How to Block USB Devices in Windows 11: 5 Easy Steps 🚫💻
If you don't want to use USB devices or USB storage devices, you can block the USB ports on your computer. In Windows 11, you can do this using a graphical method or via the command line. 🚫💻
Why block USB devices?
There are many reasons to block USB devices in Windows 11. It is possible (and quite common) that it is delivered malware a través de un dispositivo USB. Además, bloquear dispositivos USB también permite prevenir transferencias de datos no deseadas (como alguien tratando de copiar archivos hacia o desde tu máquina). Un buen ejemplo de herramienta USB especializada diseñada para robar datos es el USB Rubber Ducky. 💼🔒
If you do not use devices USB con tu máquina, tiene sentido mantener los puertos deshabilitados, ya que esto impide que otros usuarios también puedan utilizar estos puertos en tu computadora. Podés desbloquear cualquier puerto USB que desees en tu computadora. 🔑
Block all USB devices using Device Manager
If you want to disable all USB ports so that no USB devices work on your system, use the tool Device Manager. Tené en cuenta que este método también desactiva cualquier mouse o teclado habilitado para USB. Solo tené presente que esto podría ser un inconveniente si no tenés configurada una manera alternativa para controlar tu PC. ⚠️
To start, I opened the Windows search (pressing Windows+S), I typed Device Manager y abrí la utilidad. Expandí la sección «Controladores de Bus Universal», hacé clic derecho en un puerto USB de la lista y elegí «Desactivar dispositivo.» Seleccioná «Sí» en el aviso. ✅
Repeat the previous step until you have disabled all the ports on the list.
From now on, when you connect a device to any USB port on your machine, your system will not connect to that device. In the future, you can re-enable your USB ports by opening Device Manager, expanding "Universal Bus Controllers," and clicking right on each port in the list and choosing “Enable Device.
Block USB storage devices from PowerShell
If you prefer command line methods, you can use a cmdlet in PowerShell para bloquear todos los dispositivos de almacenamiento USB en tu PC. Tené en cuenta que otros dispositivos como teclados y ratones seguirán funcionando. 🔒🖱️
To get started, open Windows Search (by pressing Windows+S), type PowerShell, and select “Run as administrator.” Choose “Yes” at the Control prompt. of user accounts.
In the PowerShell window, type the following cmdlet and press Enter. This cmdlet changes a value in the registry Windows to prevent USB storage devices from working with your machine.
Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\USBSTOR" -Name "Start" -Value 4
After running the cmdlet, Restart your Windows 11 PC for the changes to take effect take effect. 🔄
In the future, you can re-enable USB storage devices on your PC by running the following command in PowerShell.
Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\USBSTOR" -Name "Start" -Value 3
Don't forget to restart your computer after running the command. 🔙
Block USB storage devices using the Local Group Policy Editor
If you are using the Pro edition of Windows 11You can use the Local Group Policy Editor to block USB storage devices. Note that this tool isn't available in the Home edition of Windows 11. 🛠️
To use it, open the Run dialog box by pressing Windows+R. Type the following in the box and select “OK” or press Enter:
gpedit.msc
In the Local Group Policy Editor window, using the options on the left, navigate to the following path. In the right pane, double-click the item that says “All removable storage classes: Deny all access.”
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Removable Storage Access
In the opened window, at the top, select the “Enabled” option. Then, at the bottom, choose “Apply” and then “OK”. 🎉
Close the Local Group Policy Editor and restart your PC. 🔁
In the future, to unblock USB storage devices, double-click the “All removable storage classes: Deny all access” entry, select “Not configured,” then “Apply” followed by “OK.” Make sure to restart your computer afterwards. 🔄
Block USB storage devices using Registry Editor
You can adjust a value in the Windows registry to disable and enable USB storage devices. This method works on both Pro and Home editions of Windows 11. ⚙️🖥️
To get started, launch Run by pressing Windows+R. Type the following into the box and select “OK” or press Enter:
regedit
Select “Yes” on the User Account Control prompt.
In the Registry Editor, navigate to the following path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\USBSTOR
In the right pane, double-click on the item that says “Startup.” In the opened window, click on the “Value data” field and type 4. Then select “OK”. The value 4 tells you to Windows not recognizing any USB storage devices. 🛑
Close the Registry Editor and restart your PC for the changes to take effect. 🔄💻
To revert your change and unlock the devices USB storage in the future, navigate to the above-mentioned path in the Registry Editor, double-click the "Start" entry, type 3 In the “Value data” field, select “OK,” and restart your PC. 🔄
If you can't disable the USB ports using other methods, use the BIOS
If you don't see the option to disable USB ports in Device Manager, use the menu BIOS setup on your PC to disable those ports. To do this, open Settings, select System > Recovery, click “Restart now” next to Advanced Start, and I chose “Restart Now” from the prompt. 🔄
On the Choose an option page, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Troubleshooting settings. UEFI firmware and click “Reboot.” Cada menú de BIOS es diferente, pero encontrarás una opción etiquetada como USB o algo parecido. En mi laptop Asus, iré a la pestaña «Avanzado», elegiré «Configuración USB» y luego desactivar los puertos. ⚙️
When you want to use the ports again, you will have to enable them from the BIOS (since you disabled them from the BIOS). 🔄
And this is how you can prevent USB devices from interacting with your Windows 11 computer. If you are worried. 📸🔒
