9 Best Fix: Windows Won’t Recognize Android Device

You might need to connect your Android phone to a computer for a variety of reasons. Perhaps you need to transfer files. 

The most frequent issue that many users experience is that Windows 10 cannot recognize the Android phone as a USB storage device.

This guide offers numerous solutions for fixing windows won’t recognize android device.

What causes an android phone not to be recognized by a PC?

The common causes of the phone not being recognized by a computer includes:  

• USB debugging turned off
• Wrong correction mode
• Malfunctioning or outdated Driver 
• Damaged USB cable 
• Blocked or Damaged USB port

What To Do If Your Windows Won’t Recognize Android Device?

Before trying the ways mentioned below to fix the issue, please take these easy steps first if your PC is unable to recognize your Android device: 

• Ensure that the phone is unlocked while connecting it to the computer.
• Restart both your computer and mobile device (Android or iPhone), then try to reconnect them.
• Use a different USB cable if available. The USB cable might be damaged and could have been manufactured that way.
• Try inserting the USB cable into a different USB port on your computer and retest the connection. 
• Turn on the Airplane mode and try establishing the connection. Flight or Airplane mode can be useful for getting your device recognized by your Windows. 
• If it works then switch off Airplane Mode after you’ve done uploading data or other files from your Android device.
• Clear the external storage’s cache and media storage app’s data.

Fixes: Windows Won’t Recognize Android Device issue

1. Enable USB debugging
2. USB Connection mode on phone. Files Transfer / MTP
3. Check for Drivers
4. Reinstall Android drivers
5. Reinstall Update MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) 
6. Update Android drivers
7. Run Windows Device Troubleshooter
8. Install Media Feature Pack
9. Restart the android composite ADB interface

1. Enable USB debugging

USB Debugging allows an Android device to communicate with a computer in order to perform advanced operations and easily transfer files. The Developer Options menu contains the Android USB debugging mode. 

• Open Settings > About phone/ System Management > Developer options, enable Developer Options, and turn on Enable USB Debugging button.
• Alternatively, search “Developer options” in the phone’s settings search bar. For Samsung devices, tap the dots in the top right corner to open more settings.  

To turn on the developer option, Navigate to Settings/About Phone/Software Information and tap the build number seven times.   

2. USB Connection mode on phone. Files Transfer / MTP

You need to connect your Android phone to your computer as a “media device” in order to manage files on it.

Media files are automatically transferred between portable devices using an extension known as Media Transfer Protocol (MTP).

• The first step is to always check USB computer connection settings. While some Android systems default to android File Transfer or a similar function, many are defaulted to only charging. 
• You might see different connection options, tap on MTP or Transfer Files under the notification about “USB options.” Alternatively, choose USB utilities and then tap “connect storage to PC. 

3. Check for Drivers

Due to outdated or improperly installed Google USB drivers, Windows 10 may not recognize Android phones. If the necessary drivers are corrupted, re-installation will most likely resolve the problem. 

4. Reinstall Android drivers

Reinstall your android drivers on your PC if your Android phone isn’t being detected because of a driver issue. This method usually fixes the issue. 

• Type “Device manager” into the taskbar’s search box, then click on Device Manager.

• Navigate to your Android device; it will be listed under Other Devices or Portable Devices. 

• To uninstall driver software, Right-click (or press and hold) the name of the device, and then select Uninstall.

• Click on Uninstall.  

• Once uninstalled, disconnect your device and restart your PC.
• Connect your device. Windows will now automatically install the previously uninstalled drivers.  

5. Reinstall Update MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) 

Due to outdated or improperly installed MTP USB device drivers, Windows may not recognize Android phones. If the installed driver in your PC is corrupted, re-installation will most likely resolve the problem.

• Open Device Manager, Right-click on your Android device, and select Update Driver from the menu that appears. Click the Scan for hardware changes. 

• Click Browse my computer for drivers.

• Next, click on Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.

• To install the MTP USB device driver, choose MTP USB Device from the list that appears and then click Next.

Once the installation of the driver is complete, reboot your PC and check this time the Android device should now be recognized by the PC.

6. Update Android drivers

Sometimes your Android phone isn’t recognized because of outdated drivers. Updating the android driver software on your PC might fix the issue. You can update to the latest driver from the device manager. 

• In the Device Manager window, Right-click on your Android device and select Update Driver from the menu that appears.

• To update driver software, Click on Search automatically for drivers. 

Windows will now scan for the latest drivers. If Windows finds a new driver, it will notify a list of device drivers that need to be updated. Restart your PC when the installation completes.  

7. Run Windows Device Troubleshooter

Several troubleshooters are included in Windows 10 and 11 to assist you in identifying and resolving problems. 

Fortunately, one of these is troubleshooting external devices like your Android smartphone.

You can use this tool to resolve connectivity problems and get your phone to appear on your computer. Despite the fact that it’s not always ideal, it’s worth a go.

• Run Command Prompt as administrator. Enter the following command:
  • msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic

• The Hardware and Devices troubleshooter will be displayed. Select Next to allow the tool to identify problems with your devices.

Restart your PC and try connecting your android phone. 

8. Install the Media Feature Pack

Since the MTP protocol (Media feature pack) and WMP (Windows Media Player) are connected, you’ll need everything to function. 

Download the Media Feature Pack for both of these versions of Windows 10 if you have either of these versions.

• Head on to your favorite browser and download the Media Feature Pack from Microsoft. Click on download under the “Media Feature pack for K and N versions” category.

• Select the bit version and click on Next.

• The media feature pack will now start downloading. Try connecting your android device to your PC. 

• Run the pack. Windows will now automatically install the Media Feature pack. 

9. Restart the android composite ADB interface

Sometimes issues with the Android Composite ADB Interface cause Windows to not recognize your Android phone.

If Windows 10 does not recognize your device, you may need to reinstall it. This fix works with Android 5.0 and newer devices, but it should work with earlier Android releases as well.

• Open Command Prompt with elevated access in the ADB tool. Execute the following commands and hit enter after each.
  • adb devices
  • adb kill-server
  • adb start-server

If you cannot access these commands, then you should download Microsoft platforms tools. Run Command Prompt/ Powershell in this folder.