As a rule, if the computer does not see the Android phone connected to it, then the problem looks like this: the charging process is displayed on the smartphone screen, but there is no access to the files located on it and to the device itself. In this article, you will learn why the computer does not see the Samsung phone via USB.
The reasons may be the following:
Damage to the USB cable
A cable malfunction may not always be immediately visible. Very often, the charging wire can fail without obvious external signs. The reason for this is the low-quality devices that the market is teeming with.
To check the functionality of the USB cable, just connect it to another computer, and for greater reliability, to another phone. If these actions do not produce results, then the wire needs to be replaced.
Damage to the computer USB port
It is impossible to repair the port without the help of a specialist, but you can check it simply. If the computer does not recognize the smartphone, then you need to connect through another USB port. If it helps, it means the cause has been found, if not, let’s move on.
System problems in the phone
Sometimes the problem of lack of connection can be solved very simply: by turning off the smartphone, removing the battery from it for a few seconds, returning it to its place and turning on the device. Simple and effective.
Phone jack failure
If the phone has been damaged by water, or its connector has been mechanically damaged, then this may be the problem. Alas, if cleaning the socket does not give any results, then only replacing the damaged part will help.
Incorrect connection settings
In the device settings, you need to find the menu for USB connection to a computer. In many Samsung models, it is located at “Memory” > “Properties”. If by default the checkbox is next to using USB as a modem, uncheck it, find the “Media device” item and activate it.
Driver problems
They are solved by installing drivers from the “native” disk, or downloading them from the manufacturer’s official website.
Also, the problem may be that power is turned off on some ports on the computer. You can check this by going to the “Control Panel”, finding the item “Hardware and Sound”> “Power Options”> “Power”. Next, open the appropriate settings and click on change additional parameters. In the menu that opens, open the USB options, and then the options for temporarily disabling the USB port. Change its value to “Prohibited” and activate it with the “Apply” button.
Problems with device drivers
In the “Device Manager”, the “Portable devices” item should be without any warning signs. You should also check the functionality of the device through “Properties”. If it is not there, then you need to reinstall the corresponding driver.
Another solution would be to update your smartphone drivers. On the Samsung Galaxy A5, as well as on other models of the brand, this can be done using the Samsung Kies software.
Android OS malfunction or viruses
In this case, cleaning the phone with an antivirus, resetting the settings to factory settings, or completely reflashing it can help.
As you can see, there can be a lot of options for why the connected Samsung phone is not located on the computer, so to find a solution you need to be patient. We hope everything works out for you!
Most owners of Samsung mobile devices use the Samsung Kies application to facilitate connecting their gadget to a computer and simplify the process of exchanging information between devices. But it often happens that the computer does not see the phone. Where to look for the cause of the malfunction and how can it be fixed?
The computer does not see the Samsung phone
If your PC does not recognize your device as a connected device, do not be discouraged right away. The USB ports may have failed - alternatively, try connecting to another computer. Update your system drivers and scan your operating system for viruses.
If the PC recognizes the connected device, then you should look for problems in the settings of the mobile gadget or application.
Samsung Kies does not recognize the phone
So, the operating system has recognized your device, but the Kies application stubbornly claims that nothing is connected. First of all, unplug the USB cable from the device and close the program. Then reconnect the gadget to the PC (alternatively, you can select a different USB port, but do not use extension cords) and try to launch the Kies application until the icon of the connected device appears.
A common reason why Samsung Kies does not see the phone lies in the settings of your mobile device. Go to the “Connection to PC” menu item and check the Kies application there. It is also worth selecting the “USB Debugging” option in the “Connection” menu item. If it still doesn’t help, then reboot the device in case of a system failure - in many cases this was an unexpected solution to this problem.
