{"id":5492,"date":"2026-01-02T12:08:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T06:38:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toolswift.com\/blog\/?p=5492"},"modified":"2026-01-02T12:08:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T06:38:13","slug":"how-to-fix-error-code-22-this-device-is-disabled","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toolswift.com\/blog\/how-to-fix-error-code-22-this-device-is-disabled\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Fix Error Code 22: This Device Is Disabled"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Error Code 22 usually means one thing: <strong>Windows has disabled a hardware device<\/strong>. The good news is that this error is often easy to fix, especially if the device was disabled by mistake.<\/p>\n<p>This problem can show up with many devices, such as graphics cards, USB devices, network adapters, or sound cards. Below is a clear, step-by-step guide to help you get things working again.<\/p>\n<h2>What Does Error Code 22 Mean?<\/h2>\n<p>When Windows shows <strong>\u201cThis device is disabled (Code 22)\u201d<\/strong>, it means:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The device was manually disabled in Device Manager, or<\/li>\n<li>Windows disabled it automatically due to a system or resource issue<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You\u2019ll usually see this message inside <strong>Device Manager<\/strong>, under the device\u2019s status.<\/p>\n<h2>Step-by-Step Ways to Fix Error Code 22<\/h2>\n<h3>1. Enable the Device in Device Manager<\/h3>\n<p>This is the most common and simplest fix.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Open <strong>Device Manager<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Find the device showing the error<\/li>\n<li>Right-click it and choose <strong>Enable device<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Restart your computer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In many cases, this alone solves the problem.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Restart Your Computer<\/h3>\n<p>Sometimes the issue is temporary.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Restart your PC<\/li>\n<li>Check Device Manager again after booting<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This helps clear small glitches that may have caused the device to disable itself.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Undo Recent Changes<\/h3>\n<p>If the error appeared after installing hardware or changing drivers:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Remove or disconnect the newly added device<\/li>\n<li>Roll back the driver to an older version<\/li>\n<li>Use System Restore to go back to a time when everything worked<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>After undoing the change, restart and check again.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Reinstall the Device Driver<\/h3>\n<p>A damaged or incorrect driver can also trigger Code 22.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Open Device Manager<\/li>\n<li>Right-click the affected device<\/li>\n<li>Select <strong>Uninstall device<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Restart your computer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Windows will automatically reinstall the driver after reboot.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For USB-related errors:<\/strong><br \/>\nUninstall all devices under <strong>Universal Serial Bus controllers<\/strong>, then restart.<\/p>\n<h3>5. Update the Device Driver<\/h3>\n<p>If reinstalling didn\u2019t help:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Download the latest driver from the device manufacturer<\/li>\n<li>Install it manually<\/li>\n<li>Restart your PC<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This helps if the existing driver is outdated or incompatible.<\/p>\n<h3>6. Clear the CMOS (Advanced)<\/h3>\n<p>If Windows disabled the device due to system resource problems:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Power off the computer<\/li>\n<li>Disconnect all cables<\/li>\n<li>Remove the CMOS battery from the motherboard<\/li>\n<li>Wait 1\u20132 minutes<\/li>\n<li>Reinsert the battery and start the system<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This resets BIOS settings to default and can re-enable disabled hardware.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>7. Update the BIOS<\/h3>\n<p>An outdated BIOS may not manage hardware properly.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Check your motherboard or laptop support page<\/li>\n<li>Install the latest BIOS update if available<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This step should be done carefully.<\/p>\n<h3>8. Change the Expansion Slot (Desktop PCs)<\/h3>\n<p>If the device is an internal card:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Move it to a different motherboard slot<\/li>\n<li>Boot the system and check again<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This can help when system resources are limited.<\/p>\n<h3>9. Replace the Hardware<\/h3>\n<p>If nothing works:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The device itself may be faulty<\/li>\n<li>Or it may not be compatible with your version of Windows<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Replacing the hardware may be the only solution at this point.<\/p>\n<h2>Special Case: Graphics Card Error Code 22 (Black Screen)<\/h2>\n<p>If your <strong>graphics card<\/strong> is disabled, you may see only a black screen.<\/p>\n<h3>Fix Using Keyboard Only<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Restart the PC<\/li>\n<li>Log in if needed<\/li>\n<li>Press <strong>Win + R<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Type <code>devmgmt.msc<\/code> and press Enter<\/li>\n<li>Use <strong>Tab<\/strong>, arrow keys, and <strong>Alt + A<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Select <strong>Enable device<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If done correctly, your display should come back.<\/p>\n<h3>BIOS Reset for Graphics Issues<\/h3>\n<p>If keyboard navigation doesn\u2019t work:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Remove the CMOS battery as explained earlier<\/li>\n<li>Restart the system<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This often re-enables the display adapter automatically.<\/p>\n<h2>Why Error Code 22 Happens<\/h2>\n<p>The most common reasons are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The device was disabled manually<\/li>\n<li>Windows disabled it due to limited system resources<\/li>\n<li>Driver issues<\/li>\n<li>BIOS or hardware problems<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>Error Code 22 looks serious, but most of the time it isn\u2019t. In many cases, simply <strong>enabling the device or restarting the system<\/strong> fixes everything. Only move on to advanced steps like BIOS reset or hardware replacement if basic solutions fail.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Error Code 22 usually means one thing: Windows has disabled a hardware device. The good news is that this error is often easy to&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4485,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/toolswift.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/toolswift.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/toolswift.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toolswift.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toolswift.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5492"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/toolswift.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5492\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5493,"href":"https:\/\/toolswift.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5492\/revisions\/5493"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toolswift.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/toolswift.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toolswift.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toolswift.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}