Top 6 Ways to Fix the Device Not Migrated Error in Windows

When you install system updates, Windows may migrate the configuration settings of some of your devices to ensure compatibility. However, if this process fails, Windows may have trouble recognizing your external devices such as hard drives, audio devices, monitors, and more. When this happens, you may encounter the ‘Device not migrated’ error on your Windows 10 or 11 PC.

Such errors can effectively prevent you from using your external devices. Fortunately, fixing them with the troubleshooting tips mentioned below is possible. So, let’s take a look.

1. Run the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter

Since the ‘Device not migrated’ error mostly affects external devices, run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter first. It will scan all your devices for any irregularities and attempt to fix them.

Step 1: Press the Windows + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run dialog box. Type the following command in the Open field and press Enter.

msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic

Step 2: Click Advanced.

Step 3: Tick the ‘Apply repairs automatically’ checkbox and click Next.

Wait for the troubleshooter to detect and fix any issues. Then check if the error occurs again.

2. Reinstall the Problematic Device Driver

Windows might be unable to migrate the device driver during the update if it was corrupt. In that case, Windows may display the ‘Device settings were not migrated from previous OS installation’ error. You can try uninstalling and reinstalling the problematic driver to check if that resolves the error.

Step 1: Right-click on the Start icon and select Device Manager from the list.

Step 2: Locate the problematic driver on the list. Right-click on it and select Uninstall device.

Step 3: Select Uninstall to confirm.

Restart your PC after this. Windows will attempt to install the missing driver during boot, effectively resolving the error.

3. Run SFC and DISM Scans

Another reason why Windows may fail to migrate settings for a device is if some of the system files on your PC are inaccessible or missing. You can run the built-in SFC (System File Checker) and DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) scans to find and repair such files.

Step 1: Right-click the Start icon and select Terminal (Admin) from the resulting menu.

Step 2: Select Yes when the User Account Control (UAC) prompt appears.

Step 3: Paste the following command in the console and press Enter to run the SFC scan.

SFC /scannow

Step 4: Run the DISM scan by entering the following commands one by one and pressing Enter after each command:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

After the scan is complete, restart your PC, and you should not see the ‘Device not migrated’ error on your Windows 10 or 11 PC.

4. Install Windows Updates

Installing pending Windows updates can also help resolve the ‘Device not migrated’ error on your PC. To do so, press the Windows + I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app. Switch to the Windows Update tab and click the Check for updates button.

Download and install the available updates and see if the error still appears after that.

5. Perform a System Restore

System Restore is a useful feature that can help you reverse any bad changes made to your computer. So, if the above solutions prove ineffective, you can perform a system restore to revert your PC to a previous state before the error appeared. Here’s how.

Step 1: Click the search icon on the taskbar, type in create a restore point, and press Enter.

Step 2: Under the System Protection tab, click the System Restore button.

Step 3: Select the Recommended restore option and click Next to continue.

Step 4: Click Finish to proceed.

6. Reset BIOS

BIOS (or Basic Input Output System) is responsible to ensure that all the hardware works together to boot your computer correctly. Issues with your PC’s BIOS settings can result in the ‘Device was not migrated due to partial or ambiguous match’ error on Windows. If that’s the case, your best option is to reset the BIOS to its default settings.

Step 1: Press the Windows + S keyboard shortcut to open the search menu. Type recovery options in the box and press Enter.

Step 2: Click the Restart now button next to Advanced startup.

Step 3: Select Restart now to confirm.

Step 4: Wait for your PC to reboot and then click on Troubleshoot.

Step 5: Click on Advanced options.

Step 6: Select the UEFI Firmware Settings option.

Step 7: Click the Restart button. Your PC will then boot into the BIOS. Note that the BIOS menu may appear different depending on the manufacturer and model of your computer.

Step 8: After you’re in BIOS, press F9 to access the Setup Defaults option. Then, select Yes.

Step 9: Finally, press F10 to save changes and exit BIOS.

Restart your PC, and the error should not appear after that.

No More Windows Migration Hiccups

Troubleshooting such errors can be tricky without a clear indication of what’s wrong. Hopefully, the solutions mentioned above help to resolve the ‘Device not migrated’ error on your Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC.