Top 2 solutions to fix Windows 10 COM
port issues
It’s not rare that users of Windows 10 platform complain about the inability to find any COM ports listed in the Device Manager of their computers. In this article, I’ll tell you how to add virtual COM ports on Windows 10 using either a native method or an efficient third-party solution, Virtual Serial Port Driver. Read on to learn about the simplest and fastest way.
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Windows 10 COM port issues
As a Windows 10 user, you may face a challenge trying to locate virtual COM ports in the Device Manager of your machine. The RS232 ports option can just be unavailable. The reason is that after a Windows 10 update, virtual COM port drivers may not load any-longer by default for devices of some types.
Dedicated app: virtual COM port driver for Windows 10
If ports COM & LPT are not shown in the Device Manager of your Windows 10 system, you can install Virtual COM Port Driver and solve this problem once and for all. This software is designed to create an unlimited number of virtual COM port pairs communicating with each other over a virtual null-modem connection.
Create COM Ports on Windows 10
Virtual Serial Port Driver
In addition, the program offers a vast array of configurable options that can be especially useful for testing serial software and hardware.
For example, the utility lets two applications share data over virtual COM ports in such a manner that everything written by one program will immediately appear in the other one (connected to the other end of the virtual serial port pair).
How to create virtual COM ports
Here’s how you can easily create virtual COM ports on a Windows 10 PC using Virtual Serial Port Driver:
- Download the software and install it on your machine.
- Launch Virtual Serial Port Driver and go to the “Manage ports” tab. There you can either enter some custom port names manually or select ports from the drop-down menu.
- Now, click the “Add Pair” button and this is it! You have virtual COM ports that appear in Serial Ports
- Explorer and the Device Manager of your system.
- In order to delete the pair, select it in the Serial Ports Explorer, open the “Manage port” tab, and hit “Delete pair”.
Now, Let’s see where Windows 10 COM Port Driver software will be a really big help. You can use the software for a variety of purposes, including:
- Testing and debugging of serial applications based on null-modem connections;
- Testing and debugging of virtual COM port emulators such as GPS, fax, and so on;
- Testing and debugging of firmware or drivers for devices that are physically located far from your developer machine;
- Testing and debugging of applications for intercepting caching/proxying data transferred over the network, etc.
Pro version of Virtual Serial Port Driver
For those of you who are looking for a simple way to create not only virtual COM port pairs but also their bundles with various custom parameters, the app developers offer the Virtual Serial Port Driver PRO version. This edition is tailored for professional use by serial port software and hardware developers and testers.
The utility comes with a range of advanced features like:
- Splitting and joining serial data streams.
You can easily split a single real RS232 port into multiple virtual COM ones that will fully emulate the physical port. Also, you’ll be able to join multiple real port data streams into virtual one which will be directed to the required app or device.
- Creating bundles of real and virtual COM ports.
Virtual Serial Port Driver Pro makes it possible to create complex port bundles where multiple virtual and real serial ports can exchange the incoming data with all the other ports added to the bundle at a time.
- Automatic port switcher
Anytime your application needs to connect to a serial port, the switcher option will link it to a COM port being currently free. For this, you just create a bundle of virtual COM ports that will emulate a single real one. By communicating with one of the virtual ports, your app will, in fact, talk every time to the same real interface.
List of the Best Virtual Serial Port Emulators
What is a virtual serial port emulator?
Virtual Serial Port Emulator is a software application that replicates physical COM ports. The virtual serial ports that are created are fully compatible with operating systems and applications and are treated in the same way as a real port.
If you are looking for a software to create a virtual COM port on Windows 10 or a virtual COM port on Windows 7 read about the virtual serial port emulator software that we consider to be the top solutions currently offered:
Virtual Serial Port Driver
Virtual Serial Port Emulator Software developed by Eltima Software allows users to emulate serial ports connected in pairs via virtual null-modem (com0com) cable. Applications communicating with created virtual ports treat those ports the same way they would communicate with real ports. With Windows kernel technology Virtual Serial Port Driver allows you to create an unlimited number or COM port pairs, fully emulating serial port connections.
