Galaxy S23–S25 Ultra MTP Mode Not Working Reliably with Dell XPS on Windows 11

Hi! Thanks for the detailed follow-up; it's really good to get a good idea of what you're working with in terms of scope and limitations. You diagnosed this more thoroughly than most OEM support teams, and you're absolutely correct: this is a sad, deep-rooted USB/MTP compatibility issue involving Samsung's interpretation, Microsoft old MTP stack, and hardware/firmware wobbles from Dell.

Let's go through a few more advanced and interesting options or workarounds that can still be tried depending on what hasn't worked on your setup at present :

1. MTP over ADB tools: use these to spoof MTP in Windows Explorer

You are already going to handle ADB, and since you are avoiding rooting that may just turn out to be a clean bridge between normal transfers and full MTP:

**ADBFS-Win (Open Source)

Uses adb to mount the file system of an Android phone as a drive into Windows.

Doesn't require rooting.

Functions like MTP with explorer but over the ADB protocol (more stable).

How to use:

Get the latest ADB platform tools.

Enable USB Debugging on your phone.

Download and run adbfs-win with your device connected.

*This voids MTP, but you can still drag and drop large videos/files on Explorer.

2. Powered USB 2.0 Hub Alternative

Since those USB ports in your Dell keyboard will not supply the required power:

*Get a Y-cable or Powered OTG USB 2.0 hub (costs about 10-15 dollars).

Some reports have indicated that a small number of those Orico, Anker, or Sabrent USB 2.0 hubs are the ones that work with consistency.

Older chipsets or power-stabilized connections seem to mitigate the negotiation bug between Samsung and Dell USB controllers.

Search terms on Amazon/Ebay: powered USB 2.0 hub android compatible, usb y cable samsung, or orico usb 2.0 hub

3. Disable UCSI/Modern Standby (if supported) in BIOS

Usually, UCSI (USB Type-C Connector System Software Interface) or Modern Standby (S0ix) comes configured with most of the Dell XPS laptops with USB-C ports:

Aggressively power-managing USB devices

May silently interfere in MTP enumeration.

*BIOS settings to look for those:

"Enable Modern Standby" → Disable

"Thunderbolt/USB-C pre-boot behavior"

"Wake from USB"

"USB PowerShare" → Enable

Modern Standby may unlock the consistent USB behavior on some of the systems.

4. Install libmtp through WSL (Experimental but Real)

If you have WSL on Windows 11:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install mtp-tools jmtpfs

Then, connect your phone and run:

mtp-detect

jmtpfs ~/Phone

With the right setup (USB pass-through), you can access MTP inside the WSL2 environment and then share the folder back into Windows. Tedious but a unique bridge.

5. Replace the Microsoft MTP driver with a working "legacy" Android driver (force method)

You mentioned that both wpdmtp.inf and Samsung's 1.9 driver fail for you. Many users have found a trick that solves the problem in regards to their situation:

Steps:

Take the side of Device Manager.

Find the Galaxy device listed under "Portable Devices or Other" as an unknown MTP device.

Right-click → Update Driver.

Select: Browse my computer for drivers → Let me pick a cortera f.

Uncheck "Show compatible hardware".

Try to install "MTP USB Device" from an earlier Windows build (manually copied wpdmtp.inf from older Windows ISO).

**Extract wpdmtp.inf and dependent files from a system running Windows 10 1909 or 20H2 and manually attempt the override. This has worked for a number of Dell + Samsung.

Could you please try out these steps and let me know if it works out? And, in case that any other error arises, I would love to have more information it.

Regards,

Tin

Hey Tin,

Thanks for your help and the detailed instructions. I really appreciate it.

