If your board does not appear on a port in Arduino IDE…………………
- Ensure you’ve connected your board with a working data USB cable.
- Check that your device is powered. One or more LEDs should be lit.
- In earlier versions of Arduino IDE 2, the Tools > Port menu option would only be displayed if at least one device was detected on a port. This was fixed in version 2.0.4.
- Classic Nano boards and some clone boards with generic USB chips will show up as “Unknown” in the board selector. When selecting an “Unknown” port you will be prompted to select the board type manually. Alternatively, select your board in the Tools > Board menu.
- If you’re using a classic Arduino Nano, you may need to manually install FTDI drivers.
- If you’re using an Arduino-based “clone” board with a CH340 USB chip, you may need to manually install CH340 drivers.
Meet the CH340
There are a few variants of the CH340. The CH340G requires an external crystal oscillator to function while the CH340C includes a built-in crystal oscillator. However, both function in the same fashion – they convert USB data for a serial UART and vice versa!
If you have the older CH340 drivers installed, you may need to update them. In the following sections, are the instructions for doing so on each of the tested operating systems.
Installation
Windows 10/11
- Download and run the executable.
- Click the “Uninstall” button first. Then click on the “Install” button.
Driver verification
- To check that the CH340 enumerates to a COM port, you can open the device manager. You can click the Start or ⊞ (Windows) button and type “device manager to quickly search for the application.
- After opening the device manager, you will need to open the Ports (COM & LPT) tree. The CH340 should show up as USB-SERIAL CH340 (COM##). Depending on your computer, the COM port may show up as a different number.
