What to do if your Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus is not recognized by your computer? [Troubleshooting Guide]

Need to transfer contents from your Samsung S9 Plus but couldn’t do so because your phone is not recognized by your computer? Keep reading and find out why this happens and how to fix the problem on your end using applicable workarounds and standard procedures..

Aside from external memory, computers also play a significant role when it comes to creating backups of critical data from a smartphone. To make this possible, both the phone and the computer must establish proper and secured connection for them to be able to communicate with each other and then execute file transfer when triggered. But for some reasons, things just don’t work as expected as neither device couldn’t establish connection or unable to communicate with each other. This is one of the many problems smartphone users bumped into when attempting to create backups of important data from the phone to a computer. And it can occur at any device regardless of whether it’s old or new.

Here in this post, I am going to tackle a similar issue on the new Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus. Read on to find out what factors can prevent your computer from recognizing your Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus handset even when the latter device is already connected. Also highlighted in the later section of this context are the recommended workarounds and potential solutions you can try on should you wish to troubleshoot and fix the problem on your end.

Before going further, if you found this post because you were trying to find a solution to your problem, then try to visit our Galaxy S9 Plus troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed most of the commonly reported issues with the phone. We’ve already provided solutions to some of the problems reported by our readers so try to find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work for you and if you need further assistance, fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit.

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Things to try before troubleshooting

  • Verify and ensure that the USB port on your computer or phone isn’t loose and that the cable connection is secured. Try to switch between USB ports on your computer to see if any of them works. If the computer is able to detect your phone using a different port, then it’s the previously used port is at fault.
  • Your phone must be turned on when you connect so that the computer can read it. The computer won’t be able to read your device when it’s not turned on.
  • Use only a Samsung supplied (original) USB cable that comes with your phone. Some cables are actually not compatible with your Samsung S9 Plus so they still won’t work as intended even in good condition.
  • Disable firewall/security software on the computer. In most cases, a firewall, anti-virus or any other security program prevents your phone or any other external media devices from accessing your computer for security reasons. To rule this out from the probable cause, try to disable any security software on your computer and retry connecting your Samsung S9 Plus afterwards.
  • Use a different computer (if available). It is also possible that the computer you are currently using is not just working. If available, try to connect your Samsung S9 Plus to your other computers and see how it does. If your other computer is able to detect your phone, then obviously the previous computer is at fault.
  • Verify and ensure that the computer OS is up to date. To avoid system conflict or software incompatibility, make sure your computer runs the later if not the latest version of operating system available. It has to meet the minimum system requirements to run and work with the Samsung S9 Plus platform and vice versa.

Ïf the problem persists, then go ahead and troubleshoot software problems on your Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus with these subsequent procedures.

Troubleshooting Galaxy S9 Plus that’s not recognized by computer

Reboot your phone and the computer.

If this is the first time you attempt to connect your phone to a computer and then it didn’t go through, then it’s likely just a minor glitch that can be rectified by a device restart. Having said that, try to reboot your computer and your Samsung S9 Plus then connect them again.

  • To reboot your computer, just follow the usual procedure to turn it off and then back on again.

Before you restart your computer, remove any other external devices from other USB ports. Doing so will help you ensure that the problem isn’t inflicted by any other external devices that is occupying the other USB ports on your computer.

  • To restart your Samsung S9 Plus, turn it off as you normally do and then let it rest for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. After the elapsed time, press the Power button again until your phone boots up.

Alternatively, you can try a soft reset using the hardware keys on your Samsung S9 Plus. Here’s how it’s done:

  • Simultaneously press and hold the Power and Volume Down buttons for about 30 to 45 seconds and then release both keys when the phone restarts.

It is a simulated battery removal procedure that does the same and yields the same positive outcome as the usual restart does without affecting your important data and personal information stored on the phone.

Or you can also try this sequence:

Unplug the USB cable, restart your phone, then plug it back into your computer. If that won’t work, unplug the USB cable for a few seconds and then plug it back in. Then restart your phone.

Switch between media type options.

If the computer can’t read your phone as Media or MTP device, try to choose other option like PTP or camera device. Here’s how:

  • Open the Notification panel, find USB options, tap Media Device (MTP). This allows you to transfer files between your phone and the computer. Otherwise, select Camera (PTP) if you want to move photos using the Camera app on your phone.

Reinstall Samsung drivers on your computer.

Check the drivers status on your computer. If you see any erratic Samsung drivers in there, try to uninstall then reinstall the required Samsung drivers on your computer, reboot your computer, and then retry to connect your phone.

Alternatively, you can download and install the latest Samsung drivers on your computer to make sure your drivers are not out of date.

Reset your phone (master reset).

A master reset or factory reset can be the very last option to consider if all else failed to fix the problem and that your Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus is still not recognized by your computer. This could be the only thing needed especially if the problem is triggered by some tough bugs dwelling in the system structure of your phone. Nevertheless, this reset will likewise wipe out all your important data and personal information stored on the internal storage. Should you wish to proceed and take your chances in this reset, don’t forget to back up everything that needs to be saved from the full system reset. Here’s how it’s done:

  • Back up your phone data by going to Apps-> Settings-> Cloud and accounts-> Backup and restore. Then select the option to Back up my data or Automatic restore.

After creating a backup, proceed and perform a factory reset with these steps:

  1. Tap Settings.
  2. Tap General management.
  3. Tap Reset.
  4. Select Factory data reset.
  5. Tap Reset to continue.
  6. Then tap Delete All to confirm.
  7. If prompted, enter your credentials or verify your Samsung account and password to proceed and complete the reset.

After the reset, your device will reboot and you will need to go through the initial setup. Try and see if this fixes everything. If it doesn’t, then consider the next option.

Seek Further Assistance

Contact the manufacturer of your computer for further assistance if ever you still couldn’t get it to recognize your Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus after performing all prior workarounds. There might be certain settings on the computer that needs to be configured for it to be able to detect your smartphone as an external media device.

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