Top 6 Ways to Fix Device Is Unreachable Error for iPhone on Windows 10

Connecting your iPhone to a Windows PC is pretty straightforward if you have a cable. However, third parties are often unreliable. Are you trying to transfer photos from your iPhone to your PC, but come across a “ Device is unreachable ” stumbling block? Read this guide to find out why this is happening and five different ways to fix it.

First, make sure that your computer has access to photos and videos on your device. Usually, plugging your iPhone into one computer should display a prompt asking you whether or not you want to access your media files on the other computer. Make sure you click Allow.

You may get the “The device cannot be accessed” error if you choose otherwise. If you don’t get this prompt, unplug your iPhone and try again. Restarting your computer may also help.

1. Disable image conversion

By default, iOS devices transfer media files in a format compatible with the receiving device (Mac or PC). Suppose an image is in HEIC format on your iPhone. Thus, iOS will convert the image to a format compatible with your computer. It’s brilliant, without a doubt. However, we found out that the conversion process sometimes causes the “ Device is inaccessible ” error on Windows devices.

If you have tried copying pictures from your iPhone but failed, go to the Photos settings menu on your iPhone and turn off image conversion. Unplug your iPhone from the computer and follow the steps below.

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

2nd step: Scroll down to the bottom of the menu and select Keep Originals in the “Transfer to Mac or PC” section.

Note: Some photos may be transferred to your computer as HEIC files. If you have trouble viewing these images using your default photo viewer, refer to this guide on converting HEIC to JPG on Windows 10. You can also convert images from HEIC to JPG on your iPhone before transferring them to your PC.

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

2. Use another USB cable

Using a frayed or damaged cable can also cause this error. Make sure you are using a genuine cable. If the error persists after disabling the aspect ratio conversion, connect your iPhone to the 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 any other hardware connected to your computer. Plug your iPhone into your computer and run the hardware and device troubleshooter. The tool will diagnose and possibly fix the issues responsible for this error.

Step 1: Launch Windows Run Prompt using the Windows + R keyboard shortcut.

2nd step: Enter the command below in the dialog box and click OK.

msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic

This will launch the Windows “Hardware and Peripherals” troubleshooter.

Step 3: Click on Advanced and check the option “Apply repairs automatically”.

Step 4: Click Next to continue.

Wait for the tool to scan your device for any hardware issues preventing your computer from receiving media files from your iPhone. If the troubleshooter does not find any errors on your device, try updating the USB drivers.

4. Update USB drivers

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

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

Quick advice: You can also launch the Quick Access menu using the “Windows + X” keyboard shortcut.

2nd step: Expand the “Universal Serial Bus Controllers” section, right-click “Root USB Hub” and click Update Driver.

Step 3: Select “Automatically search for updated driver”.

Wait for the troubleshooter to check your computer and the Internet for the latest USB driver update. Also, be sure to repeat the steps for each “USB Root Hub” driver.

5. Update the Apple driver (iPhone)

Plug your phone into the PC and make sure to grant it access to your media files. Then launch Device Manager and check if an update is available for Apple iPhone driver.

Step 1: Expand the Portable Devices section of Device Manager. Right click on the Apple iPhone driver and click Update Driver from the menu.

2nd step: Select “Automatically check 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. It can help eliminate bugs preventing your iPhone from transferring media files to your computer. Go to Settings> General> Software Update and download any updates available on the page.

Transfer your photos seamlessly

Hope one of the solutions mentioned above should help you get rid of this error. If you still cannot copy pictures from iPhone to PC, try using another computer. If you don’t get the error on other computers, you need to take your PC to an authorized repair center to have it checked.