VMware Workstation: Fix Virtual Device Connection Error

When This Error Shows Up

You're running a VM in VMware Workstation 17 or 16, and you plug in a USB drive, a printer, or maybe a dongle. Or you try to pass through a GPU or a network adapter. The VM either hangs, or you get a pop-up that says Cannot connect the virtual device. Sometimes it's a specific device like USB 3.0 or Ethernet. The VM boots fine otherwise, but that one device just won't attach. It's infuriating because it works on another host or in a different VM.

Root Cause

The culprit here is almost always one of three things:

Driver conflict: VMware's USB arbitration service clashes with a host driver (especially Intel USB 3.0 drivers on Windows 10/11).
Permission issue: The VMware service runs under a restricted account and can't access the device's handle. This is common on locked-down corporate machines.
Device in use: The host OS or another app already grabbed the device. VMware can't share it unless the host releases it.

Don't bother messing with VMX file edits or re-downloading the VM — that rarely helps. The fix is on the host side, not the guest.

The Fix

Try these steps in order. Most people nail it with step 1.

Step 1: Restart the VMware USB Arbitration Service

This is the quickest fix. Open an admin command prompt and run:

net stop VMUSBArbService

net start VMUSBArbService

Then reconnect the device to the VM. If that works, the service was hung. You can set it to restart automatically later.

Step 2: Check Device Permissions

If step 1 didn't work, the service might not have rights to the device. Open Device Manager, find the device (under Universal Serial Bus controllers or Other devices), right-click, go to Properties > Details > Security. Make sure SYSTEM and Administrators have full control. If not, grant it and reboot.

On Linux hosts, you need to add your user to the vboxusers or plugdev group (VMware uses similar logic). Run:

sudo usermod -aG plugdev $USER

Then log out and back in.

Step 3: Disable Host USB 3.0 Driver

Intel's USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller driver is notorious for hogging devices. In Device Manager, expand Universal Serial Bus controllers. Right-click Intel(R) USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller and select Disable device. Don't worry — it re-enables on reboot. Now try the VM again.

If that works, you have two options: keep disabling it when you need VMware, or update your chipset drivers from your motherboard vendor's site (not Windows Update — they're often outdated).

Step 4: Remove and Re-add the Device in the VM Settings

Shut down the VM completely. Go to VM > Settings, remove the USB controller or network adapter from the VM's hardware list. Apply, then add it back fresh. This forces VMware to re-negotiate the connection. It's a long shot, but I've seen it fix a corrupted device node.

Step 5: Run VMware as Administrator

This is a dirty hack, but it works when permissions are borked. Right-click VMware Workstation, select Run as administrator, then open your VM. The USB arbitration service inherits admin rights and can access the device.

Don't leave it running as admin — it's a security risk. Only use this for testing.

If It Still Fails

You're probably dealing with a deeper issue. Check these:

Antivirus or security software: Some AV (especially McAfee and Symantec) blocks USB passthrough. Temporarily disable it to test.
USB device power management: In Device Manager, open the USB device's properties, go to Power Management, and uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.
VMware version: If you're on Workstation 16.0 or 17.0, update to the latest patch (17.5.2 as of this writing). Early builds had USB bugs that were fixed.
BIOS settings: On some Dell and HP laptops, there's a BIOS option called USB Virtualization or Legacy USB. Enable it.

If you're still stuck after all that, your USB controller might be physically failing. Test the device on another host. If it works there, you've got a host hardware issue — time to swap the motherboard or add a USB PCIe card.