lsusb Command Cheat Sheet

The lsusb command displays information about USB buses in the system and the devices connected to them. It is essential for verifying hardware detection.

Synopsis

lsusb [options]...

Basic Listing

lsusb

Output Format: Bus 002 Device 003: ID 046d:c534 Logitech, Inc. Unifying Receiver

Bus 002: The USB bus number.
Device 003: Device number on that bus.
ID 046d:c534: Vendor ID : Product ID (Hexadecimal).
Logitech...: Text description (from local database).

Hardware Details

Verbose Output (-v)

Dumps everything: descriptors, config, interfaces, endpoints. Warning: Output is huge.

lsusb -v

Use less to scroll:

lsusb -v | less

Key fields to look for: - idVendor, idProduct - MaxPower (How much power device requests, e.g., 500mA). - bInterfaceClass (e.g., Human Interface Device, Mass Storage).

Specific Device (-d)

Filter by Vendor:Product.

lsusb -d 046d:c534 -v

Specific Bus/Device (-s)

Filter by bus and device number.

lsusb -s 002:003 -v

Topology View

Tree View (-t)

Shows the physical hierarchy of USB ports, hubs, and devices.

lsusb -t

Output:

/:  Bus 02.Port 1: Dev 1, Class=root_hub, Driver=xhci_hcd/6p, 5000M
    |__ Port 2: Dev 3, If 0, Class=Mass Storage, Driver=usb-storage, 5000M

- Driver: Shows which kernel driver is handling the device (e.g., usb-storage, uvcvideo). - Speed: Shows link speed (12M, 480M, 5000M).

Raw IDs

Numeric Output (-n)

Do not resolve names (useful if usb.ids is missing or for scripts).

lsusb -n

Troubleshooting

"Device not found"

Check dmesg | tail immediately after plugging it in.
If lsusb doesn't see it, it might be a power issue or dead hardware.

Update USB Database

If devices show as "Unknown", update the local ID mapping.

sudo update-usbids

Notes

Permissions: lsusb lists devices, but lsusb -v (verbose) often requires sudo to read complete descriptors.
USB Classes:
- 03 = HID (Keyboard/Mouse)
- 08 = Mass Storage (Flash drive)
- 09 = Hub
- 0E = Video (Webcam)