A lot of the day-to-day gadgets we use plug into one or more of our computer’s USB ports. Whether it’s a my USB port was physically damaged, I just changed my case – all good now flash drive, headset, printer or your smartphone, you expect those little slots to work every time you connect something to them. But as with any other computer hardware, they can eventually fail or stop working.
There are a few different reasons that this can happen. It could be that there’s something stuck in the port – they are pretty wide open when not in use and it’s easy for dust or other detritus to get wedged inside. You should shut down the PC and carefully look in there for anything, then use a thin plastic or wooden implement to remove it gently. Alternatively, you can try using a can of compressed air to blow the obstruction out – but be very careful not to push it further in.
Another possibility is that the USB connector or the internal connection to the motherboard has broken off. You can try a simple test with a USB stick : Plug it in and then gently wiggle the USB connector in and out. If it disconnects and reconnects every time you do this, that suggests there’s a physical problem with the connector or the internal board.