How to Find and Install a Driver for an SM8150-MTP Device

SM8150 is Qualcomm's internal model number for the Snapdragon 855 platform, and MTP in this name stands for Mobile Test Platform, the reference board name. Some phones built on this chip report that board name instead of a retail model name. When you connect one of these phones to a computer, Windows may list it as SM8150-MTP, sometimes under Other devices with a yellow warning icon. There is no separate vendor driver called the SM8150-MTP driver. In most cases the fix is to make Windows use its own built-in driver for the connection mode the phone is in.

Before you start

Everything in this guide runs locally on your computer and phone. Windows already includes the driver needed for file transfer, so you do not need an online service or an account. Be cautious with third-party sites that offer a downloadable SM8150-MTP driver package. Those packages do not come from Qualcomm or Microsoft, and you cannot easily verify what they install.

• A USB cable that supports data, not only charging. Some cables carry power only, and with those the phone will not appear as a device at all.
• The phone unlocked, with its screen on, while you connect it.
• A working USB port on the computer, preferably one directly on the machine rather than on an unpowered hub.
• Knowledge of which connection you need: file transfer of photos, videos and audio (Media Transfer Protocol), or developer access through ADB. These use different drivers.
• Administrator rights on the Windows account, because changing a device driver requires them.

Step-by-step instructions

These steps apply to Windows 10 and Windows 11, where the Device Manager wording is the same. They only switch which built-in driver Windows uses, so you can undo them by uninstalling the device and reconnecting it.

• 1. Connect the phone and unlock it. Pull down the notification shade and open the USB notification. Select File transfer (on some phones this is labelled MTP or Transfer files). If the phone stays in Charging only mode, Windows has no file-transfer device to set up.
• 2. On the computer, right-click the Start button and open Device Manager.
• 3. Find the entry named SM8150-MTP. It usually appears under Portable Devices or Other devices. A yellow triangle means Windows did not install a driver for it.
• 4. Right-click the entry and choose Update driver.
• 5. Choose Browse my computer for drivers, then Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.
• 6. If a device category list appears, select Portable Devices and click Next.
• 7. Under Manufacturer, select Standard MTP Device. Under Model, select MTP USB Device. Click Next and confirm the warning if Windows shows one.
• 8. Wait for Windows to finish, then close Device Manager. Disconnect and reconnect the phone if it does not appear in File Explorer right away.

If you need ADB rather than file transfer, the steps differ. Enable Developer options and USB debugging on the phone first. Then install the USB driver supplied by the phone's manufacturer, or the Google USB Driver for devices it supports. When you connect the phone, accept the debugging authorization prompt on the phone's screen. Windows may then show a separate ADB interface entry next to, or instead of, the SM8150-MTP entry.

On macOS there is no built-in MTP support, so the phone will not appear in Finder, and installing a Windows driver does not apply. You need an MTP-capable file transfer app instead. On most Linux desktops, MTP support through libmtp is usually included, and the phone appears in the file manager without any driver step.

Check the output

In Device Manager, the phone should now appear under Portable Devices without a warning icon. It may still be named SM8150-MTP. That name comes from the phone's firmware, and the driver does not change it. The name does not affect how the connection works.

Open File Explorer and select This PC. The phone should appear as a device, with an internal storage folder inside it. Camera photos and videos are normally stored in the DCIM folder. Screen recordings and voice recordings may be stored in other folders, depending on the app that created them. Copy one file to the computer and open it to confirm the transfer works.

Keep in mind that MTP transfers files rather than mounting a normal drive. Large folders can take a while to list, and you cannot edit files in place on the phone. Copy them to the computer first. If the phone saves photos as HEIC or videos as HEVC, Windows may need the matching codec extensions installed before it can show previews or play the files. Without them, the files may look broken even though they copied correctly.

Common problems and next steps

MTP USB Device is missing from the list or the install fails: On Windows N and KN editions, Media Transfer Protocol support depends on the Media Feature Pack. Install that optional feature from the Windows settings for optional features, restart, and try again.

The device shows Code 10 or This device cannot start: In Device Manager, right-click the entry and choose Uninstall device. Disconnect the phone, reconnect it with the screen unlocked, and select File transfer again. If the error comes back, try a different cable and a different USB port before changing anything else.

The phone appears, but the storage is empty: This usually means the phone is locked or was switched back to Charging only. Unlock it and choose File transfer again in the USB notification. Some phones reset this choice every time you reconnect.

ADB lists the device as unauthorized: Check the phone screen for the USB debugging prompt and allow it. If no prompt appears, revoke USB debugging authorizations in Developer options, then reconnect the phone.

The device appears as Qualcomm HS-USB QDLoader 9008: This means the phone is in Qualcomm's emergency download mode, not in normal file-transfer mode. Installing an MTP driver will not help here. Restart the phone normally. Only use tools for this mode if the phone manufacturer or an authorized service tells you to, because they can overwrite the phone's firmware.

If none of these steps work, check whether the phone manufacturer offers its own PC suite or USB driver. Also make sure Windows is fully updated, since Windows Update can deliver missing device support. Because the SM8150-MTP name points to a generic reference board identifier, the manufacturer's support channel is the most reliable source for anything beyond the built-in Windows drivers.