How to scan for hardware changes on Windows

Sometimes, you may need to scan for hardware changes manually when Windows does not immediately recognize (detect) connected devices. In this case, the peripheral device will not display in Device Manager. Running a scan to detect hardware changes can also resolve issues related to drivers and hardware conflicts.

Here's how you can scan for hardware changes on your Windows PC.

How to scan for hardware changes using Device Manager

Device Manager is a utility for managing peripheral devices on Windows PCs. That tool includes a Scan for hardware changes option you can select, which does quite a bit of stuff. You can select that option in Device Manager as follows:

1. First, hold the Windows key and press X to activate the black Power User menu, which has many shortcuts on it.

2. Click Device Manager to open that utility's window.

3. Select the device category in the window.

4. Next, click the Action menu .

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5. Select the Scan for hardware devices changes option .

Alternatively, right-click the device and select Scan for hardware changes on that device's context menu. You should do that for devices that display exclamation marks. The exclamation mark emphasizes that there is a problem with the device, which selecting Scan for hardware changes can fix.

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You can also select the Scan for hardware devices option to reinstall the device driver. To uninstall a device, right-click on it to select the Uninstall Device option ; Select the Attempt to remove driver for this device or Delete driver check box on the prompt that appears and click Uninstall . Then select Scan for hardware devices as stated above.

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How to scan for hardware changes from the Computer Management tool

The Computer Management tool is a utility that combines Device Manager. So, you can also select the Scan for hardware changes option of Device Manager in the Computer Management window as follows:

1. Open the Power User menu to select Computer Management on it.

2. Click System Tools to select Device Manager.

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3. Select device category.

4. Click Action > Scan for hardware changes .

How to scan for hardware changes from Command Prompt

Command Prompt has the pnputil.exe utility with which you can scan for hardware changes on your PC. PnPUtil is a driver management command-line tool for adding and removing device drivers. Here's how you can scan for hardware changes from Command Prompt using that tool:

1. Click the search bar or magnifying glass icon on the taskbar to access the file and folder search tool.

2. Enter Command Prompt to find the application with that title.

3. Right-click Command Prompt in the search results and select Run as administrator to launch Command Prompt with admin rights.

4. Enter this PnPUtil command:

pnputil.exe /scan-devices

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5. Press Enter to scan for hardware changes.

You will see the message 'Scanning for device hardware changes' after executing the command. The scan probably won't take long. Close Command Prompt when you see the 'Scan complete' message .

How to scan for hardware changes using desktop shortcut

You can also create a desktop shortcut to scan for hardware changes based on the PnPUtil command. Such a shortcut will allow you to run a device scan command directly from the desktop without needing to enter a command. These are the steps to create a desktop shortcut to scan for hardware changes.

1. Right-click on an empty area on the Windows desktop to select New > Shortcut .

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2. Type (or copy and paste) this command into the location of the Type the location of item box :

C:WindowsSystem32cmd.exe /k pnputil.exe /scan-devices

3. Select Next to continue in the Create Shortcut wizard.

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4. Enter Scan for hardware changes in the shortcut name box.

5. Click Finish to add the shortcut to the desktop.

6. Right-click the Scan for hardware changes shortcut and select Properties .

7. Click Advanced on the Shortcut tab .

8. Select Run as administrator > OK .

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9. Click Apply to set up the shortcut to run with admin rights.

Now, you can scan for hardware changes using the desktop shortcut whenever needed. Double-clicking the Scan for hardware changes shortcut will run a device scan command.

Samuel Daniel

Update 04 November 2023