Top 6 Ways to Fix Device Not Reachable Error for iPhone on Windows 10

Connecting your iPhone to a Windows PC is pretty easy if you have a cable. However, third-party ones are often unreliable. Trying to transfer photos from your iPhone to PC but hitting a hurdle like ‘Device cannot be accessed’? Read this guide to learn why this happens and five different ways to fix the problem.

First, make sure your computer has access to your device’s photos and videos. Usually, when you connect your iPhone to a computer, a prompt should appear asking if you want your media files to be accessed from the other computer. Make sure you click Allow.

If you choose otherwise, you may receive a ‘Device cannot be accessed’ error. If you don’t get this prompt, unplug your iPhone and try again. Restarting your computer can also help.

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1. Disable Image Conversion

By default, iOS devices transfer media files in a format compatible with the receiving device (Mac or PC). Say a picture is in HEIC format on your iPhone. So iOS converts the picture to a format compatible with your computer. This is great, no doubt. However, we discovered that the conversion process sometimes causes the ‘Device cannot be accessed’ error on Windows devices.

If you are trying to copy images from your iPhone but to no avail, go to the Photos settings menu on your iPhone and disable the image conversion. Disconnect your iPhone from the computer and follow the steps below.

Stage 1: Launch your iPhone’s settings menu and select Photos.

Step 2: Scroll to the bottom of the menu and select Keep Originals in the ‘Export to Mac or PC’ section.

Note: Some photos can be transferred to your computer as HEIC files. If you’re having trouble viewing these images using your default photo viewer, check out this guide on converting HEIC to JPG in Windows 10. Alternatively, you can convert images from HEIC to JPG on your iPhone before transferring them to your computer.

Now plug your iPhone back into PC and check if you can transfer photos and videos anymore.

2. Use Another USB Cable

Using a frayed or damaged cable can also cause this error. Make sure you are using an original cable. If the error persists after disabling image format conversion, connect your iPhone to PC using another USB cable.

3. Run the Hardware Troubleshooter

Windows has a built-in tool that checks for problems with recently installed devices and other hardware connected to your computer. Plug your iPhone into your computer and run the “Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter”. The tool will diagnose and possibly fix the issues responsible for this error.

Stage 1: Launch the Windows Run prompt using the Windows + R keyboard shortcut.

Step 2: Enter the following command in the dialog box and click OK.

msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic

This will launch the Windows ‘Hardware and Devices’ troubleshooter.

Stage 3: Click on Advanced and check ‘Apply repairs automatically’.

Step 4: Click Next to continue.

Wait for the tool to scan your device for possible hardware issues that are preventing your computer from receiving media files from your iPhone. If the troubleshooter doesn’t detect any errors on your device, try updating the USB drivers.

4. Update USB Drivers

You should also make sure your PC’s USB drivers are up to date. Connect your PC to the internet and check for any updates for the USB driver.

Stage 1: Right-click the Windows logo in the lower-left corner of your PC’s screen and select Device Manager from the Quick Access menu.

Quick tip: You can also launch the Quick Access menu using the ‘Windows + X’ keyboard shortcut.

Step 2: Expand the ‘Universal Serial Bus controllers’ section, right-click on ‘USB Root Hub’ and click Update driver.

Stage 3: Select ‘Search automatically for updated driver software’.

Wait for the troubleshooter to search your computer and the internet for the latest update for USB drivers. Also, make sure to repeat the steps for each ‘USB Root Hub’ drive.

5. Update Apple (iPhone) Driver

Plug your phone into PC and make sure you allow it to access your media files. Next, launch Device Manager and check for an update for the Apple iPhone driver.

Stage 1: Expand the Portable devices section of Device Manager. Right-click the Apple iPhone driver and click Update driver from the menu.

Step 2: Select ‘Search automatically for updated driver software’ and let Windows search for an updated version of the iPhone driver for your computer.

Install any available update and check if that fixes the error.

6. Update iOS

Finally, update your iPhone’s operating system. This can help eliminate errors that prevent your iPhone from transferring media files to your computer. Go to Settings > General > Software Update and download available updates on the page.

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Seamlessly Transfer Your Photos

Hopefully, one of the solutions mentioned above will help you get rid of this error. If you still cannot copy images from your iPhone to PC, try using another computer. If you are not getting the error on other computers, you should take your computer to an authorized repair center to have it checked.

Next: Want to access, edit or create iPhone notes on your Windows 10 PC? Read the article linked below to learn three easy methods that can help you do this.