How do I get my computer to recognize my Sony Handycam?

If the built-in USB cable of the camera is short to connect to the USB port of the computer, use the USB support cable bundled with the camera.

Table of Contents Show

Related Articles
How do I connect my Sony Handycam to my computer?
Why is my camera not showing up when I plug it into my computer?
How do I connect my Handycam camera to my laptop?

Using a third-party USB cable is not guaranteed to work.

The HDMI® port on the camera does not support file transfer.

Disconnect any other USB devices (except for the mouse and keyboard) from the computer.

Turn off the camcorder for 30 seconds.

After 30 seconds, turn the camcorder on again.

IMPORTANT:

If you have a camcorder with USB Streaming capability, you may also need to turn on the USB Streaming feature in the camcorder menu. However, not all camcorders with a USB connection support USB Streaming.
After being turned on, some camcorder models require you to select USB CONNECT or COMPUTER on the LCD screen.
If necessary, refer to the camcorder instruction manual for further information. Manuals are posted on your model support page.

Check the display on the LCD screen.

If USB connected, MTP connected, or Mass Storage connected is displayed on the LCD screen of the camcorder, the camcorder is recognized by the computer.
If Check the connected device is displayed on the LCD screen of the camcorder, it is possible that the USB cable is disconnected or has lost connection. Reconnect the USB cable.
If USB SELECT is displayed on the LCD screen of the camcorder, choose USB CONNECT. If other options like
internal memory,
internal hard disk, or
memory card are displayed on the LCD screen other than the USB CONNECT option, choose the icon where the images or videos you want to transfer are located.

Change USB Connect Setting and USB LUN Setting of the camcorder.

NOTE: For cameras released after 2011 only.

To change the USB Connect Setting;
1. Go to MENU
2. Choose Setup
3. Look for USB Connect Setting
4. Choose Mass Storage.
To change the USB LUN setting:
1. Go to MENU
2. Choose Setup
3. Look for USB LUN Setting
4. Choose Single

If the issue is not resolved, restart the computer.

If still not resolved after restarting the computer, try connecting the USB cable to another USB port on the computer.

IMPORTANT:

For a computer running a Windows® operating system, you should also try uninstalling and reinstalling the USB driver .
For a computer running the Windows® Vista or XP operating system, try downloading the Media Transfer Protocol Porting Kit.

If still not resolved, it may be necessary to replace the USB cable .

If you have completed all of the steps above, replaced the USB cable and the issue is still not resolved, connect the camcorder to another computer.

NOTE: If the issue does not occur with another computer, then the USB ports on the first computer may not be configured properly or there may be installed software that is interfering with the connection. In these situations, you will need to contact your computer manufacturer for further assistance troubleshooting the computer.

The troubleshooting steps listed above should resolve your issue. If the issue does occur with another computer, the camcorder may require service. Go to Product Repair.

Computer does not recognize or detect a camera with multiple USB settings.
How do I get the driver needed to connect my camera or camcorder to my computer?
How do I get the driver needed to connect my camera or camcorder to my computer?
How to transfer video from a DVD camcorder to an Apple Macintosh computer using a USB connection
Is it possible to charge the battery in the camera or camcorder by connecting it to the USB port on a computer?
Make sure the computer meets the system requirements of your camera and install the supplied software and camera driver if necessary (confirm that you have administrator rights).
Check if the [USB Connect Setting] of the camera [setup-menu] is set to [AUTO] or [Mass Storage] and the storage card is inserted and correctly detected inside the camera (if the camera uses memory card for recording).
Confirm that the battery of the camcorder is sufficiently charged or use an AC-adapter.
· Make sure the USB ports on both the camcorder and computer are not dusty or dirty.
· Connect the camcorder directly to an USB port that is build into the computer; do not use a port replicator or USB hub.
· Make sure the USB cable is securely connected to the camcorder and the computer.
· Turn the computer on and wait until it has booted completely.

