Computer doesn't see the phone connected via usb

binks · Aug 3, 2023

Does anyone know what's going on? I suddenly cannot connect to my phone. Only via wired USB, but still. I haven't changed anything in the system settings or the phone settings and suddenly what worked like a week ago, straight away when I plugged usb cable from my computer to the phone, now doesn't work at all. The computer just doesn't see the phone when connected via USB.
Checked device manager and when I connect the phone is just like I haven't done anything. The phone is charging, but computer just don't see it like before.
As I've said - more less a week ago I just plugged usb cable and could see the internal phone memmory as well as SD card in explorer. Now - nothing.

Ghot · Aug 3, 2023

binks said:
Does anyone know what's going on? I suddenly cannot connect to my phone. Only via wired USB, but still. I haven't changed anything in the system settings or the phone settings and suddenly what worked like a week ago, straight away when I plugged usb cable from my computer to the phone, now doesn't work at all. The computer just doesn't see the phone when connected via USB.
Checked device manager and when I connect the phone is just like I haven't done anything. The phone is charging, but computer just don't see it like before.
As I've said - more less a week ago I just plugged usb cable and could see the internal phone memmory as well as SD card in explorer. Now - nothing.

Some phones (are we discussing android or iphone?), have to be told what you're trying to do.
They might have selections like...

Charging
File Transfer
Both

...or something like that.

Dru2 · Aug 3, 2023

What phone? My Samsung Galaxy S3 Ultra device connects without issue. Also make sure the phone isn't locked.

BTW, have you tried different cables? Different ports?

binks · Aug 3, 2023

Yeap, forgot, sorry. It's Samsung s20. Tried different cables, phone is unlocked.
As I've said - more less a week ago, i simply connected usb cable and I could see what's on my phone storage, now I do the same thing, Can't see anything.

BrianInEngland · Aug 3, 2023

binks said:
Yeap, forgot, sorry. It's Samsung s20. Tried different cables, phone is unlocked.
As I've said - more less a week ago, i simply connected usb cable and I could see what's on my phone storage, now I do the same thing, Can't see anything.

Could it be a permissions problem? Maybe your phone has had an update and you need to give permission for Windows to access the device once the cable is connected

Anibor_11 · Aug 3, 2023

Diagnose the USB connection. Open the Samsung Members app, go to Diagnostics > Phone diagnostics > USB connection...

Dru2 · Aug 3, 2023

binks said:
Yeap, forgot, sorry. It's Samsung s20. Tried different cables, phone is unlocked.
As I've said - more less a week ago, i simply connected usb cable and I could see what's on my phone storage, now I do the same thing, Can't see anything.

Yeah, that's weird. I had the Samsung Note 20 Ultra, and for that one when you conneceted it via USB cable Windows would ask what you wanted to do, and from there I chose browse folders on phone. With my S23, Windows only asked that question once, and from there on, whenever I attach a USB cable it just brings up the phone as a drive....

@Anibor_11, what Android device (Android version) do you have? cause I don't have a "Samsung Members App" Don't even remember it on my Note 20 Ultra.

Anibor_11 · Aug 3, 2023

You can download Samsung Members from Play Store, or from the Galaxy Store.

Winuser · Aug 3, 2023

Dru2 said:
Yeah, that's weird. I had the Samsung Note 20 Ultra, and for that one when you conneceted it via USB cable Windows would ask what you wanted to do, and from there I chose browse folders on phone. With my S23, Windows only asked that question once, and from there on, whenever I attach a USB cable it just brings up the phone as a drive....

View attachment 66623

@Anibor_11, what Android device (Android version) do you have? cause I don't have a "Samsung Members App" Don't even remember it on my S20 Note Ultra.

I have Galaxy S22+ phone and I don't have the Samsung Members App. My old phone didn't have it either. Getting back to the problem, I think a update on the phone changed a setting. My upload photos to OneDrive is always getting turned off.

Dru2 · Aug 3, 2023

Anibor_11 said:
You can download Samsung Members from Play Store, or from the Galaxy Store.