If Samsung Kies still does not see the phone, then you need to remove and reinstall the mobile device drivers. To do this, click “Start” - “Control Panel” - “Device Manager” - “Mobile Device”, right-click on the entry, select “Properties” and in the window that appears, click the “Delete” button. Restart your computer, and then install official drivers from the manufacturer for your gadget. Then try to connect again.
If the method above did not produce results, and the phone still does not connect to Kies, reinstall the application itself. Maybe there were errors during installation, there was a system crash during your last session, or you just have an old version of the application. Click “Start”, then “Add or Remove Programs” (this menu item in Windows 7 is called “Programs and Features”), remove the Kies application. After completing this procedure, you need to clean the registry from possible “traces”. For these purposes, it is better to use the capabilities of programs that specialize in cleaning the registry (for example, CC Cleaner).
After cleaning the registry, restart your computer and install the program again. You can download the latest, most current version of the application on the manufacturer’s official website. Before starting the installation process, disable the firewall and antivirus. Do not forget that the application should be installed under an account with administrator rights.
Also, the reason why Kies does not see the phone may be a file with an incorrect extension contained in the device’s memory. The device tries to read all available files, and such extensions often experience a software failure, which ultimately leads to connection errors.
Remove the memory card and connect the device to the PC. If it helps, then the problem is in the removable media. Otherwise, set the device settings to “Connect as a flash drive,” connect it to the PC and copy the necessary files. Then you can return them back at any time.
There are many reasons why the PC does not see the Samsung phone. Try all the options listed, and only then call a specialist.
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Users regularly connect modern Android smartphones to a laptop or PC to dump music, photos or other necessary files. In some situations, the computer does not detect the phone via USB, which makes working with it very difficult. There is a certain list of reasons that prevent the device from being recognized.
The computer does not recognize the phone via USB - reasons
All possible problems that users encounter can be divided into software or hardware. In the first option, the problem is in the settings, drivers or computer system, in the second - in the cable, USB port of the smartphone or laptop. Almost all problems can be fixed, but before you try to fix connecting your phone to your computer via USB, try restarting your PC and device. This simple procedure often helps, especially with device models from Lenovo, Samsung, HTC, FLY, LG, Nokia.
The phone does not connect via USB to the computer, but it charges
A very common problem with devices is when the phone is not displayed on the computer via USB, but the battery charge indicator is on. The smartphone responds to the connection, but the system does not want to display it. To identify the cause of the failure, you can do the following:
- Move the power cord to a different port on the laptop. Now most models are already equipped with version 3.0 connectors (blue), but you need to use 2.0. For stationary versions, the connection should be made from the back of the case, and not from the front panel.
- Try using a different cord if the sockets match. This will help identify problems with the cable. If one of the twisted pair wires breaks, the smartphone may continue to charge, but not be detected.
- Inspect the device socket to see if there is any debris or dirt inside that disrupts the connection of the contacts and makes it difficult to find the device.
- Try connecting the device to another PC. If it is detected there, then the problem is definitely in your system: there are no drivers, a virus, or the power supply on the laptop is incorrectly configured. This problem will be described in more detail below.
The computer stopped seeing the phone via USB
It often happens that the device was previously detected, but for some reason it suddenly stopped. A common reason why the computer does not see the phone via USB is that the port drivers have crashed. Due to software glitches, the latter stop functioning correctly and are unable to find any connected devices. In this case, there is no need to reboot the device. You need to do the following:
- Find the “native” drive for the motherboard. The set must contain all system files for the correct operation of the USB ports.
- If the disk is lost, find the developer’s website on the Internet. Manufacturers, as a rule, make all the necessary software freely available.
- Reinstall the drivers.
After the PC has finished installing the files, you need to restart the computer. Only at this moment is it time to check whether the system can recognize the device. If these steps do not help, make additional settings:
- In the Control Panel, go to the "Power" section.
- Select "Set up power plan" (for laptops).
- Click "Change advanced settings..."
- From the list, select “USB Settings” and click the plus sign.
- Then expand the “Temporarily disable USB port option” section.
