Windows 10 USB Tethering Not Working: Sharing Your Phone’s Internet Through a Cable

Your home internet is down, so you plug your Android phone into the laptop with a USB cable and turn on USB tethering. The phone says tethering is active, but the PC shows no new network, or it connects with “No internet.” When Windows 10 USB tethering not working leaves you offline, the problem is usually the driver that makes the phone look like a network adapter.

USB tethering makes the phone behave like a wired network card. Android phones use a standard called RNDIS for this, and Windows needs the “Remote NDIS based Internet Sharing Device” driver to recognise it. If Windows installs the wrong driver, or none at all, the connection never appears.

Charge-only cables, mobile data limits, and carrier restrictions on tethering can also block it.

Installing the right driver and checking the phone settings usually slot mahjong gets you online.

Why This Happens

USB tethering fails for these reasons:

• Windows has not installed the RNDIS driver for the phone.
• The USB cable only charges and does not carry data.
• The phone’s mobile data is off, limited, or blocked by the carrier for tethering.
• A VPN on the phone or PC interferes with the shared connection.

iPhones use a different method and need Apple’s driver, installed with the Apple Devices app or iTunes, for USB tethering through Personal Hotspot.

Start With These Basic Checks

Check the phone and cable.

1. Make sure mobile data is on and working on the phone itself.
2. Use a cable that supports data, ideally the one that came with the phone.
3. Connect the cable first, then turn on USB tethering in the phone’s hotspot or tethering settings.
4. Open Settings > Network & Internet > Ethernet on the PC and look for a new connection.
5. Turn off VPNs on both devices and test again.

Going a Step Further

Install the correct driver.

1. Open Device Manager and look for an “RNDIS” device with a warning, often under Other devices.
2. Right-click it and choose Update driver > Browse my computer > Let me pick from a list.
3. Select Network adapters, then choose Microsoft as the manufacturer.
4. Pick “Remote NDIS Compatible Device” and select Next, accepting any warning.
5. Unplug and reconnect the phone, then turn tethering on again.

If it connects but there is no internet, open the network adapter’s properties and make sure IPv4 is set to obtain an address automatically.

A Word of Caution

Tethering uses mobile data quickly, especially with Windows Update and cloud sync running. Set the connection as metered in Windows to reduce background downloads.

Final Thoughts

USB tethering usually fails because Windows lacks the RNDIS driver or the cable cannot carry data. Use a data cable, enable tethering after connecting, and install the Remote NDIS Compatible Device driver manually.