Or a tablet connected to USB? You are not the first to be affected by this problem, but do not rush to despair. Today we will try to help by talking about the possible reasons that the phone is not detected by the computer. In addition, you will learn how to deal with this common "illness".
Why does the computer not see the phone connected via USB?
So, all the problems with connecting the phone to the computer via USB can be divided into two types:
- hardware;
- software.
We will talk about each of them, but first, a little advice that very often helps users, saving them from further actions:
Just reboot both devices (both phone and computer). As practice shows, this simple action helps with solving a bunch of problems, so we resort to it in the first place.
The computer does not see the phone - hardware problems
To begin with, let's go through the hardware problems that are often identified by users.
Damaged USB cable
As a rule, users who decided to save money by choosing a cheap wire from an unknown company are among the “victims”. They can work well in tandem with a power adapter, but they don’t want to “make friends” with a USB port.
The solution is very simple: try another cable that works.
However, do not rush to call the manufacturer of the wire with bad words - check it for damage. Sometimes they are so small that they are invisible. The wire may be broken at the base, bitten by pets, or otherwise damaged.
Carefully inspect the USB cable for damage. If no problems are found, then try connecting the phone to the USB port of another computer.
Damaged USB port on the computer
Less commonly, but the cause of connection problems is an inoperative USB port on the computer. Checking if the connector is functioning is very simple: we insert any other device into it, for example, a USB flash drive or an external hard drive.
Just trying to connect the phone to a different connector. Some users advise using USB 2.0 ports (USB 3.0 is blue).
Problems with the charging connector on the phone itself
Usually problems with the phone jack start after falls, water, dirt or other damage. If any of the above has happened to your gadget recently, you will have to visit a service center where specialists can replace the damaged port.
Device battery problems
Another hardware issue could be battery issues. At best, you just need to remove the battery from the phone for a few seconds, if possible. At worst, you will have to replace the battery.
The computer does not see the phone - software problems
If you tried to change the wire, connected the phone to another USB port, but nothing helped, then we move on to the software reasons, which in most cases are the culprits of the problems.
Problems with phone settings
Very often, it is precisely because of the incorrect settings that the system sets by default that it is impossible to pair the computer and phone. So:
- Check connection mode. Smartphones on the most current versions of the Android operating system, by default, can connect to a personal computer in charging mode. Therefore, the latter does not react in any way to pairing with a new device, but only feeds it through the port.
As a rule, you can select the mode in the notification shade on your smartphone. A system message with the selected mode should appear here. Click on it to see the available options. We select the mode that is associated with the transfer or access to phone files (it may be called differently depending on the operating system, manufacturer, and so on).
Sometimes the connection notification does not appear among the notifications, so you will have to find the menu with the modes yourself. It is located in the phone settings (USB connection parameter or something similar), where the desired mode is also selected with access to files on the phone.
- The phone must not be in modem mode. Often, by default, mobile devices, when connected to a PC, start working in modem mode, which makes it impossible to access files.
You can turn off the modem mode in the wireless settings. You just need to turn the toggle switch to an inactive state opposite the desired item.
- The phone is infected with viruses. Increasingly, virus attacks are the cause of many problems with the phone, which can really do a lot of harm. Some users have already decided that their smartphones could not connect to the PC precisely because of the malware that blocked access.
Remove recent apps that make you suspicious. Use antivirus programs to detect viruses. We recommend the free Dr. Web CureIt!, which can be downloaded fromplay market .
Problems with the computer and USB ports
Quite often, the culprit of the confusion can be a personal computer, or rather the lack of the necessary settings or drivers, as well as various errors.
- Installing port driversUSB . If the USB drivers do not work correctly or do not work at all, then the devices connected to them will not function, or they will start up with errors.
Solved by reinstallation. Drivers must be taken from the disk that comes with the motherboard (laptop) or from the official website of the manufacturer. Installation usually does not take much time. At the end, be sure to restart the computer if the system does not do it on its own.
- USB - The ports are not receiving power. Some users, experimenting with hardware, accidentally or deliberately turn off the power supply to the USB connectors, which leads to understandable consequences - complete inoperability.