- Set to “Disabled” for battery or mains operation.
- Click “Apply” and “Ok”.
In addition to problems with port drivers, files for the Android device itself may be lost. To check this, you should open the device manager and see if there is an exclamation mark in the “Portable devices” section. Check the list for your phone. If it is not there or there is a warning sign, you should do the following:
- open the device and click “Uninstall driver”;
- turn off your mobile device;
- connect it again;
- wait until the system installs the connected device again.
The computer does not find the phone via USB
Sometimes the situation is such that the laptop initially does not find the device. If the reason is not a broken cord or port, then you should carefully check why the computer does not see the phone via USB. The causes of problems may include the following:
- Android system settings. Modern mobile devices have several connection options: charging only, storage, modem. By default, most of them are set to the first value from the list. As a result, the device is charging, but is not displayed by the system. As a rule, the top menu of the device when connecting offers to change the connection type; you just need to select the required option. If this does not happen automatically, you need to follow the following path: Settings -> Memory -> Properties. Here you must set the required connection type.
- Sometimes a smartphone is used as a modem, which prevents it from being recognized as a storage device. Disable this option through Settings.
- Turn on Windows Update, which will allow the PC to download fresh, up-to-date drivers for all connected devices. When connecting, do not forget to unlock your mobile device.
- When sold together with the smartphone, a disk is provided that contains a program for connecting the phone to a computer via USB. Use it to discover your device.
The computer does not recognize the phone via USB - viruses
Malicious programs that have entered a PC system can behave in completely different ways. Sometimes they become the reason why the computer still does not see the phone via USB. Virus scripts disrupt the operation of various devices, remove drivers, and block data transfer. The risk of infecting a smartphone is extremely low, because viruses for Android are written extremely rarely. However, to protect yourself from infection, you should check Windows using specialized programs:
- Dr.Web;
- Antivirus Kaspersky;
- Malwarebyte.
What to do if your phone does not connect to your computer via USB
If your system, after all the steps described above, still does not see the device, but you are 100% sure that the problem is not in the USB cord or socket, the device was previously detected, there is only one way out - Hard Reset. A hard reboot will lose all data from the phone's internal memory and reset it to factory settings. This will eliminate the possibility of a software failure on the part of the mobile phone.
All data that you save on the SD card or cloud services will remain unharmed. This option should be used as a last resort - provided that all other methods did not give the desired result, and you are sure that the problem is in the settings of the device, but not the PC. For each model, be it Samsung or NTS, the manufacturer has programmed hardware buttons that make it possible to perform a hard reboot. You can enable it from the settings, if the device turns on and you have access to them.
Video: how to connect your phone to a computer via a USB cable
There are times when the computer does not want to “see” the Android connected via USB. Don't despair, there are several options that will help your laptop see the light!
These methods are suitable for phones such as Android, since they are the most common gadgets at the moment, but the same methods will help to cope with problems that arise with other devices and their OS, for example, with a tablet.
So, why doesn’t the computer see the phone via usb android only charging?
First, you should remember: Has this always happened or did the computer see the android before? The gadget is not visible after some actions have been performed on it, programs or antivirus have been changed on the laptop? No one did anything with the devices and this is where this problem arose?
Old model Android
Having understood what the situation is, you can begin to solve the problem. So, a new Android is purchased and its laptop running Windows XP sees it, while the old model phone, say, connects to the computer easily, like a flash card. You can start by updating the OS to the version that Android will support. Or you can immediately install MTP (driver for Android) on a new device that works with Windows XP.
You can download the MTP from their official website, then install it, then reboot the device and after that, the android will be seen by the computer.
Now you can think about a different situation. Why doesn't the computer see the phone via usb android only charging? For example, the computer does not see the phone in Windows 7, also in version 8 and 10. The steps below are suitable for Android 4 and 5 phones.
