Controller Not Working on PC: Why & How to Get It Recognized

Expert solutions to get your gamepad working in minutes

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Is your controller not working on PC? This is a common problem reported by our readers, especially those who connect via USB. It’s usually happening because of faulty vJoy drivers.

Bluetooth issues can also lead to PC not detecting the control. It can also happen on specific launchers like Steam. If any of these sound familiar, follow the step-by-step instructions below.

How do I get my controller to work on my PC?

1. Uninstall Vjoy

1. Right-click the Start icon, then select Device Manager.

device manager windows 10

2. Click on the Human Interface Devices section.

3. Right-click on Vjoy.

4. Select Uninstall device. The USB Controller not recognized in Windows 10 issue will be solved.

5. Check whether the issue persists.

vJoy is a device driver that can be used to bridge the gap between any device that is not a joystick and an application that needs a joystick to function properly.

However, sometimes it can cause more issues, such as the PC not detecting the Xbox controller. Therefore, uninstalling vJoy should fix the issue.

2. Disable the HID-compliant game controller

  1. Right-click the Start icon, then select the Device Manager option.
    device manager windows 10
  2. Expand the Human Interface Devices section, right-click the HID-compliant game controller driver and select Disable device.human interface devices

Disabling the device can also help you fix other controller issues, like Controller acting as a mouse.

3. Update HID-compliant game controller

  1. To fix the PC not detecting controller issue, right-click the Start icon then select Device Manager.device manager windows 10
  2. Expand the Human Interface Devices section, right-click the HID-compliant game controller driver and click Update driver.human interface devices
  3. Select Search automatically for drivers in the Update drivers window then reboot your PC once the process is completed.Search automatically for drivers

If you want to automate this process and never worry about outdated drivers in the future, you can use a third party tool like IObit Driver Booster.

It will install new drivers to your PC whenever they become available, without needing any effort on your part.

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4. Update the Bluetooth driver

  1. Right-click the Start icon then select Device Manager.device manager windows 10
  2. Expand the Bluetooth section, right-click the Bluetooth driver, and select Update driver.update-driver-bluetooth pc not detecting controller
  3. Select Search automatically for drivers then reboot your PC once the process is done.Search automatically for drivers

Although the gamepad has nothing to do with the Bluetooth driver, some users reported this solution as effective. So make sure to try it as well to fix the PS4 controller not detected by PC error.

5. Access the game’s properties

  1. Open Steam, then right-click the game you are having issues with.game-prop pc not detecting controller
  2. Go to the Controller section and select Enable Steam Input. Go back to your game and see if the PC not detecting controller input error si gone.controller-steam pc not detecting controller

How to use a USB controller on Windows 10?

Installing and using a controller on a PC is easy:

  1. Insert the USB controller into a port.
  2. Install the controller’s drivers. This process usually starts automatically as soon as you connect to the USB port.
  3. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box.
  4. Type joy.cpl and press Enter.
  5. Select your controller from the list and click Properties.
  6. Go to Settings and click Calibrate.

In most cases, you need to connect the controller to the PC, and you can start using it. If you encounter any issues, we wrote a guide on how to find your gamepad on Windows 10 if it’s not recognized, so be sure to check it out.

Although using a USB controller should be intuitive, many reported that the Xbox One controller is not recognized on their PC, but that issue can be easily resolved.

Here are some of the common issues that users reported:

  • USB gamepad not recognized on Windows 11, 10, 7 – Since the problem can appear on any Windows version, try any of our solutions below since they are all compatible with older versions of the OS.
  • Gamepad not detected on Windows 10 – The issue is most likely due to a driver, so update the gamepad drivers and check if that helps.
  • Xbox gamepad not recognized – Windows 10 is compatible with Xbox controllers. We’ve already covered Xbox controller issues on Windows 10 in one of our previous articles, so be sure to check it out for more information.
  • Gamepad not working in PC games – Likely, your controller isn’t properly configured or damaged. Connect it to another PC to test its functionality.
  • Gamepad not in Device Manager – If your system does not recognize the gamepad, you need to unplug any other USB devices and leave the controller only.

That’s about it for this article. However, if you need more solutions, we have a dedicated guide that addresses the gamepad that is recognized but not working in games issue. So make sure to check it out!

To get the most out of your Dualsense Edge controller while playing FPS, you need to change the settings; learn all about them in this guide.

If you have further suggestions on the PC not detecting controller issue, please share them with us in the comments section below.

More about the topics: game fix, gamepad