If your PC is used by many different people, such as a shared computer in your workplace, there may be a security risk if people can always plug USB devices into it easily. Whether the owner of the USB drive knows it or not, your device may contain unsafe files, and the more people who can use your USB port at will, the lower your security.
Disabling the USB drive on your computer helps to keep your files safe, and the process is easier than you think. You can choose multiple methods, so if one method doesn’t work for you, you can always try another method.
How to Disable/Enable a USB Drive Using the Registry
If you want to try disabling the USB drive through the registry, type “run” in the search box (though you can check out our guide on how to back up the registry first). When it appears, type regedit and the registry editor should appear. Navigate to the following directory in the registry editor:
ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesUSBSTOR
In the pane on the right, double-click “Start” to open the “Edit DWORD (32-bit)” box.
The value data, by default, will be set to “3.” To disable USB storage, change the “Value data” to “4” and click OK.
To (re)enable the USB storage, change the value data back to “3,” and the USB storage will be enabled again.
Use the Device Manager to Disable USB Ports
Disabling the USB port through the device manager is also very simple. Right-click the Start menu, and then click Device Manager. When the window appears, click Universal Serial Bus Controller. (This is the last option in the list). You can also select the uninstall option of the USB flash drive. When someone inserts the USB flash drive, Windows will not be able to find the driver.
Disable USB Storage by Using the Group Policy Editor
To disable the USB storage by using the Group Policy Editor, open “Run.” Once it’s open, type gpedit.msc. On the left pane click on “Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System -> Removable Storage Access.”
When you click on “Removable Storage Access,” new options will appear in the right pane. Look for and click on the options that say “Removable Disks: Deny execute access,” “Removable Disks: Deny read access,” and “Removable Disks: Deny write access.”
Click on each of them to configure them. After clicking one, a window should appear with the name of the option. On the left, there will be three options: not configured, enabled, and disabled.
Click “Enabled” to disable. If you change your mind and want to enable them again, select the “Not configured” or “Disabled” option.
Now that your operating system is safe from unwanted USB devices, what’s next?
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