- To begin with, you need to unlock the tablet or phone connected to the computer, which was locked using a password or pattern, and only then will you be able to see folders on the monitor and files.
- Next, you need to make sure that the smartphone is connected via USB and there is a message about this - “connected”, and this does not mean only recharging. You can see such a message either by opening the notifications tab in Android, or by clicking on a special USB icon, where it will be written that the phone is connected and what type of device it is. And this could be an RTR - Camera, or a device for saving data, perhaps a USB modem. If you don’t see any notification, then you can click on the notification that says that in this case a modem is being used and turn it off, or do this - click “Settings”, then “Wireless network” and then click “More”.
If the question is asked again, why doesn’t the computer see the phone via usb android only charging? This means that it will be visible as a connected camera. You should click on the notification saying this and disable the MTP mode so that you can transfer files.
If the Android version is old, then there are many times more usb connection modes, and the most popular is Data Storage. You can switch to this mode by clicking on the message itself indicating that USB is connected, and then finding the mode of interest.
The phone charges all the time, when connected...
Let's try the following methods...
- Try to connect to usb 2.0, not blue, available on the rear panel. If it's a laptop, then we're looking for USB 2.0, not paying attention to the color.
- Search, or ask your friends, maybe they will lend you some other USB cables, maybe you have a faulty cord in your hands, and others will succeed!
- The source of the problem may lie in a faulty smartphone socket. Maybe it has already been repaired, maybe moisture got in. And in this case, you need to take the android for repair.
- It’s worth checking out such an option as connecting your smartphone to another laptop, computer, or tablet. Perhaps the socket on the laptop is faulty? But this is only if everything worked on another device.
And here it’s worth thinking about, has a flash card ever been connected to this “faulty” computer?
If you have never connected a flash drive to a laptop, you can do this:
Go to " Control Panel"(do all steps on the computer where the cable with the phone did not work), then - " Troubleshooting", Further - " Device setup” and the problem should disappear automatically.
Nothing worked out, everything is still the same. Let's do this!
Let's try to go to the tab " device Manager", and then turn off energy saving. If nothing helps, even on other computers, then the problem is: poorly, hastily, androd settings were checked; faulty cord; Bring your smartphone in for repair.
There are several more methods that should help resolve the issue - Why doesn’t the computer see the phone via USB android only charging? Let's try them...
If you have the latest version of Android in your hands, then it is connected to the computer using a USB cable, but only while charging. In the notifications you can check whether other modes are available for usb operation; if you encounter such a model, then you should do this: select the item “ Charging via USB", well, or try other options.
If, after all the methods tried, it became clear that the reason lies in a problem, say, the cord itself is faulty, or the computer socket is broken, or something else... The only advice is not to do anything yourself, especially if you have not previously repaired a computer technology.
There is another option. All necessary important files can be transferred from the phone, or to the phone, by selecting the following:
- Synchronization by selecting one of the cloud storages, for example OneDrive, or Google Drive, Yandex Drive or Dropbox.
- You can try using the following programs, that is, choose one of your favorites. For example - AirDroid. The program is very convenient, simple, understandable to every novice user!
- If you create an FTP server on your gadget, or connect it like a network drive in Windows, you can send any files.
But, in any case, no matter what method is chosen, you need to try it, but you also need to choose the method that you know about, otherwise, both the phone and the laptop can be filled with “garbage” and then a complete reset will be required all settings.
Sooner or later the moment comes when you need to connect your phone to your PC. For example, to reset music, documents, movies or update firmware. There are several ways to do this, but the most universal and reliable is through a USB cable. Despite the fact that everything seems simple, sometimes difficulties arise with pairing: the gadget is not detected by the Windows operating system or only charging functions, and file transfer is not available. To prevent you from having problems in the future, we will look at how to connect your phone to your computer correctly in order to avoid possible troubles. In addition, we will consider ways to solve popular problems that may arise.
How to properly connect your phone to a computer using a USB cable?
