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iPhone and iPadFix iPhone Not Showing up in Windows File Explorer

How to Fix iPhone Not Showing up in Windows File Explorer

By Michael | Last Updated

"My iPhone 14 doesn't show up in Windows File Explorer, so I can't transfer photos and videos from iPhone to PC. Does anyone have the same problem and know the solution? Please help!"

Similar to any other USB device, iPhone will appear in the File Explorer sidebar menu as soon as you plug it into a USB port on your Windows computer. If iPhone does not show up in Windows File Explorer, you will not be able to transfer photos from iPhone to your computer or backup iPhone to your computer using iTunes. In this article, you should be able to fix the iPhone not showing up in Windows File Explorer issue using the troubleshooting methods provided below.

  1. Part 1: Possible reasons why iPhone is not showing up in Windows File Explorer
  2. Part 2: How to Fix iPhone Not Showing up in Windows File Explorer?
  3. Part 3: Alternative fix for iPhone do not show up in Windows File Explorer

iphone not showing up in windows file explorer

Part 1: Possible reasons why iPhone is not showing up in Windows File Explorer

  1. Lack of full access to the iTunes folder
  2. Having full access to iTunes folder will easily allow you to get rid of this situation so that you can display your iPhone on Windows.

  3. Outdated Windows versions
  4. If you are operating an outdated version of the operating system, then this may cause you such trouble. Therefore, you need to update your outdated OS version to the latest available version.

  5. The USB port may be incompatible or not working properly
  6. If the port you use to connect your iPhone to your system is faulty or damaged, then it could trigger this problem.

  7. Your USB cable is damaged, or it is not an official Apple USB cable
  8. If you are using a damaged or faulty cable, then this could be the reason why Windows doesn’t recognize your iPhone. Or sometimes using an unofficial cable and not using Apple's official cable could also be the culprit.

  9. Use outdated USB drivers for Apple devices
  10. If the USB driver for your Apple device has not been updated for a long time, then it is possible that the problem is happening because of this.

  11. The Camera Roll on your iPhone is empty, which is why your iPhone is not detected as a portable device
  12. Windows allows transferring photos and videos from the camera roll, so if it is empty, it will not be displayed automatically.

Part 2: How to Fix iPhone Not Showing up in Windows File Explorer?

  1. Fix 1: Gain full access to the iTunes folder
  2. Fix 2: Update your Windows to the latest version
  3. Fix 3: Try another USB port
  4. Fix 4: Use official Apple USB cable
  5. Fix 5: Update Apple Mobile Device USB Driver

Fix 1: Gain full access to the iTunes folder

Step 1: Press WIN + E on your keyboard to open File Explorer. Click on Music from the menu options on the left. Find and right-click iTunes, scroll down and click Properties.

right click itunes folder

Step 2: Under the General tab, uncheck the box next to Read-only (Only applies to files in folder), then click Apply and OK to save the change.

uncheck read only

Step 3: Next, go to the Security tab, and click Edit.

click edit option

Step 4: Within System Permissions, check Allow Full control. Click Apply, then click OK. This will solve the problem of not showing iPhone in Windows File Explorer.

gain full control of itunes

Fix 2: Update your Windows to the latest version

Sometimes, using an outdated OS version can cause such problems. You can update your Windows OS version to the latest available version. This is because the latest updates come with more enhancements and fault fixes.

Step 1: Use WIN+I keys to open the Settings, and choose Update & Security option.

choose update and security

Step 2: Tap the Check for updates option in the Windows Update section. If there are any updates available, select the Download and Install option to download them.

check for updates

Step 3: Wait for the download to finish and restart your Windows computer to check if the problem of iPhone not showing up in Windows File Explorer has been fixed.

Fix 3: Try another USB port

Remove the iPhone from the current USB port and plug it into another USB port. If the problem is caused by a faulty USB port on your computer, this simple fix should work.

If you are using a USB HUB, connect your iPhone directly to the USB instead of connecting through the USB HUB, which may glitch.

Fix 4: Use official Apple USB cable

Using a damaged or unofficial cable may cause this problem. So, before getting into any technical troubleshooting, first check your USB cable. If it is damaged, replace it with a new one.

If the cable is not faulty, then try to get rid of the situation by using an official Apple USB cable or an MFi certified cable. the MFi cable is usually used to establish a better connection between your iPhone and your system. Also, uncertified cables can damage your iPhone.

Fix 5: Update Apple Mobile Device USB Driver

Another solution you need to consider is to update the Apple Mobile Device USB driver, which is an important component that allows your device to connect to your computer. The outdated drivers are most likely to cause various troubled thereby stopping them from establishing connections.

Step 1: Unplug iPhone from your computer, then unlock your iPhone and go to the Home screen. On the Home screen, plug iPhone back into your computer and close the window if iTunes appears.

Step 2: Right-click the Start or Windows icon and type Device Manager. Click to open it.

Step 3: Find and expand Universal Serial Bus devices. Locate the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver. Then double click to open its properties.

open apple mobile device properties

Step 4: Move to Driver tab and click on the option Update Driver.

update iphone driver

Step 5: Select Search automatically for drivers. Windows will search your computer for the best available driver and install it on your device.

search automatically for drivers

Step 6: Launch iTunes after updating the driver, the errors should be fixed and you can see your iPhone listed as one of the portable devices.

Part 3: Alternative fix for iPhone do not show up in Windows File Explorer

If you still can't solve the problem and what you want is to transfer some media files and content to your computer, then iSunshare iDevice Genius is a good choice. With iDevice Genius, you can export the photos to your computer or other external device for data backup. Besides, it is easy for you to preview and delete the unwanted photos from iPhone in this software.

iDevice Genius also can help to scan and detect the large files, such as videos, which exceeds 5MB on your iPhone. You can selectively back up those important files to the computer and delete the unwanted files to free up space. Here are the specific steps to transfer photos or videos to your computer using this software.

free download

Step 1: Connect iPhone to your computer with USB cable. In the main screen of the software, click Scan to get more details.

Note: You should not use the iPhone during the scanning process.

click scan option

Step 2: After scanning, you can free up your iPhone storage space by clicking the Clean button for things like crash logs and download file caches. For pictures that take up most of the iPhone space, you can click the Clean button and all pictures from your iPhone will be displayed.

hit clean button

Step 3: In the picture screen, you can sort the pictures by year, month and day. You can also double click or right click to preview the picture details. There is Previous and Next button for you to quickly preview other pictures.

classify the pictures

Step 4: You can select the pictures you want to export, then check the small box at the bottom right corner of the picture and click the Export button to export the pictures to PC. iSunshare iDevice Genius allows you to set a location on your computer to save the photos.

export your pictures to pc

Step 5: After a few minutes, the pictures are successfully backed up to your computer. You can hit the Yes button to open the directory where your pictures are saved. You can also repeat the above steps to export the video files on your iPhone to your computer.

pictures are successfully exported

Step 6: After transferring pictures or videos to your PC, you can simply delete the unwanted pictures or videos directly. Just select the pictures or videos and click the Delete button.

delete unwanted pictures

Step 7: When the delete process is complete, you will see how much storage space has been released.

free up storage space

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