USB tethering is one of the features of Android phones. Redmi Note 4 has its own Android version of MIUI over the default version of OS. Windows 10 and Redmi Note 4 can be connected over Wi-Fi. But it is more convenient to link it through a USB cable.

Note:

In the latest update it is much easier to connect using USB. You can skip this guide if you are using Redmi Note 12 or latest version of Android 12. But for legacy cases, when you have not updated the MIUI version or Android, you can follow this tutorial.

I thought it the same way. But it’s not as easy you think, as just plugging in.

You need to install an Android Composite ADB Interface driver, before you make them work together. In some popular sites, I observe that the Google USB driver for Redmi Note 4 is provided as an .exe file for Windows 10.

In some other sites, the Android USB driver is provided in a .zip format.

Redmi Note 4 USB Device not Recognized?

In the first case, when you connect Redmi Note 4 to Windows 10, it’ll not be recognized as a drive under “This PC”. This is because it requires the Google USB Driver, which is part of the Android SDK Tools.

Google Usb Driver Sdk Tools

You can go to this page –

https://developer.android.com/studio/run/win-usb

Here you can download the driver as a .zip file.

But even after installing it, your USB connection may sometimes not work.

This is because of two reasons –

  1. Not using the proper USB port
  2. USB Debugging option is not enabled under “Developer Options”.
  3. An Incorrect USB Driver might have been installed – for eg. LeMobile Android Device
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Both the above errors are to be fixed, before you can start using Redmi Note 4 as any other drive.

The OTG cable which is used to recharge Redmi Note 4 can also be used as an USB cable to connect your mobile to your computer. But make sure it is inserted into an appropriate and working USB port. Sometimes you need an USB hub, for this purpose. Otherwise, you can try the back-end of your CPU, which generally has more ports.

Not using the right USB port can also lead to connection not working properly.

How to Fix the Wrong USB Driver Installation?

To make your connection work, I just installed the Google USB driver from the above location. But as a result an “unknown” driver was installed for Redmi Note 4. The installed driver was shown in the Device Manager as “LeMobile Android Device”.

From this source (https://rlbcontractor.com/replace-wrong-android-usb-drivers-on-your-pc) it is said that Windows 10 thinks that it is a better driver for your phone than the original one.

So first you need to remove and replace this “wrong” driver and then install the correct one.

Redmi Note 4 or any other Android phone actually requires the Google Android USB driver as a legacy hardware, if this is the problem.

To remove the LeMobile Android Device driver (or for that matter any other driver), open Device Manager in Windows 10. Click the Start Button and it will be there in the pop-up screen.

  1. Right click on the LeMobile Android Device/Android Composite ADB. Click on “Uninstall device”.
  2. From the next dialog box, check “Delete the driver software for this device”.
  3. This is important. Otherwise, the “previous” drivers will still remain there.
  4. Then click the “Uninstall” button.
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Lemobile Android Device Drivers
Uninstall Device Driver Manager Windows
Uninstall Driver Device Manager Windows

Now the “unknown” or redundant driver is removed, you can now install the “actual” driver. But you will not be able to see the “USB” interface among the devices now. To add the phone to the list of hardware, you can do Action > Scan for hardware changes from the main menu (if you have already installed the Android USB driver).

Then your correct driver will be installed. Otherwise, you can install the Google USB driver in this fashion.

How to Install the Redmi Note 4 USB Driver using the INF file

This is a very easy process to do. First, unzip the Android USB driver file. In the (latest_usb_driver_windows) folder you can find the particular android_winusb.inf file.  There are other files in that folder, but they are unimportant for now.

  1. Right click the .INF file.
  2. From the context menu, click on “Install”.
  3. Now plugin the “Redmi Note 4” phone.
  4. In the Device Manager you should see something like this.
  5. Android Device > Android Composite ADB Interface
Android Windows Usb Driver
Install Google Usb Driver
Android Usb Driver Device Manager
Portable Device Redmi Note 4

It is always significant to remember that uninstalling the previous drivers before installing the new ones is important. Even if you require it for later, Windows will find it automatically.

How to Enable Redmi Note 4 Developer Options?

If you still have problems connecting Redmi Note 4 USB to Windows 10, you should enable the USB Debugging option in your phone.

For this follow these steps.

  1. Pull down the screen from the top in Redmi Note 4.
  2. Click the gear icon for “Settings
  3. Click the “About phone”.
  4. Now tab the “MIUI Version” several times, till it says successfully.
  5. Go to “Additional Settings” with three dots from “Settings” menu.
  6. Now you can see “Developer options” as one item.
  7. Click on it.
  8. Your “Developer options” screen should be enabled.
  9. Under “Debugging” you can enable the “USB Debugging” option.
  10. Further, you can also set “Select USB Configuration” to MTP (Media Transfer Protocol).
  11. Then you can disable “Developer options”.
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Activate Developer Options Android
Developer Options Android
Additional Settings Android
Usb Debugging Redmi Note 4

Now you are ready to go. Connect your Redmi Note 4 phone and you should see it as a drive in your File Explorer of Windows 10.  From the phone “Settings” if you click on “…More” you should see “USB tethering” enabled. This is a signal that you are successfully connected.

Usb Tethering Android Settings

How to Fix (This device cannot start. (Code 10)) Error?

This error also can crop up, when LeMobile Android Device or any other “unknown” driver is installed. This Code 10 error is one of the several Device Manager error codes.

Code 10 Device Cannot Start ErrorRedmi Note 4 device may generate the Code 10 error, when your Device Manager doesn’t understand the driver. In a generic case, it is understood that some kind of unspecified driver or hardware problem can be behind this issue. This code 10 error, is mainly due to USB and audio devices.

For this, you can try to uninstall the Lemobile Android Device and then install the correct drivers as mentioned before.

Redmi Note 4 This Pc File Explorer Windows 10

As you can see above, when the USB connection between Redmi Note 4 and Windows 10 works properly, you should be able to see your phone as a drive. You could easily access all the folders and files in the Internal storage of Redmi Note 4.

In another article we will see, on how to transfer photos and files from Redmi Note 4 to Windows 10 using different methods.

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