Transferring documents using a cable is the best option if you need to send a large amount of data in a short period of time, since transfer via Wi-Fi, although more convenient, is slower.
Remember, try to use the standard cord that came with the kit to avoid unexpected conflicts and problems.
Connection procedure:
- insert the cable into the phone connector, then the other end to the computer;
Attention! If this is your first time connecting your device to your PC, Windows will begin downloading drivers, which will take from one to ten minutes. Be patient, you can look at the installation progress through the pop-up window that will appear when you connect. Usually the installation goes without problems, but sometimes it crashes and not all drivers are downloaded. Read about how to deal with this in a separate paragraph below. 
- after processing the drivers, the operating system will offer to choose what to do with the new device;
- the device is now displayed in the list of portable devices;
- to see them, open “My Computer”, then click on the icon with the name of your phone model, and you will be taken to the root directory (if a memory card is installed, you first need to choose what to work with: with it or the built-in storage).
Next time there will be no download of compatibility components. Therefore, the smartphone will be identified immediately.
Attention! If something doesn’t work, restart your mobile phone or PC, and then try again to do the manipulations described above.
Phone setup
There are several parameters in Android that affect the connection with the computer. Sometimes the user chooses or changes something wrong, and it happens that the connected device operates in the wrong connection mode by default.
USB Connection Settings
Almost all modern mobile phones can connect to a computer in different modes. Often the default option is “Charging Mode”, that is, when you insert the cord into the port of the system unit and the phone socket, the second one starts charging, and does not open access to the storage. But this is easy to fix; for this you need:
- swipe the curtain down and find the item “Charging via USB”;
- Tap on it and select “File Transfer” (MTP).
The device will reorient itself to transfer files, and you can copy them, move them, create folders, etc.
USB Debugging Manipulations
Sometimes switching debug helps. To find it, you need to unlock the “For Developers” menu; to do this, go to “Settings” - “About phone” and click on “Build number” seven times in a row.
Attention! In MIUI, open “Settings” - “About device”, click on “MIUI Version” seven times.
Return to the main menu, open the menu that appears, located at the very bottom. Scroll down a little until you come across “USB Debugging”. By default it is turned off, turn it on, it may help if the connection with the computer cannot be established.
You can also try disabling it if it is initially active. Sometimes it helps.
Why doesn't the computer see the phone when connected via USB?
Let's briefly look at the main interference that may occur if you decide to connect your phone to a computer via a USB cable.
Reason #1. Hardware faults
Often the cable you connect breaks somewhere inside, so the contact “does not make.” Make sure the cord is in good condition, try charging your phone using it through an outlet. If the current flows, then the cable is working, and so is the device port. However, if you find any damage, replace the cord with a new original or similar quality that is compatible with your phone.
Insert the USB flash drive into the computer connector; if it is detected, the slot in the PC is also fine. Otherwise, test the remaining sockets and use the working one.
Reason #2. Old operating system
Owners of Windows XP cannot always easily transfer files to a smartphone due to the lack of necessary components. You can download them from the link www.microsoft.com/en-US/download/details.aspx?id=19153 from the official Microsoft website. After installation everything should work, if that was the only problem.
Reason #3. Device driver installation failed
This is one of the most annoying reasons, but fixing it is not as difficult as it might seem. Let's get started! Do the following:
When the process is complete, the phone should recognize your smartphone.
Reason #4. Lack of Universal Adb Driver
This driver is also very important and is responsible for pairing. Download it from the link adb.clockworkmod.com. The component will help if you cannot download or install drivers for your phone or tablet. It is designed to operate Android Debug Bridge, as well as all programs for synchronizing Android with a PC. Very often, installing it helps solve problems that arise when trying to connect your phone to a computer via USB.
There is nothing particularly difficult in connecting and correcting problems, and often the connection works fine on its own. However, if you encounter problems, first take the simplest steps to eliminate them, and then move on to more complex ones.
