Usbutil For Mac May 2026

First, identify the location ID (the hex value under Location ID in System Information). Then run:

usbutil -h If you simply want to see which USB devices are connected, run: usbutil for mac

sudo usbutil reset-port 0x14130000 Note: This requires sudo and must be used carefully; resetting the wrong port can disrupt keyboard/mouse input. On laptops, you can query or toggle power to individual USB ports (e.g., to conserve battery or force a hard reset). Example: First, identify the location ID (the hex value

Moreover, usbutil commands and their syntax change subtly between macOS versions (e.g., High Sierra vs. Ventura). Always check the built-in help: Example: Moreover, usbutil commands and their syntax change

system_profiler SPUSBDataType | grep -E "Product ID:|Vendor ID:|Speed:" This is safer, more readable, and fully supported across all macOS versions. usbutil is a surgical tool for the USB stack on macOS—not a general-purpose utility. It shines in debugging scenarios: a drive that won't mount, a device that vanished after sleep, or a hub that needs port-level reset. For developers and advanced administrators, mastering usbutil opens a window into the low-level USB architecture that graphical tools cannot provide. For everyone else, admire it from a distance, and stick with system_profiler .