Imagine coming home after a long day of shooting pictures and videos, and when you finally connect your GoPro to your PC, it refuses to show up there. Frustrating, isn’t it? Well, worry not because we are here to help. This article will cover all the possible reasons why your GoPro is not showing up on your PC and what you should do to solve the issue.
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Key Takeaways
- There can be several reasons your GoPro is not showing up on your PC, including cable problems, outdated drivers, and much more.
- It is important to check your USB cable, USB port, and SD card before connecting your GoPro to your PC.
- Make sure you have the latest version of windows, USB controller drivers, and GoPro firmware.
Why GoPro Is Not Showing Up On Your PC
There can be a number of possible reasons why your GoPro is not connecting to your PC. Before heading to the solutions, let us look at why it is not showing up there in the first place.
GoPro Turned Off
In order for your PC to recognize your GoPro, it must be up and running first. Your will PC will not be able to connect to your GoPro if no power flows through it. Make sure your GoPro is turned on before you plug it into your PC.
Cable Problems
One of the most common reasons a GoPro or any other external device is not showing up on your PC is that the cable you used to establish a connection between both devices is faulty. USB Cables tend to wear out with the passage of time if they are not taken care of. Make sure the cable you are using is not defective by trying to connect another device with it.
Defective Port
After checking the cable and making sure it works, the next thing you might want to do is check the ports that are used to establish a connection between both devices. This includes the USB ports on your PC and the type C port on your GoPro. Try to switch up the ports on your PC or connect another device on the same port and see if it shows up. If the problem persists, move on to the next reason.
Corrupted Or Outdated Drivers
Every piece of hardware needs steady software support to work how it was intended to. This includes the drivers. A corrupted or outdated driver will make your hardware misbehave. Ensure your drivers are rolled on to the latest version the manufacturer provides. This includes the drivers for your ports, too, since a faulty driver will not let your USB port recognize external devices.
Incorrect Settings
For your PC to recognize your GoPro, you must first ensure that you have enabled the correct settings that allow your PC to recognize your GoPro as a storage device. You can only access its content if your PC has been configured to read it as a storage device. Ensure these settings are enabled before you plug your GoPro into your PC.
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Corrupt Files
If the content inside your GoPro has been corrupted, chances are your PC will refuse to pick it up, as it will view those files as a potential threat to the system. This makes accessing your data hard since it won’t even show up on the PC in the first place, and if it does, windows will make you format the device first before you can access it.
Faulty SD Card
If the SD card inside your GoPro has run out of its lifespan, then chances are your PC will not recognize your GoPro. This is because your PC recognizes your GoPro as a storage device, and all its content is stored on the SD card inside it, so if the SD has been compromised, your PC will not be able to access the content inside of it. Always inspect your SD card for physical damage before you use it to store any data.
Outdated GoPro Firmware
One of the reasons why a GoPro may refuse to show up on a PC could be because the firmware installed in it has been outdated. If you have not updated your GoPro lately, now would be a good time for it. Ensure you have the latest updates installed for your GoPro firmware before connecting it to your PC.
What To Do If Your GoPro Is Not Showing Up On Your PC?
Now that we have seen some possible reasons why your GoPro is not showing up on your PC. Let us head over to the solutions and see what you need to do in order to make your GoPro accessible on your PC.
Restart Your PC
Perhaps the first intuitive thought that comes to our mind when something is not working is turning it off and on again. There is a reason why it is the first fix you will find in most of the solution-based guidelines. At times, technology can malfunction out of nowhere; the easiest way to fix that is by restarting the device. Who knows, maybe the classic “turn it off and on again” might just do the trick for you. Close all the applications and updates in the background and make sure your computer goes through a full shutdown. If the problem persists, then check out our next solution.
Check Your SD Card
A defective SD card will not let your PC connect with the GoPro and access its content. Perform a physical inspection of your SD card by taking it out of the camera and looking for signs of damage. Make sure it does not have any scratches, dust, or visible signs of wear and tear. Clean it for any smudges and put it back in. If it still does not show up, try using another SD card. You can also try connecting your GoPro without putting an SD card in it and see if it gives a signal. If the GoPro connects with another SD card or without any SD card inside, then use an external card reader to retrieve your data from the SD card and get a new one compatible with your GoPro.
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Check Your USB Cable
USB cables have a limited lifespan and will show signs of wear and tear with the passage of time. A defective USB cable will prevent your GoPro from connecting to your PC. Physically inspect your USB cable and look for any damage or signs of wear and tear. You can also try connecting your GoPro with it and then moving the cable to see if it appears intermittently. In case it does, you will have to replace the USB cable. You can also try connecting it with another USB cable to see if it responds. Make sure the connectors on both ends of the cable have no dirt or smudges on them and clean them before you plug them into your PC.
