Can't become your Android phone to connect to your computer? This can happen for many reasons, including an incorrect connexion fashion or a lack of proper drivers. The smallest of problems can foreclose your PC from detecting your device.

If you take no clue what's causing this problem, walk through the beneath methods ane by i. Each tip resolves a certain trouble with your phone not connecting to your PC, so keep trying them until information technology'south solved.

1. Check the USB Connection Mode on Your Phone (Windows/Mac)

Your Android device offers several connectivity modes when connecting your phone to your calculator. Each mode has different purposes, and some could cause your phone not to show upward on your computer.

Irresolute the connection mode on your phone can get your computer to recognize it. Here's how to practice that:

  1. Connect your phone to your computer using a USB cable.
  2. Pull down the notification bar, and you should run across an Android arrangement entry that shows the electric current connectedness fashion. Tap on the connexion style detail to open the USB Preferences page.
  3. Select File Transfer.

Once you do this, your phone should appear equally a storage drive in File Explorer or Finder. Now you lot tin start copying files to and from your device.

two. Update the MTP USB Drivers on Your Figurer (Windows)

If you're looking to use your phone as a media device on your figurer, yous demand to enable the MTP mode on your phone. This requires that yous have MTP drivers installed and updated on your figurer.

Near computers have those drivers installed already. If they're outdated, y'all can easily update them using the Device Director:

update mtp android drivers
  1. Connect your telephone to your calculator using a USB cable.
  2. Press Windows key + 10 and click Device Manager.
  3. Double-click Portable Devices to expand information technology. Find your Android device, correct-click information technology, and cull Update driver.
  4. Select Browse my reckoner for commuter software.
  5. Click Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.
  6. Select MTP USB Device and click Next.

Once the drivers are updated, your phone should work as a media device.

3. Use the Android File Transfer Utility (Mac)

Dissimilar Windows, yous can't direct transfer files from Android to a Mac. You need to kickoff install a utility on your Mac that acts as a span between your Mac and your Android device.

This utility is chosen Android File Transfer, which you tin download from the official Android website:

android file transfer tool
  1. Grab the Android File Transfer tool from the Android website.
  2. Launch the downloaded file and drag the tool to your Applications folder.
  3. Double-click on the tool in your Applications folder (or search for it using Spotlight with Cmd + Infinite) to launch it.
  4. Plug your Android telephone into your computer using a USB cable.
  5. Your telephone should appear in the newly installed tool.

Once yous see your phone, you tin start moving your files as y'all please.

iv. Use a Unlike USB Port and USB Cable (Windows/Mac)

If you've run through the in a higher place and still have an issue, perhaps the USB port or cable that you're using is lacking or damaged. This will preclude your computer from recognizing your device.

Luckily, most computers have multiple USB ports. Endeavour another port on your car to see if your phone connects. You should also connect using a dissimilar USB cable and run into if that makes your computer recognize your device.

5. Update Your Operating System Version (Mac)

On Windows, you tin can connect your Android phone regardless of your operating system's version. All the same, on Macs, older macOS versions can take issues with Android connections.

Therefore, y'all should update your macOS version when you run across connection issues between your phone and computer. You lot can practise this every bit follows:

update macos version
  1. Click the Apple tree logo in the acme-left corner and choose About This Mac.
  2. Click Software Update to update your Mac's software.
  3. If a macOS update is available, download and install it on your machine, and so try the connexion again.

Some phone manufacturers offering their own connectivity solutions, such every bit Samsung SideSync. These tools sometimes interfere with the standard Android connection methods; such conflicts tin can cause your calculator not to recognize your telephone at all.

If you take whatever of these tools installed, try removing them from your computer to avert conflicts. Once that's done, reconnect your phone to your computer and see if it works every bit normal.

7. Run Windows Device Troubleshooter (Windows)

Windows 10 comes with several troubleshooters to help you lot detect and fix bug with various facets. Thankfully, one of these is to troubleshoot external devices like your Android telephone.

You lot can enlist the assistance of this tool to ready connection problems and get your phone to show upwards on your car. While it's non always perfect, it's worth a attempt.

Microsoft removed the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter from the list in the latest versions of Windows 10, but it'south however accessible via the command line:

hardware and devices troubleshooter
  1. Press Win + X and cull Windows PowerShell (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin) from the list.
  2. Enter the following command: msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic
  3. You'll see the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter. Click Next to allow the tool detect issues with your devices. When information technology's done, it will offer methods to fix the detected problems.

If you're on an older version of Windows 10, you can find the tool using the following method:

  1. Launch Settings on your PC, click Update & Security, and choose Troubleshoot from the left sidebar.
  2. From the list, click the item that says Hardware and Devices to launch the devices troubleshooter.

Bonus Tip: Use an Alternate File Transfer Method

If your telephone doesn't connect, regardless of what you try, you might want to use some alternate methods to transfer files from Android to your figurer. This way, you tin can at least become your files moving until your connection effect is resolved.

Keep Your Android and Computer Continued

At kickoff, information technology might seem like your computer is never going to recognize your device. Nevertheless, with the methods to a higher place, you should successfully get your computer to mount your phone and let you lot move files between them.

Don't forget that you tin can also transfer files the opposite way, from your PC or laptop to your telephone. If you run into trouble with that likewise, some of the above tips will help you out.

5 Ways to Share Files From PC or Laptop to Android Phone

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Almost The Author

Mahesh Makvana (307 Manufactures Published)

Mahesh is a tech writer at MakeUseOf. He'due south been writing tech how-to guides for almost 8 years now and has covered many topics. He loves to teach people how they can go the almost out of their devices.

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