You need to go to the "Food" section. To do this, go to "Control Panel", "Hardware and Sound", then - "Power Options". Here we find the item "Setting up a power plan". Find and click on "Change advanced power settings". From the list that appears on the screen, find the "USB Settings" item and click on the plus sign opposite. You will see the "Parameter to temporarily disable the USB port" and also click on the plus sign located next to it. The parameter "Forbidden" should be everywhere here. We set up the item for everyone and click "Accept" at the bottom.
- Phone drivers crashed. Another equally common reason for a phone not being detected by a computer is a driver problem. The cause may be errors, incorrect installation, and so on. The problem is solved by a simple reinstallation.
You need to go to the "Device Manager" (can be found through the search bar). Here, subsections list all the devices that are connected to your computer. You need to make sure that there is no exclamation mark next to the "Portable devices" section. If the symbol appears, and your device is indicated in the paragraph, then:
- right-click on the phone name;
- select "Properties";
- go to the "Driver" tab;
- at the very bottom, click the "Delete device" button;
- agree with the warning;
- disconnect and reconnect the phone to the computer;
- We are waiting for the system to reinstall the driver.
It will not be superfluous to visit the website of the manufacturer of the mobile device, from where you can always download the latest drivers for your phone. Some even provide special programs that help you synchronize your PC with your phone and automatically update the driver regularly.
- Requires update KB3010081 (KB3099229) to be installed. Some versions of the Windows 10 operating system require the installation of update KB3010081 for Windows Media Player. It is directly responsible for the normal operation of the Media Transfer Protocol service, which is activated when connected.
You can find and download updates on the official websiteWindows . It is distributed free of charge. After installation, do not forget to reboot the system so that the changes work stably.
More problems when connecting the phone to the computer via USB
Crooked Windows assembly
Unofficial Windows, and even poorly assembled, often causes a variety of errors, including problems with connecting the phone. It can only be solved by reinstalling the system on a personal computer - yes, for many it is a tedious and difficult task.
Custom firmware with a bunch of bugs
Many owners of smartphones running Android OS prefer custom firmware from third-party developers. These firmwares bring a lot of useful features, but are often accompanied by an abundance of errors. Custom firmware can also cause problems with connecting the phone to a computer via USB.
The solution may be to reinstall or roll back to the stock (native) firmware of the smartphone. Often, other users find the cause of the problem in the firmware and share the solution on thematic forums.
Unknown issues and bugs
It often happens that the cause of the problem is simply impossible to find. In this case, you have to resort to radical methods:
- Reset your phone to factory settings. A feature found on most phones and smartphones that restores the device to factory settings. As a result, the cause of the problem may be removed or reset in the process.
The reset process depends on the model of your mobile phone. The required item must be searched in the device settings. Save important files in advance, otherwise they will be permanently deleted.
- Troubleshooting Adapters Through Safe ModeWindows . The developers of the operating system have provided for various problems that a user may encounter while using a personal computer, so they have provided special tools to deal with them. So:
- restart your computer;
- while turning on, hold down the F key;
- a window with various settings will appear (navigation is carried out using the arrows on the keyboard);
- go to the advanced settings section, where, using the " Enter» key, select the item "Safe mode with loading adapters".
The system will automatically find all problems with connected devices and try to fix them.
- Contacting a service center. If you have tried all the methods, but none of them helped, then you will probably have to seek help from professionals. Service center employees, as a rule, solve most problems, and also indicate the cause of their occurrence. True, you have to pay for it.
Outcome
As you can see, problems with connecting a phone to a computer can be both software and hardware in nature, and there are a lot of reasons for their occurrence. Be that as it may, we are sure that today's tips will help most of those who read. The main thing is not to despair.
Carefully check the cable for damage, restart the devices and, most likely, your problem will be safely resolved. You should not immediately resort to radical methods, such as reinstalling the operating system or resetting the phone to factory settings. You risk losing personal information and time, and the cause will be in a damaged cable. Good luck!
