Android

If your Nexus 7 won’t connect to PC, bugs could be the root of the problem so you should consider disconnecting and reconnecting the devices. Besides that, you could also check out the USB ports, change connection settings, uninstall and reinstall the driver, etc. Not exactly tech-savvy and have a hard time carrying out the solutions on your own? Then this article is for you. 

Nexus 7 Not Connecting To PC: Reasons

All in all, the process of connecting Nexus 7 to computers for data transfer is usually a straightforward affair. However, in the case that your Nexus 7 won’t connect to your PC, you must take the suspects down below into account: 

• Bugs
• USB ports. 
• Connection settings. 
• Driver.

A List Of Solutions

Disconnect And Reconnect The Devices

While today’s electronics outmatch their predecessors in a lot of regards, it’s not uncommon for them to bug out all of sudden. In the case of Nexus 7, bugs could prevent computers from recognizing the tablet which makes it difficult to transfer data. On the bright side, you should be able to get rid of the bugs by disconnecting your Nexus 7 from your PC and reconnecting them. Depending on the situation, it won’t hurt to restart the devices at least once as well. 

Check Out The USB Ports 

Generally speaking, if the USB ports on your tablet and your computer experience issues, there is no way to establish a stable connection between the devices. Because of that, you should spare a bit of time to check out the USB ports. If the ports appear dirty, proceed to clean them to the best of your ability. If the ports have sustained damage, get someone to repair them at the earliest opportunity. 

Note: For good measure, you should take a look at the USB cable and determine whether it’s in good condition. If the cable is damaged, it’s widely advised that you pick up a replacement. 

Apply Changes To  Connection Settings

• Step 1: On your tablet, open Settings, select Storage, choose the three-dot icon on the top right and hit  USB computer connection. 
• Step 2: Opt for PTP then confirm your decision if prompted. 
• Step 3: Connect your Nexus 7 to your PC and see how things turn out. 

Uninstall And Reinstall The Driver

• Step 1: On your tablet, open Settings, go to About device and tap Build number seven times to enable Developer mode. Next, back out to Settings, hit Developer options and make sure that USB debugging is turned off. 
• Step 2: Proceed to make your way to Storage in Settings, click the three-dot icon on the top right, pick USB computer connections and opt for MTP. 
• Step 3: On your PC, press Windows key, type devmgmt.msc and hit Enter to open Device Manager. 
• Step 4: Look for Android phone, right-click it and pick Uninstall. Check the checkbox next to Delete the driver software for this device before hitting OK. After you finish, restart your computer. 
• Step 5: When the screen comes back on, connect your Nexus 7 to your PC and determine whether the issue persists. 

Note: Your PC is still unable to recognize your tablet? In that case, you should update the driver. 

• Step 1: Connect your Nexus 7 to your PC.
• Step 2: Open Device Manager, locate Android phone, right-click it and pick Update driver. 
• Step 3:  Follow onscreen instructions to update the driver then witness the result.

Alternative: MyPhoneExplorer

If you struggle to transfer data via wired connection (USB cable), go for wireless instead (Wi-Fi). To do so, you must resort to third-party apps like MyPhoneExplorer. 

• Step 1: On your PC, open your web browser, search for MyPhoneExplorer then download and install it. 
• Step 2: On your tablet, open Google Play Store, search for MyPhoneExplorer then download and install it. 
• Step 3: Connect your tablet as well as your computer to the same Wi-Fi network then launch MyPhoneExplorer on both devices. Proceed to establish a connection between the devices. 
• Step 4: Open MyPhoneExplorer on your PC, click File and pick Connect. Enter password if prompted. 
• Step 5: A list of available files should appear soon and could move files between the devices as you see fit. 

What Must Be Done To Pair Nexus 7 With Another Device? 

• Step 1: Open Settings, select Bluetooth then toggle on the switch.
• Step 2: Choose the desired device from the list of available devices. Make sure that the Bluetooth from the other device is enabled and that it is in range of your Nexus 7. If the device is not in the list, select Search For Devices then search for the device’s name. 
• Step 3: Verify the code, choose Pair and follow on-screen instructions. 

The process of connecting Android phones to computers for data transfer is usually a straightforward affair. However, errors like “The connected device is unable to access data on this device” could still give people a hard time on occasions. In most of the cases, the best solution for errors during data transfer is to disconnect and reconnect the devices. Additionally, you could restart the devices, modify USB configuration, download and install Android File Transfer/Samsung Smart Switch,… Read to the end to learn what must be done to be able to transfer data between devices as you see fit. 

Causes Of The Error

It’s not uncommon for Android to act up out the blue but once it comes to the error “The connected device is unable to access data on this device”, you should consider these possibilities: 

• Bugs.
• Ill-configured USB settings. 
• The absence of data transfer apps. 

What Must Be Done

Disconnect And Reconnect The Devices 

If you come across the error “The connected device is unable to access data on this device” all of a sudden, don’t panic. Instead, you should proceed to disconnect the devices, wait for a bit and reconnect them. You should also use the opportunity to take a look at the USB cable and look for signs of damages. If the cable is damaged, it’s strongly recommended that you pick up a replacement at the earliest opportunity, 

Restart The Devices 

All in all, despite its simplicity, restart is good at getting rid of bugs that plague electronics. Thus, if you struggle to connect your phone to your computer for data transfer, restart the devices.

For Phones

• Step 1: Press and hold the Power button.
• Step 2: Hit Power off then confirm your decision if prompted.
• Step 3: Allow your phone to shut down all the way. Next, press and hold the Power button to turn on your phone. As soon as you see the home screen, connect your phone to your computer and see how things turn out. 

For Computers

Windows

• Step 1: Open Start menu. 
• Step 2: Click the Power icon then pick Restart. 
• Step 3: When the screen comes back on, connect your phone to your computer and witness the result. 

MacOS

• Step 1: Open Apple menu.
• Step 2: Hit Restart.
• Step 3: After the restart finishes, connect your phone to your computer and determine whether the issue persists. 

Modify USB Configuration 

• Step 1: On your phone, open Settings, hit About and tap Build number seven times to enable Developer Mode. 
• Step 2: Back out to Settings, go to Developer Options and toggle on the Default USB Configuration switch.
• Step 3: Proceed to tick the circle next to File transfer. 

Download And Install Android File Transfer/Samsung Smart Switch

To facilitate data transfer between Android phones and computers, you need data transfer apps like Samsung Smart Switch and Android File Transfer.

Android File Transfer

• Step 1: On your computer, launch the web browser and visit the Android.com website.
• Step 2: Find Android File Transfer then download it.
• Step 2: Open the AndroidFileTransfer.dmg and drag Android File Transfer to Applications on your macOS. 
• Step 3: Connect the phone to macOS using a USB cable, and double-click Android File Transfer to open the app. Now, you should be able to move files from your phone to your computer and vice versa. 

Note: Only available for macOS. 

Samsung Smart Switch 

• Step 1: On your computer, launch the web browser and visit the Samsung website.
• Step 2: Make your way to Download Smart Switch, pick your computer operating system (macOS or Windows), wait for a bit and click the downloaded file at the bottom of your screen. Remember to hit Keep if prompted. 
• Step 3: Run the download file to initiate the installation of Samsung Smart Switch then restart your computer after the installation finishes. 
• Step 4: Launch Samsung Smart Switch, agree to the license agreement and hit Next. Allow the SmartSwitch – InstallWizard reaches 100%.
• Step 5: Perform the file transfer at your leisure. 

Note: Available for macOS and Windows computers. Make sure that your phone also has the same app, which can be downloaded from Google Play Store.