USB drives come with their own set of security risks, as anyone can easily copy data from your computer by simply plugging in the USB drive. As a result, we must know which USB devices were connected to our PC while away, as this information may save you from a potential security breach. This post will share five significant ways to check if USB drives were plugged into Windows.
How To Check If USB Drives Were Plugged Into Windows
Here we have discussed some working methods to find plugged USB drive history in Windows. Please make sure you read and follow the steps carefully:
- Find USB Attachment History Using Registry Editor
- Using USBDriveLog
- Using USBDeview
- IntelliAdmin USB History View
All this is possible because Windows always keeps a history of connected USB drives so that it doesn’t have to install the USB driver every time you insert a device. However, this information is not directly available to the users. That is where the tools come in handy.
1] Find USB Attachment History Using Registry Editor
Using the Registry Editor to find USB attachment history is among the most common ways. Here’s how you can perform this action:
- Open the Run utility by pressing Windows + R keys type regedit, and press the Enter key.
- In the Registry Editor, navigate to the following path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Enum/USB
Here, you’ll find a registry key by the name USB.
- Click on the USB key by doing that. It’ll open a list of all the USB devices that have ever been connected to your computer.
- You might see that many USB devices were once connected to this PC, but you might not tell what type of devices they are.
- To see the device’s name, click on any device present in the list and press the Sibley on the right side. There, you can find an entry with the name friendlyname. From there, you can see what type of USB device this is.
2] Using USBDriveLog
USBDriveLog, as the name implies, is a handy tool for both Windows 10 and Windows 11 that displays a log of all USB drives that have ever been plugged into your PC. It displays the device log and additional information such as Device Model, Revision, Manufacturer, Plug Time, Serial Number, Unplug Time, Device Capacity, Device ID, and much more.
So instead of using built-in methods like Registry Editor and PowerShell, you can use USBDriveLog software as it gives you much more information that can undoubtedly help you. Using this software, not only can you retrieve information from your local computer but a remote computer on your network and external hard drive.
However, there are specific system requirements as it only works on Windows 10 and Windows 11. It does not support any prior versions of Windows as they lack the needed event log channels. It supports both 32-bit and 64-bit systems.
Also, USBDriveLog doesn’t require any installation process or any additional DLL files. You can start it by running the executable file by USBDriveLog.exe. Once you run the USBDriveLog, its main window will display the USB drive log of your current running system.
3] Using USBDeview
USBDeview is yet another highly portable tool that provides users with a wealth of information about USB devices that have previously been connected to their PC. What distinguishes it from other methods is that it is constantly being improved with new functions and features.
It provides a plethora of information for each USB device, such as device name, device type, serial number (for mass storage devices), date/time when the device was connected, Vendor ID, Product ID, etc. Having all this helpful information can help you easily track down all the USB devices connected to your PC unknowingly.
It also helps you uninstall USB devices that you’ve previously connected and disconnect USB devices currently connected to your PC. Just like USBDriveLog, USBDeview can be used on a remote computer until you’re logged into that computer with admin powers.
However, unlike USBDriveLog, this utility works on Windows 2000, XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7/8/10/11. Hence, it offers greater compatibility options than its counterparts. It also doesn’t require any installation process.
4] IntelliAdmin USB History Viewer
IntelliAdmin USB History Viewer is an ultra-portable Windows application developed to serve the purpose of helping users to view the history of all USB flash drives that have been connected to their computer. Also, with the help of proper authentication, it can support computers on a local network, just like our previous two entries on our list.
When you first open the USB History Viewer, it will name your computer LOCALHOST by default. But to make it work, you must change it and add your computer’s name. Once you’re done changing the computer name, click on the Start button, and it will display the history of plugged USB drives in a short period.
Knowing your device’s activity is essential for keeping your PC safe. In this article, we’ve discussed five methods by which you can keep a keen eye on the USB devices that have been connected to your computer, whether knowingly or unknowingly. In this scenario, you can go with the third-party applications as they provide much more information than using Registry Editor or PowerShell. We hope this article was helpful to you.
Download IntelliAdmin USB History Viewer
Is It Safe to use USB Drives Without Anti-virus Software on My Computer?
Windows computers come with Windows Defender, and if you don’t deal with a lot of unknown USB devices on your computer, you can use Windows Defender to check the USB drive for any threats before transferring files to and from it.
Can I Eject USBs From My Computer Without Unmounting Them From My Computer?
Ejecting USB drives without unmounting them from your computer can cause various issues with the device, and in worst cases, you may end up with a failed device. Unmounting/ejecting the USB drive from your computer’s interface ensures that all the processes running with the USB drive are ideally stopped, and it is safe to plug it out.