Yeah, you neglected to say that with your suggestion. Just trying to avoid the OP searching for something they don't have

binks · Aug 4, 2023

Dru2 said:
Yeah, that's weird. I had the Samsung Note 20 Ultra, and for that one when you conneceted it via USB cable Windows would ask what you wanted to do, and from there I chose browse folders on phone. With my S23, Windows only asked that question once, and from there on, whenever I attach a USB cable it just brings up the phone as a drive....

View attachment 66623

@Anibor_11, what Android device (Android version) do you have? cause I don't have a "Samsung Members App" Don't even remember it on my Note 20 Ultra.

I had exactly what you have screenshotted more less a week, two weeks ago. Now whenever I connect the phone, it's just charging. So I don't know now wether it's Samsung's update chanegd this or an Windows update. What's worst, when I search for the solution, everywhere it says I should just tab on charging notification and there I would have a choice of what the phone would do(charging, data transfer, etc). I can't even do that. When I tap on the charging in notification area, all I can see is the battery status.

Screenshot_20230804_113852_Device care.jpg

But on the other hand, I do have USB set up for file transfer in the default usb configuration in the dev options on the phone.

MisterEd · Aug 4, 2023

When I first had the USB problem on my Samsung S7 I overcame by using the Developer option. However, I found out that was unnecessary because the real solution was to simply restart my phone. Since then that has always solved the problem.

When you connected the Samsung S20 to the PC using USB did you say you didn't have the usual notification on the phone? Here is what I see on my Samsung S21. BTW, I used Phone Link on my laptop to get the screenshots shown here.

binks · Aug 4, 2023

That's what is strange to me as well. Like I've said, I haven't done anything, haven't messed either with the phone settings nor the Windows settings and a week ago I had exactly as you sowed here, and now I don't

MisterEd · Aug 4, 2023

binks said:
That's what is strange to me as well. Like I've said, I haven't done anything, haven't messed either with the phone settings nor the Windows settings and a week ago I had exactly as you sowed here, and now I don't

Did you try to Restart the phone to see if that made a difference? BTW, to restart the phone just press and hold the power button until you see this menu.

Dru2 · Aug 4, 2023

binks said:
I had exactly what you have screenshotted more less a week, two weeks ago. Now whenever I connect the phone, it's just charging. So I don't know now wether it's Samsung's update chanegd this or an Windows update.

Have you tried it on another PC? It could be the phone that's problematic.

Also are you running the insider's version of Windows 11? Also, how much storage is on the phone? Have you checked?

To me it sounds like a phone fault, and why I suggest trying it on another PC. If you don't have one, perhaps a friend? I doubt it's a Windows update because others would have the same issue.

Catnip · Aug 5, 2023

My Samsung S21 connects directly on my home PC, but on my work PC I have to pull down a menu on the phone and explicitly tell the phone to use USB file transfer. In both cases, the phone comes up in a File Explorer window, but on my work PC I don't see any files or data until I fiddle with the phone as above. I don't know why that is, but I have never been able to solve it, so I just put up with it.

It sounds like something has changed in either the OP's phone or the PC, and things have just forgotten their settings. Or else, it's just fussy like my work computer.

Dru2 · Aug 5, 2023

Catnip said:
but on my work PC I have to pull down a menu on the phone and explicitly tell the phone to use USB file transfer.
I don't know why that is, but I have never been able to solve it, so I just put up with it.

Define "work PC"? If you mean a PC owned by your employer, it's Probably because your IT department has it configured that way.

Catnip · Aug 5, 2023

Dru2 said:
Define "work PC"? If you mean a PC owned by your employer, it's Probably because your IT department has it configured that way.

Lol I don't let the IT department anywhere near my PC. I do the configuration and maintenance myself. :)

Full disclosure though, the work PC is Windows 10 22H2. But that shouldn't make any difference to the topic at hand.

Dru2 · Aug 5, 2023

For clarity, when I hear "work PC" that means it's a PC on loan to you from your employer. Here the company's IT department sets administrative rights. That was the point of my question

I call my home system my work PC, doesn't mean it's a "work PC", and why sometimes things need to be defined

Computer doesn't see the phone connected via usb

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