How to Turn On or Off Notifications of USB Issues in Windows 10

USB issue notifications are system alerts displayed by Windows 10 when it detects a problem with a connected USB device. These typically appear as toast notifications in the lower-right corner of the screen, indicating limited functionality, unrecognized devices, or compatibility warnings.

While these alerts are helpful, they may be unnecessary in controlled environments, such as kiosks, embedded systems, or thin clients, where user interaction is minimal. They can also be distracting when specific USB peripherals consistently trigger harmless notifications. This guide offers a walkthrough on how to enable or disable USB issue notifications in Windows 10.

Enable or disable USB error notifications via Registry Editor

Before you begin, make sure:

• You are using Windows 10 (any edition),
• You have administrative privileges, and
• You have access to the Registry Editor.

Step 1: Open the Registry Editor

⚠️ Warning: Editing the Windows Registry can affect system stability if done incorrectly. Always double-check the key and value names before making changes. It’s strongly recommended to back up the registry or create a system restore point before proceeding.

1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type regedit and click Enter to open the Registry Editor.

3. If prompted by User Account Control (UAC), click Yes.

Step 2: Navigate to the target key

4. Navigate to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Notifications

If the Notifications key doesn’t exist, you’ll need to create it.

Here’s how:

1. 1. Right-click on the Control key.
   2. Select New > Key.

1. 3. Name it: Notifications.

Step 3: Create or modify the DisableDeviceProblemNotifications DWORD

5. Click the Notifications key.
6. Right-click on an empty area in the right pane.
7. Select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.

8. Name it: DisableDeviceProblemNotifications

9. Double-click the new DWORD value and set the Value data to:
   • 1 = Disable USB error notifications
   • 0 = Enable USB notifications (default)

Step 4: Restart the system

10. Close the Registry Editor.
11. Click the Start > Power > Restart to apply changes.

Deploy via Command Line or Script (optional)

You can also automate the change through the following methods:

Option 1: Using PowerShell

1. Press Win + S to open the search bar.
2. Type PowerShell.
3. Right-click on Windows PowerShell from the search results.
4. Select Run as administrator.
5. If prompted by UAC, click Yes.
6. Run this command.

$regPath = "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Notifications"

if (-not (Test-Path $regPath)) {

New-Item -Path $regPath

}

Set-ItemProperty -Path $regPath -Name "DisableDeviceProblemNotifications" -Value 1

7. Press Enter.

Option 2: Using Command Prompt

1. Press Win + S to open the search bar.
2. Type cmd.
3. Right-click on Command Prompt from the search results.
4. Select Run as administrator.
5. If prompted by UAC, click Yes.
6. Run this command:

reg query "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Notifications" >nul 2>&1 || reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Notifications"

reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Notifications" /v DisableDeviceProblemNotifications /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

7. Press Enter.

Undoing the changes

If you want to re-enable USB error notifications, follow the same steps but change the DWORD value to 0.

Undo command using PowerShell

Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Notifications" -Name "DisableDeviceProblemNotifications" -Value 0

Undo command using Command Prompt

reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Notifications" /v DisableDeviceProblemNotifications /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Troubleshooting common issues

Issue: Notifications still appear

If USB error notifications continue to show, it’s possible the registry change didn’t take effect. Here’s what to check:

• Ensure the DisableDeviceProblemNotifications DWORD value is set to 1.
• Confirm that the DWORD is set under the correct key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Notifications

• Restart the computer after making changes.

Issue: Registry key doesn’t exist

If the registry key doesn’t exist, you’ll need to create it manually. Refer to the above steps for full instructions on creating the Notifications key.

Issue: Devices not working after setting the change

Remember that this registry setting only affects notification behavior, and it doesn’t alter USB device functionality. If a device stops working afterward, the issue is likely unrelated. Try checking the drivers or hardware for actual issues:

1. Press Win + X > Device Manager.
2. Right-click on the device > Update driver.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Does this block all USB functionality?

No. Modifying DisableDeviceProblemNotifications only disables system notifications related to USB issues. It does not block USB ports, connections, or device functionality. Devices will continue to function as they normally would.

Will it hide all types of device errors?

No. This setting only suppresses error notifications related to USB and similar peripheral devices flagged by the system. Other hardware errors, such as network issues or storage drive failures, will still appear as usual.

Can this setting be enforced via GPO?

There is no direct Group Policy setting for disabling USB error notifications. However, you can enforce the registry change using Group Policy Preferences or a Powershell startup script deployed through Group Policy.

Via Group Policy Preferences (GPP)

1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type gpmc.msc and click Enter to open the Group Policy Management Console.
3. Navigate to: Forest > Domains > [Your Domain] > Group Policy Objects
4. Right-click Group Policy Objects, then select New.
5. Name the GPO (e.g., Disable USB Notifications) and click OK.
6. Right-click the newly created GPO and select Edit.
7. Navigate to: Computer Configuration > Preferences > Windows Settings > Registry
8. Right-click Registry, then select New > Registry Item.
9. Fill the settings as follows:
   • Action: Update
   • Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
   • Key Path: SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Notifications
   • Value Name: DisableDeviceProblemNotifications
   • Value Type: REG_DWORD
   • Value Data: 1 (to disable notifications)
   • Base: Decimal
10. Click Apply > OK.

Via PowerShell

1. Open Notepad and paste the following script:

$regPath = "HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Notifications"

# Create the key only if it doesn't already exist

if (-not (Test-Path $regPath)) {

New-Item -Path $regPath

}

# Set the registry value

Set-ItemProperty -Path $regPath -Name "DisableDeviceProblemNotifications" -Value 1

2. Save the file as DisableUSBNotifications.ps1
3. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box.
4. Type gpmc.msc and click Enter to open the Group Policy Management Console.
5. Navigate to: Computer Configuration > Policies > Windows Settings > Scripts (Startup/Shutdown)
6. Double-click Startup, then click Add.
7. Browse to your .ps1 script, then click OK.
8. Press Win + S to open the search bar.
9. Type cmd.
10. Right-click on Command Prompt from the search results.
11. Select Run as administrator.
12. If prompted by UAC, click Yes.
13. Execute: gpupdate /force
14. Press Enter, then restart the target machine to apply changes.

Managing USB issue notifications in Windows 10

Turning off USB issue notifications can help streamline user experience by reducing non-critical alerts, especially in controlled environments. You can suppress these notifications through the Registry Editor, PowerShell, or Group Policy Preferences. Importantly, this setting doesn’t affect the actual functionality or availability of USB devices. It’s an ideal configuration for labs, kiosks, thin clients, and production systems where alerts are unnecessary or distracting.