How to Disable USB Ports on Windows 7/8/10

USB ports are common pathways for virus infections on computers today. However, if you seldom use USB ports or wish to restrict others from using USB ports on your computer, you can execute the USB port locking process.

How to Disable USB Ports on Windows Computers

Guide to Locking USB Ports on Windows

1. Locking USB Ports on Windows by Disabling Autorun

Step 1: Press the Windows + R key combination to open the Run command window, then enter Gpedit.msc into it.

Step 2: Choose Computer Configuration (1) => Administrative Templates (2) => Windows Components (3)

(If using Windows XP, select Computer Configuration => Administrative Templates => System)

Next, select

Autoplay Policies (4) -> In the Details pane, double-click on Turn off Autoplay (5).

Step 3: Click on Enabled, then in the Turn off Autoplays dialog box -> click on All drivers to disable Autorun on all drives.

2. Locking USB ports on a computer via BIOS

Refer to How to access BIOS here -> access Advanced Settings or Onboard Devices (the order may vary depending on the motherboard)

At USB Configuration -> Change Enable to Disable -> press F10 to save changes and restart the system.

3. Locking USB ports via Registry

On Windows 7 or Windows 8 computers, the steps are performed similarly:

Step 1: Press the Windows + R key combination on the keyboard to open the Run dialog. In the Run dialog, type Regedit and press Enter

Step 2: In the Registry Editor window, navigate to the path

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\USBSTOR

Next, on the right column, locate the Start entry

Step 3: Double-click on the Start entry, a dialog box appears, you enter the value 4 into Value data and click OK

Close the window, and from now on when you plug in a USB to your computer, the computer will no longer recognize your USB.

4. Lock USB ports through Device Manager

Step 1: Type device manager into the Search box on the Start Menu, then select Device manager.

Step 2: Choose Universal Serial Bus Controllers (USB).

Step 3: Select the USB port you want to disable -> USB Root -> select the Driver tab -> choose Disable.

5. Lock USB ports using software

Download the software USB Disabler Pro from here.

With the simple steps above, you can lock USB ports on your Windows 7/8 computer. Additionally, if you encounter any USB-related issues, you can refer to some tricks to Fix USB Virus Infection Unable to Open, fix RunDLL error on USB, ....