How to Install a GoPro MTP Driver in Windows

When you plug a GoPro into a Windows PC, the camera normally appears as a portable media device using the Media Transfer Protocol (MTP). GoPro does not distribute a separate MTP driver for this. Windows uses its own generic MTP USB driver. If the camera shows up as an unknown device, or doesn't show up at all, you usually need to get Windows to apply that built-in driver correctly rather than download anything new.

Before you start

The whole process runs locally on your PC. No GoPro account or online service is required to copy files over MTP. Windows may look for driver updates through Windows Update if that option is enabled on your system. Check your own update settings if you need to know whether that happens.

• A USB cable that supports data, not a charge-only cable. The cable supplied with the camera is the safest choice.
• A charged camera battery. The camera must be powered on to be detected over USB.
• A direct USB port on the PC. Avoid unpowered hubs and front-panel ports while troubleshooting.
• Administrator rights on the PC to change drivers in Device Manager.
• On N or KN editions of Windows, the Media Feature Pack, because MTP support depends on media components that those editions leave out.
• On some newer GoPro models, a USB connection setting in the camera's preferences that offers MTP or GoPro Connect. Check your camera's manual for whether your model has it.

Step-by-step instructions

These steps assign Windows' built-in MTP driver to the camera. Each change can be undone from Device Manager. Instructions for rolling back are included after the steps.

• 1. If your camera has a USB connection setting, set it to MTP. The GoPro Connect option is intended for other uses, such as webcam mode with GoPro's software, and may stop the camera from appearing as a storage-style device in File Explorer.
• 2. Turn the camera on and connect it to the PC with the data cable. Wait for the camera to indicate a USB connection.
• 3. Right-click the Start button and open Device Manager.
• 4. Look for the camera under Portable Devices. If it appears under Other devices with a warning icon, or as an unknown USB device, the driver was not assigned correctly.
• 5. Right-click the camera entry and choose Update driver.
• 6. Choose Browse my computer for drivers, then Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.
• 7. If the list is empty or doesn't show the right entry, clear the option to show compatible hardware only. Then select the Portable Devices or WPD category.
• 8. Select MTP USB Device and confirm. Accept the warning if Windows asks whether to install a driver it cannot verify as compatible.
• 9. Disconnect the camera, wait a few seconds, and reconnect it.

If the entry still shows an error, right-click it and choose Uninstall device. Do not tick any option that deletes driver software for other devices. Then use Action and Scan for hardware changes, or reconnect the camera, so that Windows reinstalls the driver from scratch.

To undo a driver change, open the device's Properties in Device Manager, go to the Driver tab, and use Roll Back Driver if it is available. If it is not available, uninstall the device and reconnect the camera, which lets Windows choose its default driver again.

Check the output

Open File Explorer and look under This PC. A working MTP connection shows the camera as a device rather than a drive with a letter. Open it and browse to the DCIM folder, where your recordings and photos are stored.

• Videos are usually MP4 files, and photos are JPG files or RAW files if your model and settings produce them.
• You may also see LRV and THM files. These are low-resolution proxies and thumbnails that the camera creates. Your full-quality footage is in the MP4 files.
• Copy files to a local folder before editing or playing them. Opening large videos directly over MTP can be unreliable.
• MTP copies files as they are and does not convert or re-encode them. Compare file sizes or open a copied clip to confirm a transfer completed.

Common problems and next steps

Camera not detected at all: try another cable and another USB port, and make sure the camera stays powered on while connected. If Device Manager shows no new entry when you plug the camera in, the problem is more likely the cable, the port or the camera's connection setting than the driver.

MTP USB Device is missing from the driver list: on N or KN editions of Windows, install the Media Feature Pack for your Windows version, restart, and repeat the steps. On other editions, make sure Windows is up to date and repeat the steps with compatible hardware only switched off.

Camera appears but disconnects during copying: check the battery charge, avoid USB hubs, and copy smaller batches of files. If the problem continues, removing the microSD card and reading it with a card reader avoids MTP entirely. That is often the most dependable way to offload long recordings.

Camera works in GoPro software but not in File Explorer: this usually points to the camera's USB connection mode rather than a driver fault. Switch the setting back to MTP and reconnect. Webcam use with GoPro's software is a separate setup and may require the other mode.