1. No USB 2.0 Port — I found an old DELL USB keyboard with extension USB 2.0 ports, BUT , they don't provide enough power for the MTP connection to the Samsung Galaxy phone (according to the Windows error message)
2. Blocking Windows MTP Driver -- NEITHER the wpdmtp.inf, NOR the newest Samsung's MTP driver 1.9 from this year work to connect my Galaxy S25 Ultra via MTP. I tried both drivers.
3. and 4. Experimental: Android File Transfer for Windows -- all of these appear to be separate file transfer apps. I don't really need those. Most things I can transfer wirelessly via Windows Phone Link. ADB bridge works normally as long as I switch the phone's USB configuration to "Image Transfer".
4. Switching Protocol via USB Mode Hack (Rooted or OEM Unlock)
   Some rooted users or those with unlocked bootloaders willing to go advanced/dev route have -- I can't root my device

I currently use the following workarounds to connect my phone to the PC:

a. For most things the wireless connection through Windows 11 Phone Link works just fine

b. Switching to "Image transfer" protocol works for images
b. Using an older USB dock worked too. It's just I don't have any of those left at the moment.

However, I just wanted the phone to appear in Windows Explorer when connected via USB for larger file transfers like VIDEOS. Yes, I can use the above workaround but was hoping either Dell, Windows or Samsung can fix their compatibility issues/drivers. It's just annoying.

Also, was looking for other workarounds, or perhaps, a generic MTP Android alternative driver that works (not the built-in Windows one, it doesn't).

Thanks again for all your help!

Mike

hi,

Thanks for the thorough follow up, you have evidently studied a lot on this matter. Let's handle things in an orderly fashion, especially trying to concentrate on the experimental alternatives and how to get you an operational MTP file transfer setting, even if it means going outside the Microsoft stack.

1. No USB 2.0 Port — Use USB 3.x Port + Power Limiting

Even if the ports are USB 3.1, or USB-C:

Try to get a cheap passive USB 2.0 hub/dongle from Shopee/Lazada to add inline.

Or better still, use a USB-C to USB-A 2.0 adapter — this electrically forces the link to USB 2.0 mode.

Otherwise, go to Device Manager > USB Controllers > Right-click on the hub > Properties > Advanced to check the current speed (SuperSpeed vs HighSpeed).

This improvement of transferring back to USB 2.0 signaling, even on modern ports, cures many of the Galaxy + Dell woes.

2. Do Block Windows MTP Driver Properly

You are right that sometimes Windows decides to use its own wpdmtp.inf even when Samsung's MTP driver is in place.

To block Windows MTP driver:

Prevent Reinstall via Group Policy:

Run gpedit.msc

Navigate to:

Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → System → Device Installation → Device Installation Restrictions

Enable:

“Prevent installation of devices that match any of these device IDs”.

Get your Galaxy's hardware ID:

Plug it in.

Device Manager → MTP device → Properties → Details → Hardware IDs.

Add the top ID string: (for example, USB\VID_04E8&PID_6860) to the GPO.

Restart the PC disconnected from the internet, reinstall the Samsung MTP drivers manually (from the Smart Switch, Kies package), then reconnect to the internet.

Might be the one to force Windows to stop overriding your own custom stack.

3. Experimental: Android File Transfer for Windows

Yes, you are correct: most of the alternative MTP stacks, such as libmtp and jmtpfs, are Linux-only.

A few experimental ones do exist for Windows. Some of the most promising ones are:

[OpenMTP for Windows (Experimental Forks)]

Not yet production-ready, but there exists:

Unofficial Windows ports of OpenMTP (originally for macOS/Linux)

The GitHub forks sometimes allow Windows compatibility via Node.js + Electron + adb over MTP bridges

Search GitHub for:

OpenMTP Windows fork

libmtp win32 or mtp-cli for Windows

So, give this one a try, too (community-sourced, may require developer tools):

GitHub Repo - MTP Transfer Tool for Windows

Uses Python + libusb-win32 and manually selects interface IDs. It's fragile, but it can work.

I could assist you in setting one up and testing your Galaxy device against it, should you wish to keep it experimental.

