"No DFU detected" on Windows 11

[Andi]

Question

I implemented a custom bootloader with USB DFU. It worked without issues on my Windows 10 computer. After switching to a Windows 11 machine, however, my DFU device is no longer recognized.

What I’ve tried

1. Connected the device again on Windows 10. It appears in Device Manager, plays the connection/disconnection sound, and read/write operations work with STM32CubeProgrammer. This confirms that neither the bootloader nor the USB cable is the root cause.
2. Installed STM32CubeProgrammer on Windows 11, but it reports “No DFU detected.”
3. On Windows 11, there is absolutely no activity related to the DFU device in Device Manager. Other DFU devices, such as the STLink, are listed and working correctly.

Request

What steps can I take to get my DFU bootloader detected on Windows 11?

[Pavel A.]

Not visible in device manager at all? Is the Win10 and Win11 machine the same machine (dual boot...) ? Otherwise watch for hardware differences. A powered hub can help.

[Andi · Accepted solution]

On my new Windows 11 machine (no dual boot), the DFU device was not recognized at all in Device Manager. I tried multiple USB ports and even a powered hub, but nothing changed.

Surprisingly, the problem resolved itself:

• I did several restarts but did not test the DFU for a while. I’m not sure if restarting solved the problem.
• I also installed an FTDI driver for a TTL‑USB converter during this time. While that driver is unrelated to DFU, it may have triggered Windows to refresh its USB driver stack.

Since then, the DFU device has been consistently detected and functions normally.

Anyway, thanks for the support.