What Is Plug and Play?

Plug and Play (PnP) is a feature of Windows and some hardware that allows Windows to configure itself automatically when the hardware is installed. Windows 95 was the first version of Windows to include Plug and Play, and Microsoft has been improving the feature with each new version. Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) was added in Windows Me to simplify configuring network devices. If your hardware is Plug and Play, Windows notices when you install a new device and tries to install and configure a driver for the hardware automatically.