4. ADB Over File Transfer (Not MTP)

If file obtaining is what you are after, here is one way to go:

Use ADB Pull/Push

Install Minimal ADB and Fastboot

Enable USB Debugging on the phone

Authorize PC → Open Command Prompt:

adb pull /sdcard/DCIM/Camera C:\Users\YourName\Pictures\CameraBackup

For pushing files back, use:

adb push C:\Some\File.mp4 /sdcard/Download/

Pros: Full control, non-MTP, works over USB or Wi-Fi

Cons: Not plug-and-play, command-line based

5. Final Resort: Switch Protocol via USB Mode Hack (Rooted or OEM Unlock)

Some rooted users or those with unlocked bootloaders willing to go advanced/dev route have:

Forced Mass Storage (UMS) mode via sys.usb.config override (instead of MTP/PTP)

Disabled MTP stack entirely and used network or shell-based methods

Could you please try out these steps and let me know if it works out? And, in case that any other error arises, I would love to have more information it.

Best regards,

Tin

Hi Tin,

1. Force USB 2.0 Mode - don't have one anymore (on my new dock all the ports are USB-A 3.1 or USB-C, no older ports)
2. Use Developer Options to Disable USB Debugging (or Enable It) -- tried both, makes no difference for me
3. I can temporarily work around the issue by switching to the Image Transfer mode but I would like to use MTP for files other than images.
4. Block Windows from Installing Its Own MTP Drivers. Windows sometimes will override Samsung's MTP drivers with its own-- Neither the Samsung Driver nor the Windows Default driver work
5. Community-built MTP stacks may avoid some of the Windows problems. Custom MTP Stack via libmtp --the one I found on GitHub appears to be for Linux only

Android File Transfer for Windows (Experimental) -- where do I find this one??

Thanks,

Mike

Hi! Thanks for writing. I am Tin, and I am an independent advisor. I am so happy to offer you any needed assistance today. You are not by yourself, as there exists a long-standing and highly irritating period of incompatibility with Samsung Galaxy devices (especially the Ultra models) using MTP cable and the Dell XPS series running Windows 11. Your experience shares similar reports across several platforms, including Reddit, Microsoft Answers, Samsung Members, and XDA.

Let's take a look at what may be going on and the workarounds:

The following are potential jinxes: 1. Intel USB Controller/Driver Stack (XHCI) on Dell; Dell XPS has an Intel USB 3.1/3.2 controller in which firmware/driver settings conflict with that of Samsung's MTP implementations- this is especially true in USB 3 mode. Some combinations may result in poor enumeration of the device or failed data streams. 2. MTP Drivers from Samsung Negotiating USB-C- Drags In Behind-the-Scene Discussions. Samsung's MTP mode negotiates USB roles (host/device) through USB-C. Miscommunication during this handshake, especially with Dell's Thunderbolt or USB-C ports, may cause MTP to stall, or trigger an infinite retry loop in Windows Explorer. 3. Windows 11 USB Stack. The updates that keep coming with new Windows 11 have flashlights upon introducing bugs/regressions in the USB MTP handler. Among the familiar symptoms is Windows Explorer stalling or crashing, about 22H2.

The users who report success use the fixes and workarounds: 1. Force USB 2.0 Mode Use a USB 2.0 hub or cable (yes, older/slower), which forces the phone to connect at USB 2.0 speed and bypasses USB 3.0 negotiation issues. This alone often resolves the freezing issue.

2. Use Developer Options to Disable USB Debugging (or Enable It) Sometimes enabling USB debugging improves stability. In other instances, however, disabling it yields better results; try both.

Switch MTP to PTP and Back This can reinitialize the handshake with the PC.

4. Block Windows from Installing Its Own MTP Drivers. Windows sometimes will override Samsung's MTP drivers with its own. Prevent automatic driver updating for the device via Group Policy or Device Manager. 5.Use Smart Switch for Transfers. Smart Switch does file transfers better than raw MTP, meaning it should not freeze/ stall.

Specific Ports: Some users having better times with rear USB-A ports vs USB-C or vice versa. If the Dell has both Thunderbolt and regular USB, try each separately.

Optional: Community-built MTP stacks may avoid some of the Windows problems, but they are high-maintenance. Custom MTP Stack via libmtp or Android File Transfer for Windows (Experimental).

Could you please try out these steps and let me know if it works out? And, in case that any other error arises, I would love to have more information it.

Best regards,

Tin