FT232R USB UART Driver Windows 11 Install Guide

If your USB to serial adapter or development board uses the FTDI FT232R chip, Windows 11 needs the correct ft232r usb uart driver to recognize the device and assign it a COM port. Without the right driver, Device Manager shows a yellow warning, the COM port never appears, and tools like Arduino IDE, PuTTY, or Tera Term cannot connect. This guide walks through the official FT232R driver download, step by step installation on Windows 11, verification in Device Manager, and fixes for the most common errors.

FT232R USB UART Driver: Download and Installation Guide for Windows 11

The fastest fix for most users is letting Windows Update install the driver automatically, but that approach fails for many counterfeit chips and locked-down systems. The reliable method is downloading the official FTDI driver, which we cover below.

What Is the FT232R USB UART Chip

The FT232R is a single chip USB to serial UART converter made by Future Technology Devices International (FTDI). It converts USB signals from your Windows 11 PC into TTL level serial signals (TX, RX, RTS, CTS) that microcontrollers and embedded devices can understand.

When you plug an FT232R based device into Windows 11, two things need to happen:

The USB driver loads the device as a generic USB peripheral
The Virtual COM Port (VCP) driver layers on top and exposes the device as a standard COM port (like COM3 or COM5)

Without both layers working, your PC sees the USB device but no COM port appears, and serial software cannot talk to the board.

Common Devices That Use the FT232R USB UART

You will run into FT232R chips on a wide range of hardware:

Older Arduino Uno and Nano clones (genuine boards moved to ATmega16U2, but clones still use FT232R)
USB to TTL serial adapter cables (the ones with bare wires for TX, RX, GND, VCC)
FTDI Basic Breakout boards
AVR and PIC programmers
IoT development boards and ESP8266 NodeMCU clones
Industrial serial converters and PLC programming cables
Some 3D printer control boards
GPS modules with USB output
Amateur radio interface cables

If you see “FT232R USB UART” in Device Manager (with or without a yellow warning), one of these device types is connected.

Where to Download the Official FT232R USB UART Driver

Download FT232R drivers from the FTDI website only. Third party driver sites bundle adware, install outdated versions, or replace the official driver with modified versions that may not work with counterfeit chips.

Official FTDI driver download page:

https://ftdichip.com/drivers/vcp-drivers/

On that page, find the Currently Supported VCP Drivers table and download the Windows row. The file is usually named something like CDM212364_Setup.zip or CDM v2.12.36.4 WHQL Certified.zip. The version number changes over time, so always grab the latest.

FTDI provides two driver types:

Driver Type	Use Case	Most Users
VCP (Virtual COM Port)	Device appears as a COM port for serial software	Yes, pick this
D2XX	Direct USB access for custom applications	No, only for developers

For Arduino, PuTTY, Tera Term, and almost every other use case, the VCP driver is what you need.

Step by Step FT232R Driver Installation on Windows 11

Follow these steps in order. Unplug your FT232R device before starting.

Step 1: Download the Driver Package

Open Edge or Chrome and go to the FTDI VCP drivers page
Click the setup executable link in the Windows row (not the raw driver files)
Save the ZIP file to your Downloads folder

Step 2: Extract the ZIP File

Right click the downloaded ZIP and choose Extract All
Pick a location (Desktop works fine)
Click Extract

You will see a folder containing a file named something like CDM212364_Setup.exe.

Step 3: Run the FTDI Driver Installer

Right click the .exe file and select Run as administrator
Click Yes on the User Account Control prompt
The FTDI CDM Drivers wizard opens
Click Extract
Click Next on the welcome screen
Accept the license agreement and click Next
Wait for the install to finish (usually under one minute)
Click Finish

Step 4: Plug In the FT232R Device

After the installer finishes, plug your FT232R based device into a USB port. Windows 11 shows a brief notification at the bottom right saying “Setting up a device” followed by “Device is ready”. The driver is now bound and a COM port is assigned.

If the notification does not appear, unplug and replug the device. If it still does not appear, skip to the troubleshooting section below.

How to Verify the FT232R Driver Installed Correctly in Device Manager

Device Manager confirms whether the driver is bound and which COM port your FT232R device is using.

Press Windows + X and click Device Manager
Expand Ports (COM and LPT)
Look for an entry named USB Serial Port (COMx) where x is a number

If you see USB Serial Port (COM3) or similar with no yellow warning icon, the driver is installed correctly.

