{"id":148082,"date":"2024-02-28T10:58:49","date_gmt":"2024-02-28T10:58:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/randomnerdtutorials.com\/?p=148082"},"modified":"2024-02-28T10:59:05","modified_gmt":"2024-02-28T10:59:05","slug":"install-esp32-esp8266-usb-drivers-cp210x-windows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/randomnerdtutorials.com\/install-esp32-esp8266-usb-drivers-cp210x-windows\/","title":{"rendered":"Install ESP32\/ESP8266 USB Drivers – CP210x USB to UART Bridge (Windows PC)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The CP210x USB chip turns a USB connection into a regular serial port which allows your computer to establish a serial communication with microcontrollers like the ESP32 or ESP8266. To program or exchange information between your computer and an ESP32\/ESP8266 chip, you need to install the CP210x USB to UART Bridge Virtual COM Port drivers. This guide shows to install the drivers in a Windows PC.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Install<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

We have a similar guide for Mac OS X:<\/strong> Install ESP32\/ESP8266 USB Drivers – CP210x USB to UART Bridge<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ESP32\/ESP8266 USB Chip – CP2102\/CP2104<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If it’s your first time using an ESP32\/ESP8266, it’s probably that if you plug the ESP board into your computer, you don’t see your ESP\u2019s COM port available. This means you don\u2019t have the drivers installed. Take a closer look at the chip next to the voltage regulator on the board and check its name. For this board, it comes with the Silabs CP2102 chip.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"ESP32<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

For example, the ESP32 DEVKIT V1 DOIT board<\/a> and many other ESP32 and ESP8266 modules use the CP2102 <\/strong>or the CP2104<\/strong> chips. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you install the CP210x <\/strong>drivers as explained in this blog post, you’ll ensure that the USB connection and communication will work for any ESP board that uses those USB chips (starting with ‘CP210’).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note:<\/strong> another popular USB chip used by many ESP32 and ESP8266 modules is the CH340<\/strong>. Always check the datasheet of your board to make sure you identify the right USB to UART communication chip that’s being used in your board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Installing CP210x USB to UART Bridge VCP Drivers (Windows PC)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Start by downloading the CP210x USB Drivers<\/a> from the official website. If you are on a Windows PC, you need to download the CP210x Windows Drivers folder highlighted in the image below.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Installing<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

After downloading the CP210x Windows Drivers, right-click the folder and unzip the installation files.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Unzip<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Open the unzipped folder and double-click the CP210xVCPInstaller_x64.exe<\/em> file to start the installation process.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Open<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Follow the installation wizard, click the “Next” button, and agree with the terms of use to complete the installation process.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Complete<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The CP210x USB drivers have been installed successfully.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Installation<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Testing the CP210x USB Drivers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Click the search bar.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Windows<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Search for \u201cDevice Manager\u201d and open the control panel:<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Windows<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Having an ESP32\/ESP8266 board connected to your Windows PC with a USB cable, under the “Ports<\/strong>” section you should see a device “Silicon Labs CP210x USB to UART Bridge (COM5)” (or with a different COM port number).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To program the ESP32\/ESP8266 board with Arduino IDE, remember the COM port number, in our case it’s 5, COM5.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Testing<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

In the Arduino IDE, select your ESP32\/ESP8266 board COMX Port, as shown earlier. Ours is COM5 Serial Port (USB).<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Select<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

That’s it! You should now be able to see the COMX Serial Port of the ESP32\/ESP8266 in Arduino IDE. You can upload a new code to your ESP board to test it.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Uploading<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Wrapping Up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We hope you’ve found this quick guide useful. Want to learn more about the ESP32? We recommend the following ESP32 tutorials to get started:<\/p>\n\n\n\n