Scan For Hardware Changes Command Line

When you plug in a new device, Windows automatically detects and readies it so you can use it. However, if Windows doesnât automatically detect when you connect a new device, you can force Windows to scan for hardware changes. Whether itâs a new printer, scanner, or any other device, knowing how to scan for hardware changes can save you time and frustration in getting your hardware up and running.

There are two ways to initiate the scan for hardware changes on Windows; you can either use the Device Manager or execute a single-line command in the Command Prompt window. In this article, we will show both methods to scan for hardware changes in your computer. Both of these methods can come in handy when youâve connected new hardware to your computer, and itâs not detected automatically.

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How to scan for hardware changes in Device Manager

All hardware devices can be managed from the Device Manager. As such, if Windows does not detect a newly connected device or changes to a device, you can use the Device Manager to scan and refresh hardware devices. Hereâs how.

Right-click on the Start icon on the taskbar.

Click on the Device Manager option.

Right-click on your computer name at the top of the list and select the Scan for Hardware Changes option. Alternatively, you can also click the last icon at the top (Iâve highlighted it in the image).

Windows immediately scans and lists all the hardware changes.

You can close the Device Manager.

Image source: [2]

Command to scan for hardware changes

Windows has a dedicated command to quickly scan for any and all hardware changes. You can execute this command in PowerShell or Command Prompt. Hereâs how.

Right-click on the Start icon to open the power user menu. You can also press the Windows key + I keyboard shortcut.

From the list of options, click on the Terminal (Admin) option. This action will open Terminal in Windows with admin rights.

The terminal window, by default, opens with the PowerShell tab. If you want, you can open the Command Prompt tab by clicking on the down arrow icon on the title bar and selecting Command Prompt. As I said earlier, the command works in both PowerShell and Command Prompt. So, it doesnât matter what you use.

In the terminal window, run the pnputil /scan-devices command.

As soon as you run the command, the system will scan for device hardware changes and lists them. You will see the success message âMicrosoft PnP Utilityâ.

You can close the terminal window.

Image source: [2]

Conclusion

Scanning for hardware changes is a useful feature that can help you troubleshoot and fix any issues with your devices. You can use either the Device Manager or the command line method to scan for hardware changes in Windows. Both methods are easy and effective. We hope this article helped you learn how to scan for hardware changes using command line or Device Manager.

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