How to fix “The device is unreachable” error on iPhone and Windows

Can't transfer photos from your iPhone to your PC with WindowsAre you specifically getting the “The device is unreachable” error on Windows? Fortunately, this Windows-specific problem can be resolved in a matter of minutes.

 

There could be several reasons why you might be getting this error on your Windows machine. It could be due to certain photo transfer settings on your iPhone or it could simply be the result of a port USB faulty on your computer. Regardless of what the problem is in your case, it is fairly easy to diagnose and fix this problem in most cases, so there is nothing to worry about.

If you are one of those many Windows users who are unable to copy photos and videos from their iPhone, read the various steps to fix the “Device is not available” error that may occur when transferring media from iPhone or iPad to Windows. iPad to a Windows PC.

How to fix the “Device Unreachable” error on iPhone and Windows

It doesn't really matter which iPhone model you're using, as the steps to fix this error are going to be identical on every iPhone.

1. Try another USB port

The first thing you need to do is disconnect your iPhone from the current USB port and connect it to a different port on your computer. This is because one of your ports might be loose or faulty and this could easily prevent you from transferring media to your Windows PC. By doing this step, you are basically making sure that there is nothing wrong with the ports and that you are probably getting this error due to issues with your iPhone settings.

2. Change transfer settings on iPhone

Media transfer settings while connected to a PC or Mac These can sometimes affect your iPhone’s ability to copy photos to your Windows machine. By default, your iPhone is set to automatically transfer photos in a supported format. To change this setting, head to Settings -> Photos, scroll to the bottom and tap on “Keep Originals” as instructed below. Now, disconnect and reconnect your iPhone to your computer and check if the problem persists.

3. Turn on iCloud Photos

Keeping iCloud Photos turned off can sometimes cause issues with photo transfers for reasons we don't exactly know. However, some users have reported that they were able to successfully transfer photos after enabling this feature. To do so, go to Settings -> Photos and simply use the toggle to turn on iCloud Photos. Again, make sure to disconnect and reconnect your iPhone to your computer after enabling iCloud Photos.

4. Download and keep the originals

If turning on iCloud Photos didn't resolve the issue, you'll need to make sure you've set your iPhone to download and keep the originals of all photos stored in iCloud. By default, your iPhone downloads and keeps lower-quality versions of your iCloud photos to save storage space. storage, which can sometimes make it difficult to transfer photos between your iPhone and PC. You can change this by heading to Settings -> Photos. Just below the iCloud Photos switch, you’ll find the “Download and Keep Originals” option. Just select it and reconnect your iPhone to your computer.

At this point, you should no longer be getting the error when transferring photos to your computer. Hopefully this wasn't too complicated for you.

If none of the above steps worked for you, you can try restarting or force restarting your iPhone and see if that fixes the problem. This is most likely a temporary bug or issue that can be resolved by simply turning your iPhone off and on.

Force restarting the iPhone can also fix the problem

However, a hard restart is different from a regular restart, and requires a combination of key presses. For iPhones with Home buttons, you can force a restart by simply holding down the Power button and the Home button simultaneously until you see the Apple logo on the screen. For iPhones with Face ID, you can press the Volume Up button first, followed by the Volume Down button, and then press and hold the Side/Power button until you see the Apple logo.

We hope you were able to get rid of the Windows-specific error “the device is unreachable” by changing your iPhone settings. Which steps we discussed here worked for you? Have you found other ways to prevent this problem from occurring? Share your thoughts, comments, and experiences.