You can also expand Universal Serial Bus controllers and look for USB Serial Converter to confirm the lower USB layer is also bound.

To check driver details:

Right click USB Serial Port (COMx)
Choose Properties
Click the Driver tab
Driver Provider should say FTDI
Driver Version should match what you just installed

How to Find the Assigned COM Port Number

Software like Arduino IDE, PuTTY, and Tera Term need to know the exact COM port number to talk to your device. Here is how to find it.

Method 1: Device Manager

Open Device Manager, expand Ports (COM and LPT), and read the number in parentheses next to USB Serial Port. For example, USB Serial Port (COM5) means your device is on COM5.

Method 2: PowerShell

Open PowerShell and run:

Get-WmiObject Win32_SerialPort | Select-Object Name, DeviceID, Description

This lists every serial port on your PC with the COM number and a description.

Method 3: Plug and Unplug Test

If multiple COM ports are listed and you cannot tell which one is your FT232R:

Open Device Manager and expand Ports
Unplug the FT232R device and watch which COM port disappears
Plug it back in and the same COM port reappears

That is your FT232R port.

How to Change the COM Port Number

Windows sometimes assigns high numbers like COM18 or COM23, which some older software cannot use. To change it:

Open Device Manager, right click USB Serial Port (COMx), choose Properties
Click the Port Settings tab
Click Advanced
Pick a lower number from the COM Port Number dropdown
Click OK twice

If Windows says the port is in use, pick a different number or restart your PC and try again.

Common FT232R Driver Errors and Fixes

Error: This Device Cannot Start (Code 10)

This usually means a counterfeit FT232R chip is installed. Some older FTDI drivers intentionally bricked counterfeit chips. To fix:

Open Device Manager and find the FT232R device with the yellow warning
Right click and choose Update driver
Pick Browse my computer for drivers
Choose Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer
Select an older FTDI driver version (2.12.00 or earlier works for most counterfeit chips)

If the device still does not work, try the unofficial driver from your hardware supplier (Arduino clone vendors usually provide a working version).

Error: USB Device Not Recognized

This points to a hardware or cable problem, not a driver problem:

Try a different USB cable (charge only cables are common, you need a data cable)
Try a different USB port (use a direct port, not a hub)
Test the device on another PC to rule out a dead chip

Error: No COM Port Appears After Driver Install

The USB layer is bound but the VCP layer is not. To fix:

Open Device Manager
Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers
Find USB Serial Converter for your FT232R
Right click and choose Properties
Click the Advanced tab
Check the Load VCP box
Click OK, unplug the device, and plug it back in

The COM port should now appear under Ports (COM and LPT).

Error: Driver Installs but Arduino IDE Cannot Connect

Even with the driver working, the upload can fail if:

The wrong COM port is selected in Tools > Port
The wrong board type is selected in Tools > Board
Another program (Serial Monitor, PuTTY) is holding the COM port open

Close any other serial software, select the correct COM port, and try again.

How to Uninstall and Clean Reinstall the FT232R Driver

If the driver is corrupted or the wrong version is installed, a clean reinstall fixes most problems.

Step 1: Uninstall the Current FTDI Driver

Press Windows + I to open Settings
Go to Apps > Installed apps
Search for FTDI or Windows Driver Package – FTDI
Click the three dots next to each FTDI entry and choose Uninstall
Confirm each removal

Step 2: Remove the FT232R Device from Device Manager

Plug in your FT232R device
Open Device Manager
Find USB Serial Port and USB Serial Converter entries
Right click each and choose Uninstall device
Check the Delete the driver software for this device box if it appears
Click Uninstall

Step 3: Unplug the Device

Unplug the FT232R device from USB.

Step 4: Install the Latest Driver

Follow the standard installation steps above with the freshly downloaded FTDI driver package.

Step 5: Plug the Device Back In

Windows 11 will bind the new driver automatically and assign a fresh COM port.

The official FT232R driver from FTDI is the only safe download source. Avoid driver updater software promising to find FTDI drivers automatically, since most of these tools install outdated versions or bundle unwanted programs. If your device is a counterfeit FT232R clone, stick with FTDI driver version 2.12.00 or use the driver provided by your hardware vendor, since newer FTDI drivers may refuse to work with non genuine chips.

For everyday use, the steps above install the ft232r usb uart driver correctly on Windows 11, expose your device as a COM port, and get you connected through Arduino IDE, PuTTY, Tera Term, or any other serial software within a few minutes.

FT232R USB UART Driver: Download and Installation Guide for Windows 11