5 Easy Solutions to Windows 11/10 not Recognizing iPhone

When you connect iPhone to computer to create a recent backup using iTunes, you may find Windows 11/10 not recognizing iPhone. Here in this guide, you will be given some quick and simple solutions to get out of the issue.

Demi

By Demi / Updated on October 9, 2024

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Windows 11 doesn't recognize my iPhone

I’m desperate now, my iPhone 11 is not recognized by Windows, I reinstalled iTunes ten times. But when I plug in iPhone, it only starts to charge but I can’t do data transfer. Hope can someone help me, thank you.

- Question from Microsoft forums

You may usually connect your iPhone to computer to backup iPhone to PC or transfer files from iPhone to computer using iTunes. But this time is out of the blue. When you connect iPhone to Windows PC like what you used to do, you may find Windows 11 not recognizing iPhone. Chances are also that iPhone is connecting to PC but only getting charged.

windows 11 not recognizing iphone

If you face the connection failure during iPhone backup or data transfer on Windows PC, it’s time to get out of the issue with the quick and simpler solutions in this guide.

Why Windows 11 is not Recognizing iPhone?

Because this scenario involves two devices, issues with either of them cloud cause Windows11 doesn’t recognize iPhone. Therefore, you’ll have to put in about twice as much work. And the followings are some of the most typical causes of the problem.

⛔ Critical permissions not granted
❌ Outdated or corrupted Apple Drives
⚠️ Faulty connection between iPhone and computer
⚙️ Older versions of Windows 11 or software

Now that you have a basic understanding of the underlying causes to Windows 11 not detecting iPhone, you are in a much better position to troubleshoot the error.

5 Fixes to Windows 11 not Recognizing iPhone

In this part, you will be given five effective solutions to Windows 11 not recognizing iPhone. You can try them one after another until you can get Windows to recognize your iPhone. If you decide to give up using iTunes because iTunes not detecting iPhone Windows 11, you can skip to the next part to get powerful iTunes alternative.

Fix 1. Quick Troubleshooting to iPhone not Being Recognized by Windows 11

It may not a big deal when your find Windows 11 doesn’t recognize iPhone. Just try the quick troubleshoots below to check whether they work.

• Ensure proper connection. The first thing you need to check is that your iPhone is connected to your Windows PC normally and no end of the cable is loose. You can try other USB cables and ports to see if you are still facing the issue.
• Disconnect other accessories. Other accessories that connected to your computer may interrupt your iPhone. Therefore, it is suggested to unplug accessories other than keyboard and mouse.

Fix 2. Trust This Computer on iPhone

Apple is concerned about the security of its user’s data. The error will happen if you don’t unlock iPhone or provide necessary permissions when the two devices are connected.

iPhone Trust This Computer

When the message prompts on your iPhone, please tap Trust. If you ignore the message or choose Don’t Trust, Windows 11 will not detect your iPhone.

Fix 3. Check All Windows Updates

You need to keep your Windows 11 up to date, just as you always keep the latest iOS installed on your iPhone. As a result, double-check that you have the latest version of Windows 11.

Go to Settings on your computer > Choose Update & security > Windows Update and make sure your computer is up to date with all Windows updates installed.

Update Windows

If it happens to iTunes not recognizing iPhone in Windows 11, you can choose to check iTunes update by going to iTunes > Help and choose Check for Updates.

iTunes Check For Updates

Fix 4. Update Apple Portable Device Driver

An outdated driver is also one of the possible reasons why Windows 11 iTunes not recognizing iPhone. If that’s the case, update Apple portable device driver should fix the problem.

Step 1. Disconnect your iPhone from your computer and reconnect your iPhone to computer.

Step 2. Click and hold (or right-click) the Start button, choose Device Manager.

Step 3. Locate and expand the Portable Devices > Locate and right-click your iPhone and choose Update driver > Choose Search automatically for updated driver software.

Update Portable Device Driver

Fix 5. Repair Apple Mobile Device Support

Apple Mobile Device Support is also used to automatically detect an iPhone, iPad, or iPod when it is plugged into the computer’s USB drive. You may need to check if it is installed and repair it if necessary.

Step 1. Type Appwiz.cpl in the taskbar search field and hit the Enter key to open the Programs and Features window.

Step 2. From here, you can locate Apple Mobile Device Support > Right click it and click Repair > Follow the on-screen directions to repair it.

Apple Mobile Device Support

Hope you can get out of the issue - Windows not recognizing iPhone with the solutions above.

If you connect iPhone to computer for the sake of data backup or transfer, please keep reading, and you will get a powerful iTunes alternative to fully or selective backup iPhone, and transfer music, videos, contacts, and photos from iPhone to computer, and vice versa.

Bonus: Best iTunes Alternative to Backup & Transfer iPhone Data

AOMEI FoneBackup, one of the best alternatives to iTunes, helps you transfer and backup data from iPhone to computer. The feature-rich AOMEI FoneBackup has got more functions than its iTunes counterpart, which enables you to better manage data on your iPhone/iPad/iPod. Let’s take a view of its main functions.

Backup iPhone data selectively
Different from iTunes, you can not only create full iPhone backup with its Full Backup function, you can also backup only the wanted text messages, photos, videos, contacts, etc. from iPhone to computer using Selective Backup function.

Select Files

Just in three steps, you can finish backing up iPhone files to computer as you like. You can save the backup to your computer, as well as USB, NAS, and so on.

 Note: If you can't find your device from the PC, you can go to this iPhone not showing in Windows Explorer guide to get solutions.

Transfer files among iOS devices and computer
You can rely on its Phone Transfer functions to share wanted files from iPhone to iPhone, iPhone to computer, and vice versa at a super fast speed. It also is workable if you need to switch all data to new iPhone from your old one.

Transfer To Computer

You can be free to click the icon below to download AOMEI FoneBackup on your computer and explorer its advanced functions on your own.

Download FreewareWin 11/8.1/8/7/XP
Secure Download

Conclusion

Hope the solutions in this guide can help you get out of the issue - Windows 11 not recognizing iPhone. To backup and transfer iPhone data to computer in a safer way, you can try the professional software - AOMEI FoneBackup. If this guide helps you, please share it with others.

 
Demi
Demi · Editor
Demi from AOMEI group, knows iOS devices like the back of her hand. She's great at fixing problems and keeping data safe. She loves to help people keep their iOS running well. When not teaching, Demi enjoys hiking and taking pictures of nature.