunderbolt or MHL or The USB device might have limited functionality when connected to this port, use a different USB Port to connect. If this does not help, proceed.
1] Check for Unknown devices
If the USB device that your Windows 10 PC (or Phone) is connected to, reports an issue, or there’s a problem with the device driver, open Device Manager and find the unknown device causing the problem by checking for a yellow exclamation marked against the symbol of the device. After that, simply select the device, choose its click Properties and check the status displayed under Device status.
If it displays an error code, check the Device Manager Error code and use it to troubleshoot the issue.
2] Check Charging
Another likely reason for USB-C not working on Windows 10 could be insufficient PC charging. This may occur when,
- 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 doesn’t meet the power requirements of the charger, PC.
To fix this, always use the charger and cable included with your PC and make sure you’re connecting your charger to the USB-C charging port on your PC. Also, try using a can of compressed air to clean the USB-C port on your PC.
3] Is it supported?
The USB or Thunderbolt device functionality may be limited. It is highly likely that the connected device or dongle has new features for USB-C that your PC (or phone) might not support or the connected device or dongle isn’t connected to the correct USB-C port on your PC/ additional Alternate Mode devices or dongles are connected to your PC (or phone).
For an Alternate Mode to work correctly, the hardware and the software on the PC and the connected device or dongle must support the Alternate Mode. Certain Alternate Modes might also require a specific USB-C cable. So, make sure the device or dongle is connected to the USB-C port on your PC that supports the correct Alternate Mode. For example, if you’re connecting a Thunderbolt Alternate Mode device, make sure it’s connected to the USB-C port on your PC that supports Thunderbolt.
Also, make sure your PC and cable support the same USB-C features as the connected device.
4] Check DisplayPort Alternate Mode
The DisplayPort/MHL connection may fail to work. As you are aware, the DisplayPort Alternate Mode lets your project video, other visual content and play audio on an external display that supports DisplayPort. There are other modes are Alternate Modes as well. These include,
- MHL – The MHL Alternate Mode lets you project video and play audio on an external display that supports MHL.
- HDMI – The HDMI Alternate Mode lets you project video and play audio on an external display that supports HDMI.
To fix problems caused by this issue, make sure your PC, the external display, and the cable support DisplayPort or MHL alternate modes and the device or dongle is connected directly to your PC.
5] Run the Hardware and Device Troubleshooter
Run the Hardware and Device Troubleshooter or the Windows USB Troubleshooter and check if it helps. These Troubleshooters check the hardware or USB connection to the computer for any known issues and fix them automatically.
Related read: USB Device is not recognized.
Hope something helps.