You have plugged in your iPhone to your Mac or PC and then nothing happens? You check your iTunes to see if it has detected your iPhone, iPad, or iPod and you don’t see it there. I know, this can be quite frustrating especially when it used to work well until the last time you connected.

You don’t have to worry much about it as this issue is quite common and we have a bunch of troubleshooting steps and fixes laid out here for you to fix this issue. These tricks to fix iPhone not detected by computer issue are in no particular order. Feel free to give all of them a shot and see what works best for you.

1. Restart iTunes

Just like any other software in existence, iTunes is also bound to become buggy at times. This can usually be sorted out by simply restarting iTunes.

1. Quit iTunes completely.
2. If you are on a Windows PC, check the Task Manager and make sure it is not running in the background.
3. Wait for a minute and relaunch iTunes again.

2. Try a different USB Port/Cable

Sometimes, the issue may not be with the iPhone (or iPad or iPod for that matter) rather the issue might be with the USB Cable used or the USB port on the computer. Using a different cable also helps us know if the port on iPhone is properly working.

Try switching the cable and also try plugging in into a different USB port on the PC to make sure the issue is not with these two. When you face the same issue with different cable or port, then you can rule out this possibility.

3. Reboot your iPhone/Computer

As I have said in multiple guides, as simple as it may sound, many problems get fixed by simply rebooting your device. Make sure to reboot both your iPhone, iPad, or iPod and also your computer and see if this helps fix the issue.

4. Reinstall iTunes

If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod is still not recognized by your computer, then the next thing we are going to make sure is that there are no issues with your iTunes installation. To do that, we are going to have to completely remove iTunes and reinstall it again.

Depending on whether you are using a Mac or a PC, the process is going to be different and we have listed them both here.

Uninstall iTunes in Mac:

1. Launch Terminal from the Utilities folder in the Applications.
2. First, run the following command: cd /Applications/
3. Next, execute this command: sudo rm -rf iTunes.app/
4. You will be asked to enter your administrator password, enter the same and confirm.

Note that there will be no warning or confirmation after iTunes is deleted.

Uninstall iTunes from Windows:

1. Press Windows Key + R.
2. Execute this run command: appwiz.cpl. This will open up the Programs and Features section of Windows where all the installed applications will be listed out.
3. Scroll and find out iTunes > Right click > Press Uninstall.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions (if any) and wait for the uninstallation process to complete.

Once you have completed the above steps, download and install the latest version of iTunes from Apple iTunes page.

5. iPhone, iPad or iPod not being detected in Windows? Update Driver Software

If you are facing iPhone not being detected by iTunes issue only on Windows, then you might want to update your iOS Device Driver. Here’s how to do it:

1. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run Prompt.
2. Execute this command to open Device Manager: devmgmt.msc
3. Go to Apple iPhone (or any other Apple device) under the portable devices section.
4. Right click on it and choose Update software.
5. Next, click Browse on my computer.
6. Navigate to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Apple and choose the folder called Drivers.

Now the updated driver will installed. Restart iTunes once after this process and see if this fixes the issue.

Note that this driver update process is only for Windows and Mac does not need any drivers to detect iDevices.

iTunes Still not Detecting iPhone?

If you have tried out all the troubleshooting steps which we have listed above and you still don’t see iTunes not recognizing your iPhone – try connecting a different Apple device to your Mac or PC and see if it is detected. If it does, then it means the issue is with your iPhone. If it does not, then the issue is with the USB port on the computer or Mac (or the issue is with the computer or Mac itself).

If indeed the issue is with your Apple device, I recommend to take your device to an Apple authorized repair center or Apple Store and get it checked by a professional.

If any of the steps above does work for you or if you have a different solution to this issue, you are welcome to share the same with is in the comments below.