Hotspot to laptop · Connect guide

How to connect a laptop to a phone hotspot

Sources checked 14 September 2026 · how we check

Turn on the hotspot on your phone first. Then join it from Windows like any Wi-Fi network, or connect by USB cable or Bluetooth when Wi-Fi isn't practical.

01 · Before you start

Check these first

Turn on the hotspot: on iPhone, Settings → Personal Hotspot → Allow Others to Join; on Android, touch and hold the Hotspot quick setting.
Note the hotspot name and password shown in the phone's hotspot settings.
Remember the laptop now uses mobile data, and large downloads or updates count against your plan.

Source: Apple: connect to the Personal Hotspot of an iPhone or iPad

02 · Connect

Step by step, by device

Wi-Fi: Windows 11

Quick settings → Manage Wi-Fi connections → hotspot → Connect

Select the Network, Sound or Battery icon on the taskbar to open quick settings.
Select Manage Wi-Fi connections, choose your phone's hotspot and select Connect.
Type the hotspot password and select Next.

Don't see it? Select Refresh network list, and check the hotspot is still on.

Source: Microsoft: connect to a Wi-Fi network in Windows

Wi-Fi: Windows 10

Network icon → hotspot → Connect → password

Select the Network icon on the taskbar.
Choose your phone's hotspot, select Connect, enter the password and select Next.

Source: Microsoft: connect to a Wi-Fi network in Windows

USB: iPhone

Install Apple Devices or iTunes → cable → Trust

Install Apple Devices or iTunes on the PC.
Connect the iPhone with a USB cable. If the iPhone asks Trust This Computer?, tap Trust and enter your passcode.

Source: Apple iPhone User Guide: share your internet connection

USB: Android

Cable → touch and hold Hotspot → USB tethering

Connect the phone to the PC with a USB cable.
On the phone, swipe down, touch and hold Hotspot and turn on USB tethering.

Source: Google: share a mobile connection by hotspot or tethering on Android

Bluetooth: Windows 11

Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Devices → phone → Join (PAN) → Access Point

Pair the phone and PC over Bluetooth, and set the phone's hotspot to share by Bluetooth.
Go to Start → Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Devices, and expand your phone under Other devices.
Select Join next to Personal Area Network (PAN), make sure Access Point is selected, then Connect.

Source: Microsoft: connect to a Bluetooth network in Windows

Bluetooth: Windows 10

Bluetooth icon → Join a Personal Area Network → Connect using → Access point

Pair the phone and PC, and set the phone's hotspot to share by Bluetooth.
Right-click the Bluetooth icon in the notification area and choose Join a Personal Area Network.
Right-click your phone, then choose Connect using → Access point.

Source: Microsoft: connect to a Bluetooth network in Windows

If it still won't connect

If the laptop can't see an iPhone hotspot, turn Wi-Fi off and on on the laptop, check you're joining the network named after the iPhone, and on iPhone 12 or later turn on Maximize Compatibility in Personal Hotspot settings.

Source: Apple: if Personal Hotspot is not working on iPhone or iPad

Frequently asked questions

Why won't my PC connect to my iPhone hotspot by USB?

Windows needs Apple Devices or iTunes installed, and you need to tap Trust on the iPhone when you plug it in.

Is Wi-Fi or USB better for a laptop hotspot?

Wi-Fi needs nothing extra. USB from an iPhone to a Windows PC needs Apple Devices or iTunes installed first.