Virtual Serial Port Emulator Software
- This software is a perfect virtual serial port emulator works on 32- and 64-bit Windows OS and supports operating systems up to the latest Windows 10.
- Virtual Serial Port Driver is officially signed by Microsoft.
Virtual Serial Port Driver
How to create virtual COM port emulation
Follow these easy steps to emulate virtual COM port pairs or watch the video guide above:
- Download Virtual Serial Port Driver and install it on your computer.
- Launch the software and open the “Manage ports” tab.
- Choose port names from the drop-down menu or define custom identifiers.
- Click the “Add pair” button.
- Once these steps are completed, Device Manager and Serial Ports Explorer will recognize and display the pair of virtual serial ports.
Note: You have the ability to create an unlimited number of virtual serial port pairs with Virtual Serial Port Driver for Windows.
The advantages of RS232 Emulation software by Eltima:
- Using Virtual Serial Port Driver, you can create as many pairs of virtual COM ports as you want . The pairs are linked by a virtual null-modem cable. A nice feature of the software is the ability to delete all of your created pairs with a single click
When emulating virtual serial ports with this application you have the ability to name them in any way that you like. You can even use the same names as the system’s physical COM interfaces. A simple search in Device Manager’s “Ports” group will display all of your virtual ports.
The virtual serial port emulator enables the virtual COM ports to be re-created when your system is restarted. Your configured virtual serial ports are re-established before the user login. You can also delete a virtual pair or modify their settings without closing the ports down.
All standard hardware signal lines are supported by Virtual Serial Port Driver. This includes DTR/DSR/CTS/RTS/DCD/RI, etc. as well as software flow control (Xon/Xoff).
Virtual Serial Port Driver also can serve as a null-modem emulator. Multiple null-modem schemes are available with the tool, and they can be saved as templates for later use. The application lets you emulate a virtual serial line connection and its break.
VSPD is hyper-threading and VMware friendly .
Virtual Serial Port Driver is pretty flexible letting you create ports for the current user session only; allowing RDP users to create port with the same name (e.g. COM1) in each user session; letting you delete ports even if they were opened by other apps.
With Dynamic Link Library supplied with VSPD (an OEM License) you can control virtual serial ports directly from your own app. Emulating the ports also gives you an advantage of faster serial communication, than with a real null-modem cable, solely depending on your processor speed (average is about 5.5 Mbytes/sec).
COM port in Windows 10: fix any COM port-related issues in 2 easy ways
In this article, we are going to discuss two ways to resolve the problem of the lack of COM ports on computers running the Windows 10 operating system. Windows 10 COM port issues plague many users whose computers have been designed without the inclusion of any serial interfaces. The absence of physical COM ports can hinder a user’s ability to make use of computing peripherals that transmit their data serially.
The way to resolve this issue is through the use of Windows virtual serial ports. It can be very frustrating to query your Device Manager with the expectation of finding COM ports only to find that they are not present. We are going to show you two different methods you can use to add COM ports to Windows 10. One is a procedure that employs the native functionality built into the operating system and the other uses third-party software.
The Problem: Windows 10 COM ports missing
Locating virtual COM port in Windows 10 can be a problem for users. You navigate to your Device Manager with the expectation to see the virtual COM port drivers that were previously loaded on your machine and find they are not there. The serial port option might not be available due to the installation of a Windows 10 update. The update may have impacted the ability of the virtual serial port drivers for certain devices to load by default. This poses a significant issue when you are trying to use these devices.
First, we will investigate the use of Eltima Software’s Virtual Serial Port Driver to add Windows 10 virtual serial ports. We provide a step-by-step procedure which can help you eliminate issues related to COM ports on Windows 10 in as little as three clicks. Read on to learn more about how to use this efficient virtual COM port driver for Windows 10.
Add COM port Windows 10 with Virtual COM Port Driver
When the COM and LPT ports do not appear in your Windows 10 Device Manager your ability to perform your work is negatively impacted. There is a way to resolve this annoying problem in a manner that will prevent it from recurring. The solution is to install the aforementioned Virtual COM Port Driver from Eltima. This application allows the creation of an unlimited number of virtual serial port pairs. The virtual COM port pairs employ a virtual null-modem connection to enable communication with each other.
