How to Enable or Disable USB Selective Suspend Windows 11
This guide shows you how to turn USB selective suspend on or off for any power plan in Windows 10 and 11.
Enable or disable USB Selective Suspend in Windows 11 through Power Options. Navigate to Control Panel > Power Options, select your power plan, click “Change plan settings,” then “Change advanced power settings.” Expand “USB settings” and toggle “USB selective suspend setting” for battery and plugged-in modes.
What Is USB Selective Suspend?
USB selective suspend is a Windows feature that lets your computer turn off USB devices when they aren’t being used, saving power while keeping your PC running smoothly.
Why should you care? Here are the main benefits:
- Selective suspend saves battery power.
- It reduces heat and fan noise from your computer.
The USB selective suspend feature lets the hub driver pause power to a single USB port. Other ports keep working as usual, which is a big plus for laptops. Devices like fingerprint readers don’t always need power. When they’re sleeping, your computer uses less energy. Plus, a device that isn’t suspended can stop your USB controller from sleeping, preventing your processor from entering deeper sleep modes.
USB Selective Suspend – Windows drivers – This article discusses how to choose the right way to implement the selective suspend feature.
Demystifying USB Selective Suspend | Microsoft Community Hub – First published on MSDN on May 10, 2011. Hi, I am Vivek Gupta, a software developer on the USB team.
Selective Suspend in USB Drivers (WDF) – Windows drivers – A USB function driver supports runtime idle detection by implementing USB selective suspend.
USB devices may stop functioning correctly when multiple devices connected to the same USB hub go into selective suspend – Microsoft Support – This article provides methods for working around slow or unresponsive USB devices attached to the same hub.
Option 1Use Power Options Settings
You can easily turn USB selective suspend on or off in Windows 11 using the Power Options in Control Panel, which lets you adjust settings for both battery and when your computer is plugged in.
- Open the Control Panel in icons view. Click on the Power Options icon.
- Find your power plan (like “Balanced”). Click Change plan settings next to it.
- Click Change advanced power settings.
- Find USB settings. Expand it to see USB selective suspend setting.
- Choose Enabled (the default) or Disabled for both On battery and Plugged in. Then click OK.
Note: You will only see separate On battery and Plugged in settings if your device has a battery or is connected to a UPS.




Option 2Use Command Line
If you prefer using commands, you can turn USB selective suspend on or off in Windows 11 by opening Windows Terminal and typing specific commands for your current power plan.
- Open Windows Terminal. Choose either Windows PowerShell or Command Prompt.
- Copy and paste one of the commands below into Windows Terminal. Press Enter.
On Battery
On battery: Enabled (Default)powercfg /SETDCVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT 2a737441-1930-4402-8d77-b2bebba308a3 48e6b7a6-50f5-4782-a5d4-53bb8f07e226 1
OR
On battery: Disabledpowercfg /SETDCVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT 2a737441-1930-4402-8d77-b2bebba308a3 48e6b7a6-50f5-4782-a5d4-53bb8f07e226 0
Plugged InUse this option for a desktop computer. Desktop computers usually do not have separate On battery and Plugged in options unless connected to a UPS.
Plugged in: Enabled (Default)
ORpowercfg /SETACVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT 2a737441-1930-4402-8d77-b2bebba308a3 48e6b7a6-50f5-4782-a5d4-53bb8f07e226 1
Plugged in: Disabledpowercfg /SETACVALUEINDEX SCHEME_CURRENT 2a737441-1930-4402-8d77-b2bebba308a3 48e6b7a6-50f5-4782-a5d4-53bb8f07e226 0
That’s it!
Summary
USB selective suspend helps your computer save power by turning off idle USB devices, and you can easily control this feature using either Power Options or command-line tools in Windows 11.
What is USB selective suspend setting 🪟 Windows 11?
The USB selective suspend setting in Windows 11 is a power-saving feature that lets your computer automatically turn off individual USB devices when they’re not being used, reducing energy use.
Is USB selective suspend good or bad?
USB selective suspend is usually good for laptops because it saves battery life and reduces heat, but it can sometimes cause problems with devices like external hard drives if they lose connection.
How to turn on USB selective suspend?
To enable this feature, open the Control Panel, navigate to Power Options, and select 'Change plan settings' for your active plan. Click 'Change advanced power settings,' expand the 'USB settings' section, and set the 'USB selective suspend setting' to 'Enabled.' Finally, click 'Apply' and 'OK' to save your changes.
What is the function of USB selective suspend?
The main job of USB selective suspend is to save energy by letting Windows turn off power to just one USB port at a time, instead of the whole system, when a device isn’t busy.
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Richard
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Richard, a writer for Geek Rewind, is a tech enthusiast who loves breaking down complex IT topics into simple, easy-to-understand ideas. With years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, he’s developed a knack for offering practical tips and solutions. Richard aims to make technology more accessible and actionable. He's deeply committed to the Geek Rewind community, always ready to answer questions and engage in discussions.
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