Depending on your computer and the operating system the computer should now automatically detect the USB connection from the camera and installs the appropriate driver. A confirmation message will be displayed in the taskbar when you are ready to use the device. If the Auto Play window does not pop up check if the camera is listed as a removable disk in the Windows Explorer.
Important Notes:
· After being turned on, some camcorder models require you to select USB CONNECT or COMPUTER on the LCD screen. Select [USB Connect]
· If the "Device Stage" window does not open when you connect the camcorder to a computer equipped with Windows 7, set [USB Connect Setting] to [Auto].
· If the computer is connected to a network, it may be necessary to temporarily disable the network connection or connect the camcorder to a computer not on a network. In addition, mapped drives may cause connection issues. In addition, mapped drives may cause connection issues.
· If you have a camcorder with USB Streaming capability, you may also need to turn on the USB Streaming feature in the camcorder menu. However, not all camcorders with a USB connection support USB Streaming.
· If the message "Check the connected device" appears and the camera is not recognized after connecting it to Windows® XP computer, select MENU → Settings → Main Settings → USB Connect Setting → Mass Storage, then connect the camera and the computer again.
If the camera is not detected check the following things:
· Disconnect devices from the USB jack of the computer other than the keyboard, mouse, and your camcorder.
· Disconnect the USB cable from the computer and your camcorder, and restart the computer,

then connect the computer and your camcorder again in the correct order.
· Connect the camera to another USB port.
· Connect the camera using another USB cable.
If the camera is still not detected you should check in the Windows device manager if the camera USB driver is correctly installed. Uninstall and reinstall the driver in any case if it is listed but an exclamation mark is shown next to it.
1. Connect the camera to the computer with the USB cable.
2. Turn on the camera.
3. Open the Device Manager of the operating system.
  - Windows® 98, 98SE, and Me: Right-click the My Computer icon, left-click Properties, left-click the Device Manager tab.
  - Windows 2000 and XP: Right-click the My Computer icon, left-click Properties, left-click the Hardware tab, left-click the Device Manager button.
  - Windows Vista®: Click the Start button, click Control Panel, click System and Maintenance, click the Device Manager button.
  - Windows 7: Click the Start button, click Control Panel, click Hardware and Sound, under Devices and Printers, and click Device Manager.
4. In the Device Manager window, at the left of Universal Serial Bus controllers, click the PLUS (+) symbol.
5. Under Universal Serial Bus controllers, right-click Sony DSC or USB Mass Storage Device to display the drop-down menu.
6. In the drop-down menu, click Uninstall or Remove.
7. In the Confirm Device Removal dialog box, click the OK button.
8. Insert the CD that was supplied with the camera into the computer CD-ROM drive.
NOTE: If your computer is running the Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 operating system, this step is not necessary. These operating systems already contain the appropriate device driver to recognize the USB connection from the camcorder.
1. Restart the computer.
NOTE: After the restart, the computer should recognize the camera connection and begin reinstalling the USB driver.
1. Follow any on-screen instructions to complete reinstallation of the USB driver.
NOTE: After the restart, the computer should recognize the camera connection and begin reinstalling the USB driver. Follow any on-screen instructions to complete reinstallation of the USB driver.
If the camera is still not detected you should check if the driver for the USB controller of the PC is correctly installed or an update is available. You can use the Windows Update function to update the drivers or check the USB controller in the device manager of the computer.
If the device manager shows an exclamation mark for the USB controller, the USB controller is not installed properly.
If none of the above works, try to connect to another computer. If the camera is also not detected on another computer your device

How do I connect my Sony Handycam to my computer?

Connect the camcorder to the computer with the supplied or built-in USB cable. Insert the memory card with your pictures and videos on the card slot of the camcorder. Open the LCD screen of the camcorder to turn it on. On the LCD screen, touch the Computer or USB Connect option.

Why is my camera not showing up when I plug it into my computer?

If you can't find your camera, select the Action menu, then select Scan for hardware changes. Wait for it to scan and reinstall updated drivers, restart your device, then open the Camera app again to test it.

How do I connect my Handycam camera to my laptop?

Steps to setup live streaming.

Connect one end of the HDMI cable to the camcorder HDMI output and the other end of the cable to the HDMI input of the video capture device..

Connect the video capture device to the computer using the USB cable..

Turn on the camcorder by moving the POWER switch to the CAMERA position..