Devices Scan for Hardware Changes in Windows 11


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This tutorial will show you how to scan for hardware changes in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Sometimes you may need to manually scan the system for any device hardware changes when Windows doesn't automatically recognize a device just connected.

Scanning for hardware changes can cause the Plug and Play manager to detect new devices and to install device drivers without warning.

Scanning for hardware changes can detect some non-Plug and Play devices, particularly those that cannot notify the system when they are installed.


You must be signed in as an administrator to scan for hardware changes.



Contents





Option One

Turn On or Off Tablet-optimized Taskbar in Settings


1 Open Device Manager (devmgmt.msc).

2 Perform one of the following actions: (see screenshots below)
  • Click/tap on the Scan for hardware changes button on the toolbar.
  • Click/tap on the device name (ex: "BrinkW11") at the top, click/tap on Action on the menu bar, and click/tap on Scan for hardware changes.
Scan_for_hardware_changes_Device_Manager-1.png
Scan_for_hardware_changes_Device_Manager-2.png





Option Two

Turn On or Off Tablet-optimized Taskbar in Settings



1 Open Windows Terminal (Admin), and select either Windows PowerShell or Command Prompt.

2 Copy and paste the command below into Windows Terminal (Admin), and press Enter. (see screenshot below)

pnputil /scan-devices

3 You can now close Windows Terminal (Admin) if you like.

Scan_for_hardware_changes_command.png



That's it,
Shawn Brink
 

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