How to Solve Power Surge on USB Port?

The error message “Power Surge on Hub Port” or “USB Device has exceeded the power limits of its hub port” is usually displayed when a user tries to plug a device with the USB port of their computer. This problem is quite frequent when someone upgrades their device’s Operating System to the latest Windows 10. Even though this error is not a major issue in itself but it can become a frustrating problem. So, let’s face the fact, why the power surge on the USB port occurs?

Is this error an Operating System-related problem or occurs due to a fault within the device? If you want to know all these answers, then you are in the right place. Because in this article we are going to give a brief explanation of why users face the power surge on USB port Windows 10 problem and how they can fix it. So, follow the rest of the article carefully to get the answer you are searching for.

Causes of a Power Surge on the USB Port Windows 10

In normal circumstances, a USB device is permitted to draw a maximum of 450 to 500 milliamps current from a computer system. For some reason, if a device draws more power than the actual limit, an error message will be displayed and the connection will get terminated.

But, the problem is that USB devices are usually manufactured in such a way that the power is within the maximum limit. So, it is kind of unusual that the USB device will draw more power than the actual limit unless it’s broken or defective. Then, what else can trigger the notification? Well, there are few hacks available to find that out.

If the USB device was working perfectly with other systems, then it is a clear indication that the issue lies within your computer. You can also try to plug the USB device into the other port of the same computer to find the root problem of the issue. Once you are convinced that there is no issue with the USB device, then you can try the troubleshooting steps one by one to resolve the power surge on USB port issue.

Methods to Fix Power Surge on USB port Windows 10

Fixing the Power Surge on USB port is a lot easier than finding the root cause. By changing some settings or running a built-in repair tool, you can easily fix the issue within a few minutes. So, without wasting any more time let’s check them out.

Method #1: Running Hardware Troubleshooter

If this is the first time you are facing the Power Surge on USB port issue in your device, then the first thing you should do is run the Hardware Troubleshooter. It is a built-in tool which comes with all the Windows desktops and laptops. This tool helps users to detect problems within their existing hardware and tries to provide multiple possible solutions for it. To use this method follow the below steps:

Steps to use the Troubleshooter:

Here are the steps that can help you to run the in-built Hardware Troubleshooter:

  • At first, turn On your device and then press Windows key + R key to open the Run dialogue box.
  • Once the Run dialogue box opens, type ‘control’ in the empty field, and then hit the Enter button to open the Control Panel.
  • When the Control Panel opens, look at the top-right side of the current window and click on the View By option.
  • Under View By option, click in the Large Icons, and then scroll down a little bit to select the option called Troubleshooting from the list of the available options.
  • Now, from the left pane of the window select the View All option to list all the troubleshooting packs available on your computer, and then click on the “Hardware and Devices”.
  • A new window will pop up on your screen. When it does, select the Next button from the bottom of the window
  • Now, the system will automatically start searching for hardware problems in your device and display a notification if it finds an issue. This following process can take some time to check all the hardware components, so be patient and don’t try to do anything until the process completes.
  • After finding all the errors your Windows device will also provide a possible fix for it. Now, simply follow the on-screen instruction in order to start the troubleshooting.

Once all the above things are completed successfully, restart your device and check if the power surge on USB port issue is solved or not.

Method #2: Run SFC and DISM Scans

System’s corrupted files are also a potential reason for power surge on USB port issue. Windows devices come along with a number of built-in utilities to fix this kind of corrupted files issue. If running Hardware Troubleshoot does not help you to fix the problem, then running SFC and DISM can do the work for you.

To run the SFC scan, you have to turn On the device and press Windows Key + X Key to open the quick access menu. Now, choose Command Prompt (Admin) option to open the Command Prompt box with administrative privileges. Once the Command Prompt box opens, type “sfc/scannow” and press Enter. After that, wait for 25-30 minutes to let your device successfully conduct the scanning process and fix any corrupted file of the device automatically.

If you are unable to run the SFC scan or in case, the issue is still present in the device, then running the DISM scan can be a good alternative choice for you. To run the DISM scan, you have to open the Command Prompt box in the same way as before. But this time, you have to type and run “DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth” to start the scan. DCIM scan also takes near about 30 minutes time, so don’t interfere or perform another task during the process.

Method #3: Reinstall USB Drivers

If the Windows device didn’t update its system component for a long time, then there is a high chance that you are facing the issue. So, simply uninstalling the current driver and replacing it with a fresh one will be the best choice for you. Reinstalling the driver will refresh the interface through which the hardware and software communicate with the Operating System. So, if you don’t know how to do that, then follow the below steps carefully.

  • At first, unplug the USB device from your computer, and then press Windows key + X key together to open the quick-access menu.
  • Now, from the quick access menu click on the Device Manager to open it.
  • Next, look for the Find option called Universal Serial Bus Controllers and then expand it.
  • After that, right-click on all the USB controllers one by one to choose the Uninstall device option.
  • When the above step is complete, reboot your Windows 10. During this process, your Microsoft device will automatically reinstall the USB controller software for you.

Once your Windows device turns On, connect your USB with it and check if the error is still occurring or not.

Method #4: Disable the Security Software

The function of Antivirus software is to protect the device from harmful applications or network content. But sometimes, when you try to connect a USB device with the computer for the first time, your anti-virus software is unable to recognize the device and blocks it in order to secure your computer. To prevent this kind of issue on the computer, you have to disable this security program temporarily in order to connect the USB device.

Method #5: Change the Power Plan Setting

If you are unable to find any problem with the device, then there is a chance that the problem lies within the Power Supply setting. If that’s the real reason for the problem in your device, then you have to follow the below steps to change the power plan temporarily and solve the issue.

To change the power plan of your Windows device, follow the below steps carefully.

  • At first, turn On your device and then press Windows key + R key to launch the Run dialogue box.
  • Now, in the empty field of the Run box type “powercfg.cpl” and hit the Enter button to open the Power Options window.
  • Next, from the Power Options window, click on the “Show additional plans” button from the right side of the Window.
  • After that shift the Radio button to select the box labeled as High-performance Power plan, and then check if the USB port is working or not.

Wrapping up…

We hope our article was able to guide you to fix the power surge on USB port issue. We try our best to make the whole article simple and at the same time provide enough information for a better outcome.

If you are still facing the error notification, then it can be possible that your device is facing a major hardware issue. In that case, we will highly recommend contacting an expert for better guidance.

Nathaniel Villa
Nathaniel Villa