By default, your Android should connect to your PC over USB in MTP mode and not just to charge your phone but to access the phone storage. But if the case is different and your PC and Android connect over USB in MTP mode never got established this article will be of great benefits to resolve Android device not connecting to PC over USB in MTP mode.
Although, transferring files from your Android phone to your PC over MTP is slow and not recommended because of its reliability. And another downside of transferring files on Android to PC using the MTP mode is that it might not show all files from your Android phone on the Windows explorer if the phone is connected to the PC over USB in MTP mode.
Whenever your Android device not connecting to PC over USB in MTP mode occurs you will discover that you won’t be able to tether Android device for file transfer, the driver installation will probably fail when you attempt to connect your phone to your PC or there won’t be an indication that your Android phone is connected to your PC.
We have also seen a case where the phone media transfer protocol (MTP) fails to work on Windows 10 which will hinder you from transferring files or media from your Android phone to your PC over USB in MTP mode.
N:B: There is no permanent approach to fix the “Android device not connecting to PC over USB in MTP mode” and you must be ready to grant the required permission on your Android to communicate with your PC over USB which might require debugging mode.
What is Media Transfer Protocol (MTP)?
MTP is part of the Android Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP) communication or you can call it an extension of the PTP on your Android phone that allows Android phone users to be able to transfer media or pictures from their phone to PC using a USB automatically.
The MTP approach is fast if successful compare to transferring files between your phone and PC using the Bluetooth feature.
The downside of the MTP or PTP is that not all files on your Android phone can display on your PC when connected to your PC in the PTP mode or MTP mode. This makes the Android MTP mode unreliable despite the slow performance.
Basic Requirement
Before we proceed to check out how to fix Android device not connecting to PC over USB in MTP mode the following requirements are basic and they must be met.
- Use a compatible USB to connect your phone to your PC.
- Make sure that your phone shows an indication “device connected as a media device.” This will only happen if you are using a working USB.
- If the second option above didn’t pop up swipe down the notification tray, click on the USB message, and select Media Device (MTP).
- Go to “My Computer” on your PC and confirm that the connected device is shown.
With the options above in place, the device should be connected to your phone and show that your device on your PC is ready for MTP.
Android Device not Connecting to PC over USB in MTP mode
There is a need for the debugging mode to be enabled on your phone to be able to connect the device to your PC. And by default, this is turned off because it’s targeted as one of the advanced features on your phone.
So, before you can show your phone storage and media or picture on your PC you must turn on the debugging mode.
- Go to your Android phone “Settings.”
- Scroll down and choose “System >> About Phone.” In some Android phones, you might need to pass through the apps category to access this option. Just find your way around the phone configuration and get access to the “About Phone.”
- Find the “Build number” and click on it “7 times consecutively” until a pop-up appears saying you are already a developer.
- Navigate to “Settings >> System >> Developer options.”
- Scroll down to the “Networking” section and click on “Select USB Configuration.”
- Select “Media Transfer Protocol (MTP)” or the appropriate option from the screen.
- Done.
This should help to resolve the issue with your Android device not connecting to your PC over USB in the MTP mode. However, if the above steps failed, disable the debugging option under the phone system settings and restart the device with the USB jack plugged into your PC and phone.
Update Phone Software
The tricky one is that updating your phone software or firmware when a new one is available makes your phone stays ahead of incessant error.
- Go to your Phone Settings on your Android device.
- Scroll down to “System >> Software update.”
- Tap on “Check for Update.”
- Done.
Download and install any available update. And that might be what you need to fix your phone not connect to your PC over USB in the MTP mode.
Restore Phone Factory Settings
This is a very harsh approach to fix the phone not connecting to your computer or PC using USB in the MTP mode to transfer media or pictures. However, it is advisable to back up your phone to external storage if you have some important data you can’t afford to let go of.
- Go to your Android phone “Settings” option.
- Scroll down to the “System” option down the page.
- Select “Factory Data Reset.”
- Click on “Reset Phone.”
- Tap “OK” from the popup to “Erase Everything.”
- Done.
However, this is different on some devices. Huawei users need to go through “System >> Reset >> Reset Phone >> Reset Phone.
The harsh truth is that this step is harsh as it will format your phone and remove all personal settings but often help to fix Android devices not connecting to PC over USB in MTP or PTP mode.
Media Transfer Protocol not Working on Windows 10
This is a “what if” question. What if the inability of your phone and Windows to communicate together is because the MTP is not working on Windows 10? Below is your quick fix.
- Go to your Windows 10 File Explorer.
- Navigate “C:\Windows\INF.”
- Find a file named “wpdmtp.inf” and right-click on it and choose “Install.”
- Wait for “the operation completed successfully.”
- Done.
Wait for a couple of seconds for the installation to be completed. After that, connect your phone to your PC over USB in MTP mode and everything should be working fine.