I won't have Wi‑Fi for a few days, so I'm trying to use my iPhone 12's personal hotspot with my Windows 10 PC. The hotspot appears in the available networks and the computer connects, but Windows reports "No Internet." The hotspot has worked normally before, and another family member's hotspot works on this same computer, so the issue seems specific to my phone or its cellular hotspot connection. The phone shows the PC using a few kilobytes of data every minute. I've restarted both devices, tried Wi‑Fi, USB, and Bluetooth tethering, updated the iPhone, toggled cellular data and Personal Hotspot, changed Maximize Compatibility, disabled my VPN, and briefly tried airplane mode without success. What else should I check?
3 Answers
For USB tethering on Windows, Apple’s device drivers may be needed even if you aren’t using iTunes for anything else. Installing the current Apple Devices or iTunes package from Apple or the Microsoft Store can install or refresh those drivers. Afterward, restart the PC, connect the iPhone by cable, unlock it, and accept the Trust This Computer prompt. This mainly helps with USB tethering, though it won’t resolve a carrier-side hotspot block.
Check with your mobile carrier to make sure hotspot or tethering is still included in your plan. A plan change, data cap, or carrier-side restriction can allow the phone to broadcast a hotspot while preventing usable internet access. Airplane mode can sometimes refresh the cellular connection, but it won’t fix an account restriction.
First confirm whether this is only a misleading Windows status icon. Open a browser and try loading a few sites, or run a ping from Command Prompt. If websites load normally, Windows’ connectivity check may simply be failing even though the hotspot works. If nothing loads, then it’s a real connection problem.
My plan should still include hotspot, but I’ll verify that with the carrier. I already tried toggling airplane mode and it didn’t change anything.