IPhone Not Showing Up in Windows Explorer? Easy Fix!

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iPhone windows file explorer fix

If you have connected your iPhone or iPod to your computer using a USB cable and Windows Explorer doesn’t recognize it, there could be a couple of issues causing this problem.

In this post, I will show you how to diagnose and fix the iPhone not showing up in the Windows Explorer issue so that you can easily access your iPhone or iPad storage without using iTunes.

First, you may want to check the USB cable you use to confirm that it works. If you have iTunes on your computer, check if your iPhone shows up when connected.

You should also unplug any accessories and reboot your iPhone, iPad, or iPod before you retry. If the problem persists, use the following methods:

Reinstall Apple Mobile Device USB Drivers

  • Disconnect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod from your Windows PC and then reconnect it
  • Close iTunes if it opens
  • Open File Explorer on your computer
  • Go to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple\Mobile Device Support\Drivers
  • Right-click on usbaapl64.inf if your computer is 64 bit or usbaapl.inf for 32-bit computers
  • Click on install
  • Follow the installation wizard to complete the installation process
  • Disconnect your iOS device
  • Restart your computer
  • Reconnect your iOS device
  • Open File Explorer

Once you open file explorer, you should see your iPhone, iPad, or iPod storage listed. If not, you should use the following method.

Repair the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver

  • Press Win + R on your Windows PC to open the Run command
  • Enter devmgmt.msc in the window that appears
  • Click OK, and the Device Manager will open
  • Go to Universal Serial Bus Controllers
  • Check for the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver
  • Right-click on it and select properties to determine if it works properly.
  • If yes, right-click again and update the driver
  • Try disabling and enabling it if it doesn’t work
  • Finally, uninstall and reinstall if it still doesn’t work. You should also uninstall and reinstall the latest version of iTunes if available on your computer.
  • Each time unplug your iOS device and reconnect it to see if it works

By the end of this second method, your iPhone, iPad, or iPod should be working. You should change your USB cable if it neither responds nor shows up on the Device Manager.

Additionally, make sure you tap Trust This Computer if such a message appears on your iOS device when connecting it to a Windows computer.

If you see an exclamation mark next to your Apple driver in Device Manager, you should re-install the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver and restart your computer before reconnecting your iPhone, iPad, or iPod.