Virtual COM Port Driver
Virtual Serial Port Driver
Users engaged in the practice of developing and testing serial applications and hardware will benefit from the configuration options that are possible through the use of Virtual Serial Port Driver. One example is the ability to allow two applications to share data via virtual serial ports. Connecting the apps with a pair of virtual COM ports lets the data written by one program be immediately made available to the other program. This can save significant time and effort when debugging and testing serial apps and devices.
Step-by-step guide to add virtual COM port Windows 10:
Following these steps with Virtual Serial Port Driver (VSPD) will enable you to easily create virtual serial ports on a Windows 10 machine:
- Download and install VSPD on your Windows 10 computer.
- Launch the application and navigate to the “Manage Ports” tab. Here you can select ports from the drop-down menu or manually enter custom port names.
- After selecting the port names, simply click the “Add Pair” button and you are done! You have now created virtual COM ports which will appear as if they were physical ports in both Serial Ports Explorer and your system’s Device Manager.
- If you desire to delete the pair of ports, simply select it in the Serial Ports Explorer. In the “Manage port” tab just select and click on “Delete pair” and they are gone.
Native method to mount virtual COM ports in Windows 10
There is a fix to the problem of mounting virtual COM ports in Windows 10 that does not require the use of a third-party app. These are the steps to follow to use the Windows 10 operating system fix:
- Go to the Device Manager and type “Device Manager” in the lower left corner of the screen. (See below) Device Manager
- Locate the USB to Serial Converter Settings. After plugging a USB device into your machine, expand the “Universal Serial Bus controllers” list in Device Manager. Click on the “USB Serial Converter” and open the USB Serial Converter properties.
- Enable the VCP Driver loading by opening the “Advanced” tab within the USB Serial Converter properties. Make sure the “Load VCP” option is enabled and then click OK to load the VCP.
- Re-connect the device. Unplug the USB device and re-connect it to your computer. At this time, Windows 10 should recognize the device and load the Virtual Com Port Driver.
How to change COM port settings in Windows 10
Some software applications are designed to only operate with designated serial ports. If you need to work with this kind of program, you may need to know how to find port numbers in Windows 10 so you can modify them if necessary.
In many cases when working with older devices or applications, you will be called upon to change COM port numbers to successfully operate the programs and peripherals. Some legacy equipment is only capable of working with specifically named serial ports.
The following procedure allows Windows users to change the COM port number for any attached device.
Just follow these simple steps on a Windows 10 machine to change the default COM port number.
Tip: Here is what you can try if COM ports are not showing in Device Manager:
How to assign a COM port to a USB device Windows 10?
There are multiple scenarios in which you may need to assign a COM port to a USB device on your Windows 10 computer. Some devices need to have a COM port identifier that falls within a certain range, say between COM1 and COM4. Windows may have assigned a different identifier to the port which you will be required to modify. It’s a relatively simple procedure to perform.
Here is how to assign a COM port to a USB device Windows 10:
- Open the Windows Device Manager.
- Click on the Ports (COM & LPT) to expand the selection. You will see the ports currently in use along with their designated port identifier.
- Right-click on the device whose designation you want to change and select Properties.
- Click on Port Settings and then click the Advanced button.
- Locate the COM Port Number at the lower left of the Advanced Settings window.
- Click the Com Port Number to change the currently assigned port identifier. Select the COM port identifier that you wish to assign to the USB device attached to the port.
- Click OK on all open Property windows.
Following these steps will enable you to change the COM port identifier for USB devices attached to your Windows 10 machine.
Conclusion
Virtual COM Port Driver is an advanced way to add virtual COM port pairs. There are many instances where this Windows 10 COM Port Driver software can be instrumental when working with serial devices and applications. Some of the uses of the software include testing and debugging in usage scenarios that include:
- Verifying the functionality of serial applications for intercepting data transmitted over the network;
- Troubleshooting serial applications which are using null-modem connections;
- Developing firmware for devices that are not physically located near your computer;
- Testing virtual serial port emulators such as GPS, fax, and other devices.