PC no longer recognizes cell phone: you can do that

If your PC no longer recognizes the cell phone, you do not have to bring your smartphone in for repair. We'll show you a few tricks of how it might work to reconnect your phone and computer.

PC no longer recognizes the cell phone - possible solutions

If the PC no longer recognizes your cell phone, restarting the device will help in many cases. Restart your phone and check if it is now recognized. If this is not the case, you can gradually continue with the following steps.

• To rule out that it is due to a defective USB cable, test another USB cable, if available. Third-party cables are often to blame. If the fault is not with the cable, continue with the next step.
• Check whether there is an error on the USB port from the PC. Simply plug the cable into another USB port. Alternatively, if another PC is available, you can connect your cell phone to another PC.
• It is often forgotten to choose the correct mode. Connect your device to the PC. Now a notification should appear in the message bar of the mobile phone (see picture, step 1).
• Select this and click on "Transfer data" (see image, step 2). For example, if "Charge phone only" is selected, your PC cannot recognize the cell phone.
• If all other attempts fail, put your cell phone on again. Be sure to back up all important and personal data before the reset, as this will be lost.
• In order not to lose your data, back up your apps and data in a backup beforehand.

Reinstall the driver on the PC

The problem does not necessarily have to come from the smartphone, a faulty driver can also be responsible. Therefore you should reinstall the driver:

1. Make sure the correct mode is activated on your smartphone and connect your phone to the PC.
2. Press the Windows key and enter "devmgmt.msc" in the search to open the device manager.
3. Click on the "USB controller" entry and then right-click on the displayed driver of your smartphone. In some cases you will also find the driver listed separately, for example as "Samsung ..." or "Android Device".
4. Select "Uninstall" and connect your smartphone to the computer again after the deinstallation.
5. Wait until your computer has installed the latest driver version.

Windows 10 no longer recognizes MTP devices

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Figure 1: Update the MTP driver

Image 2: Select the automatic search for updates

Since the anniversary update of Windows 10, messages have been piling up that devices that want to connect via MTP are no longer recognized. You can get rid of the problem with these simple steps:

1. Connect the mobile phone to your computer via USB.
2. Then open Device Manager. You can find the program by entering "devmgmt.msc" in the Windows search.
3. Your device appears with a yellow warning sign under "Portable Devices".
4. Click with the right mouse button on the name of the device and select "Update driver software" (see figure 1).
5. Then select "Automatically check for updated driver software". Now both your PC and the Internet are searched for new driver software for your cell phone (see Figure 2).
6. Now click on "MTP USB device" in the list and confirm with "Next". Then install the correct driver and your device can be used again as usual.

If all steps fail: have the cell phone repaired

If all the previous steps do not help, there is probably a defect in the USB port of your mobile phone.

• Such a defect should be repaired free of charge within the warranty period; outside of the guarantee period, you will receive an estimate.
• It is best to speak to your dealer to clarify further steps. The same applies here: backup all data that you do not want to lose beforehand.