Usbutil For Mac «FHD 2024»
USB Device Tree (0x10000035a): +-+ Root Hub @ 0x14000000 (AppleUSB20InternalHub) +-- FaceTime HD Camera @ 0x14300000 (AppleUSBDevice) +-- Bluetooth USB Host Controller @ 0x14200000 (Broadcom) +-- External USB 3.0 Hub @ 0x14100000 (VIA Labs, Inc.) +-- SanDisk Ultra Fit @ 0x14130000 (SanDisk) Use the -v flag for verbose output, which reveals device IDs, vendor/product strings, and current power state. This command listens for USB connection and disconnection events in real-time. It is invaluable for debugging erratic devices or testing driver reload behavior.
When most Mac users need to interact with USB devices, they turn to the graphical System Information app (formerly System Profiler) or the system_profiler SPUSBDataType command in Terminal. However, buried deep within macOS is a lesser-known, command-line utility designed specifically for lower-level USB debugging and device management: usbutil . usbutil for mac
Unlike its Linux counterpart ( lsusb ), macOS does not ship with a dedicated lsusb command. Instead, Apple provides usbutil —a lightweight but powerful tool for examining the USB bus hierarchy, testing device connections, and diagnosing kernel-level USB issues. usbutil is a native macOS executable located in /usr/sbin/usbutil . It interacts directly with the AppleUSBHostController and the I/O Kit framework. While average users will never need it, developers, firmware engineers, and IT support specialists can leverage it to inspect device descriptors, reset USB ports programmatically, or monitor USB power events. Key Commands and Their Usage To use usbutil , open Terminal and type usbutil followed by a subcommand. Below are the most valuable options available as of macOS Ventura and Sonoma (14/15). 1. List Devices ( usbutil list-devices ) This is the closest equivalent to lsusb . It prints a hierarchical tree of all attached USB devices, including hubs, internal components (camera, Bluetooth controller), and external peripherals. USB Device Tree (0x10000035a): +-+ Root Hub @
$ usbutil monitor ** (usbutil:1234): DEBUG: 15:32:01.045: Device added at 0x14130000 (vid:0x0781 pid:0x5583) ** (usbutil:1234): DEBUG: 15:32:05.123: Device removed at 0x14130000 Press Ctrl+C to stop monitoring. This produces a massive, highly technical dump of the USB host controller state, including endpoint descriptors, transfer speeds, and I/O Kit registry entries. It is primarily used by Apple engineers or kernel debuggers. 4. Reset a USB Port ( usbutil reset-port ) When a device becomes unresponsive (e.g., a USB audio interface stops streaming or a flash drive fails to mount), you can reset the specific port without restarting your Mac. When most Mac users need to interact with
