XHCI Hand Off: What is It & How to Enable or Disable

Follow this guide to change the XHCI hand-off settings

4 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Key notes

Many components make up the BIOS settings which may differ depending on the type of PC. However, these components each serve different functions in making your PC more stable. The XHCI Hand-Off is one of these features, and it is related to USB 3.0 ports.

Some of our readers have encounteredasmtxhci.sys BSOD errorand others if there are any issues with these components.

What is XHCI Hand-Off?

The XHCI Hand-Off is a component responsible for the functionality of the USB 3.0 port on your computer. It controls how it works and stabilizes how your USB 3.0 port responds to usage.

When you have the XHCI Hand-Off enabled on your PC, your onboard USB 3.0 ports typically behave as a 3.0 port.

Furthermore, the XHCI Hand-Off mode is different from its other counterpart, the EHCI, which is responsible for USB 2.0. Most users mistake them for each other. However, the XHCI mode supports a higher USB version, making it the better one.

Should I enable XHCI Hand-Off?

Enabling the Extensible Host Controller Interface (XHCI) Hand-Off mode on your PC offers a couple of benefits to its ability to use USB ports. Because it is the most recent Intel Host Controller Interface, it is more advanced than previous versions.

Some notable advantages that come with the XHCI Hand-Off enabled in your BIOS settings are:

In short, enabling XHCI Hand-Off improves your onboard USB 3.0 ports and allows them to function to their best capabilities. Hence, we recommend you enable it.

How do I enable or disable XHCI hand-off?

1. Enable XHCI Hand-Off

Enabling the Extensible Host Controller Interface (XHCI) option allows your USB 3.0 to support and use the Universal Serial Bus (USB) 3.0.

If you encounter any issues launching your PC into BIOS, there are other steps you can follow to get it done. So, we recommend you read through our article about themethods to enter BIOS on a Windows 7, 10 & 11 PCwithout issues.

2. Disable XHCI Hand-Off

However, disabling the XHCI Hand-Off will stop your USB 3.0 from using the Universal Serial Bus (USB) 3.0. Hence, it depreciates its features to that of EHCI using USB 2.0.

If you encounterdifficulties accessing the BIOS settings, follow the solutions in this guide to solve them.

Nevertheless, you can readhow to fix USB ports not working on Windows 10/11if you experience issues. Likewise, we have a detailed guide onhow to fix Mac USB ports not workingin a few steps.

If you have further questions or suggestions, kindly drop them in the comments below. We’d like to hear feedback from you.

XHCI Hand Off: What is It & How to Enable or Disable#

What is XHCI Hand-Off?#

Should I enable XHCI Hand-Off?#

How do I enable or disable XHCI hand-off?#

1. Enable XHCI Hand-Off#

2. Disable XHCI Hand-Off#