Check Your USB Port
If GoPro is not showing up on your PC, you need to check the USB ports. Maybe your GoPro is not connecting to your PC because the port you are plugging it into has run out of its lifespan. In a case like this, no other external device should connect to the port. Talking about lifespan, make sure to check out how long gaming PCs last. You can physically inspect your USB port to look for any visible signs of damage. You can also try connecting another device to that port and see if it connects. Lastly, if none of that works, try connecting your GoPro to another one of your USB ports and see if it shows up. If the problem was in your USB port, it should show up fine on another port.
Run The Windows Hardware And Devices Troubleshooter
If everything else fails, windows have a built-in troubleshooter that can detect problems for you. Run the windows troubleshooter by using the following steps.
- Make sure the GoPro is connected to your PC and running.
- Open Windows Settings and click on Updates and Security.
Update And Security - Find a section named Troubleshoot in the left plane and click on it.
Troubleshoot - Find Hardware and Devices and run the troubleshooter.
Hardware and devices troubleshooter - Let windows troubleshooter do its thing and wait for it to complete the process.
Update The USB Controller Drivers
Drivers are a piece of software that enables the communication between your PC components. If your driver is not behaving the way it should, neither will your hardware. Updating or reinstalling the drivers of your USB port might fix the problem for you. Follow the steps below to update your USB controller drivers.
- Right-click on “This PC” and select the properties.
- From the properties, click on “Device Manager.”
Device Manager - Expand down “Universal Serial Bus controllers.”
Universal Serial Bus controller drivers - Right-click on the affected USB port and select “Update Driver.”
Update or Uninstall Driver - Let windows do its job and search the web automatically for the best driver for your device.
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Make Sure Your GoPro Connects As A Storage Device
Your PC can only read data from a GoPro if it appears as a storage device. In order to make that the GoPro connects as a storage device, recheck the connection mode on it. Sometimes, the GoPro does not connect automatically as a storage device but as a camera instead. Ensure that the correct connection mode is selected when GoPro is connected to the PC. Follow the steps below to ensure your GoPro always connects as a storage device.
- Select “Preferences” by swiping down on your GoPro.
- Select “Connections” and find an option called “USB Connection.”
- Select “MTP” from all the available options.
- Plug into your PC and see if it shows up.
Update GoPro Firmware
The firmware of your GoPro decides how it behaves. If your GoPro’s firmware has not been updated in a while, this could cause problems in its functionality. Updating your GoPro’s firmware might make it appear on your PC again. Follow the steps below to update your GoPro’s firmware.
- Make sure your cell phone has an internet connection.
- Turn on your GoPro and connect it to the wifi.
- Install GoPro Quik on your cell phone from the app or play store.
- Open the application and select your camera.
- Find an option called “Control your GoPro.”
- After this, the app will automatically tell you if there’s an update available for your GoPro’s firmware.
- Select the “update” option and tap on “Accept and continue.”
- The app will automatically install the updates on your camera’s existing firmware, and you will then be able to use it.
- Connect it to your PC and see if it shows up now.
Check Windows Updates
Sometimes your computer does not behave as it should, simply because it misses some crucial updates. Folks over at Microsoft continue to fine-tune our operating system now and then by releasing constant updates. Not keeping your windows up-to-date will inevitably trigger your PC into bombarding you with errors. Follow the steps below to ensure you are on the latest Windows update.
- Right-click on the start menu and find “Settings.”
Settings - Click on “Update And Security.”
Update And Security - Head to the “Windows Update” section and click on “Check for Updates.”
Check For Updates - Windows will automatically inform you if there’s an update available and ask you to restart your PC so it can install the updates.
- Restart your PC and check if it solves the problem.
Use An External Card Reader
If none of the mentioned methods made your GoPro show up on your PC, you could try connecting your SD card directly to your PC. Instead of connecting your GoPro to your PC and retrieving files from it, you can try retrieving the files directly from the SD card. Take the SD card out of your GoPro. Get an external SD card reader. Put your SD card inside the card reader. Put the SD card reader in your PC’s USB port. The card reader should appear as a USB drive, and you should be able to retrieve and put files in it.
Connect To Another PC
If nothing mentioned above has worked for you, then chances are that there is a problem with your PC instead of your GoPro. Try to connect your GoPro with another PC and see if it shows up there. If it shows up there, then chances are that there could be a security setting preventing your PC from recognizing your GoPro. If that is the case, then try resetting the setting on your PC and see if fixes the issue
Conclusion
So this was everything you needed to know about why GoPro is not showing up on your PC. Hopefully, by now, your problem is solved, and you are able to access your GoPro directly from your PC. If, for some reason, you are still unable to connect your GoPro to your PC, then chances are that the problem is much more than we initially anticipated. We recommend reaching out to GoPro directly in this case.
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