PL2303 Driver for Windows 11: How to Download & Install

Whether you’re deep into a robotics project, managing your smart home, or trying to revive some legacy medical equipment, downloading and installing the Prolific PL2303 USB driver can be EASY.

No, we’re not joking.

Today, we’ll help you put the pieces together 🧩 because we’ve already figured it out.

Just bear with us.

How do I download PL2303 drivers for Windows 11?

1. Via Windows Update

NOTE

Before you proceed, connect the Prolific PL2303 adapter to the PC.

1. Press Windows + I to open Settings, go to Windows Update from the navigation pane, and click on Advanced options.
2. Click on Optional updates.
3. Expand Driver updates, tick the checkbox for Prolific PL2303 driver, and click on Download & install at the bottom.
4. Wait for the process to complete, and restart the computer for the changes to come into effect.

Windows identifies the connected devices and, in most cases, automatically downloads the relevant driver. But if that doesn’t happen, you should be able to find and download the USB to serial driver for Windows 11 under optional updates.

If you’re looking for PL2303TA driver for Windows 11, then this solution might help.

2. Manually from the website

1. Open any web browser, go to the official Prolific website, and click on the download link for PL23XX_Prolific_DriverInstaller_v408.zip.
   
2. Once the download is complete, right-click on the file, and select Extract All from the context menu. This is because the downloaded file is in ZIP format.
3. Click on Browse, choose the path for the extracted files, and click on Extract at the bottom.
4. Once the extraction process is complete, click on the setup file.
5. Click Yes on the UAC (User Account Control) prompt that pops up.
6. Now, click on Next in the installer window.
7. Once the installation is complete, click on Finish to close the installer.

After installing the Prolific PL2303 driver in Windows 11, restart the computer for the changes to come into effect. Once done, you can use the PL2303 USB to serial cable.

3. Use a dedicated tool

If the manual method sounds too tricky, you can always use a reliable third-party driver updating app that can do the job for you.

These tools perform automatic scan of your system, identify the correct drivers for your components and download them in just a few minutes.

How do I fix issues with Prolific PL2303 drivers?

Issues with the driver generally arise due to three reasons, either the driver is outdated, corrupt, or there is a bug in the current version. While there could be other reasons, they don’t have to do specifically with the driver.

Amongst the three issues listed earlier, you can manually update the driver using the steps listed in the previous section. For the other two, i.e., a corrupt driver or a bug in the current version, the methods listed below should work.

1. Reinstall the driver

1. Press Windows + S to launch the Search menu, enter Device Manager in the text field at the top, and click on the relevant search result that appears.
2. Locate and double-click on the Ports entry to expand and view the devices under it.
3. Now, right-click on the Prolific USB-to-Serial option and select Uninstall device from the context menu.
4. Click Uninstall in the box that appears.

Once done, restart the computer, and Windows will automatically install a fresh driver for the device. In case that doesn’t happen, you already know how to install Prolific PL2303 driver Windows 11 manually.

Reinstalling the driver is a simple fix employed when the installed one is corrupt. But the focus here is on identifying the corrupt driver, which too is simple. Look for the driver with a warning mark near the bottom-left corner of its icon.

2. Roll back the driver update

1. Press Windows + X or right-click on the Start icon to launch the Quick Access menu, and select Device Manager from the list of options.
2. Now, double-click on the Ports entry.
3. Next, locate and right-click on Prolific USB-to-Serial and select Properties from the context menu.
4. Navigate to the Driver tab.
5. Click on the Roll Back Driver buttton.
6. Now, choose a reason for rolling back the update, and then click on Yes at the bottom to start the process.

When you update a driver, Windows will keep the files for the previously installed version in case things go wrong and you have to revert to the previous version.

And this is what we do when we talk about rolling back a driver update, basically going back to using the previous version.

But if you see the Roll Back Driver option greyed out, it means that either the driver has not been updated or Windows didn’t store the files for it.

Why doesn’t Windows automatically install the drivers?

The driver will only be installed if it has been submitted to Microsoft and is approved by them. Device manufacturers are supposed to submit their drivers and get them approved by Microsoft to get them released along with other Windows updates.

Apart from that, several users unknowingly configure the settings such that Windows doesn’t automatically search for updates.

Wrapping up

So, if you wondering why does Windows 11 not recognize my USB device, it’s likely that the relevant driver has not been installed, and, as a result, the OS can’t identify or connect to the device.

That’s all there’s to know about installing the Prolific PL2303 driver in Windows 11, along with the two most effective troubleshooting techniques. Also, you can similarly download the Prolific USB to the serial driver in Windows 10.

To find out all about updating the installed drivers in Windows 11, check our dedicated guide that explores all the aspects and methods.

Tell us about your experience with the PL2303 USB-to-Serial cable in the comments section below.