What USB driver should we use for the Nexus 5?

Question

As of the time of this writing, Google does not provide a USB driver (for Windows) for the Nexus 5. The usual link (http://developer.android.com/sdk/win-usb.html) shows Wind

Answer 1

There are multiple hardware revisions of Nexus 5. So, the accepted answer doesn't work for all devices (it didn't work for me).

1. Open Device Manager, right click and Properties. Now go to the "Details" tab And now select the property "Hardware Ids". Note down the PID and VID.

2. Download the Google driver

3. Update the android_winusb.inf with above VID and PID

   %CompositeAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&**PID_4EE1**
   

4. Now in Device Manager, find Nexus 5, and update the driver software, and browse to the location where you downloaded.

5. The driver should be installed, and you should be see the device in ADB.

Answer 2

This answer is for those with windows 8.1N! (and maybe all N versions)

The short answer is install Media Feature Pack for N and KN versions of Windows 8.1

Big thanks to Matej Drolc that had it solved in hit blog post here.

Answer 3

I installed the LG United Mobile Driver, and I was finally able to get ADB to recognize my device.

Answer 4

I have a solution.

I updated the file android_winusb.inf to reflect the VID and PID of the Nexus-5. Now it loads the generic driver and supports ADB in Eclipse.

Note, after any previous attempts you may have made, go to Device Manager and update the driver for the "Nexus 5" (showing with a yellow exclamation mark).

You have to navigate over to the USB driver directory, which on my machine was: C:\Users\Xxxxxxxxx\android-sdk\extras\google\usa_driver

In that directory, edit file android_winusb.inf in both the x86 and amd64 sections and insert one line:

%CompositeAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4EE1&MI_01

This was enough for me to get this to work.

Here is the content of my file:

;
; Android WinUsb driver installation.
;
;
;
; Includes FIX for the Nexus-5 ADB,
;                  --- jonovos         ---
;                  --- petuniaPlatypus ---
;                  --- 2013-11-07      ---
;
;        By snooping on the USB for the Nexus-5,
;        it is known that the VID = 18D1 and PID = 4EE1.
;        With this, we insert them into the GENERIC sections bwlow.
;
;
[Version]
Signature           = "$Windows NT$"
Class               = AndroidUsbDeviceClass
ClassGuid           = {3F966BD9-FA04-4ec5-991C-D326973B5128}
Provider            = %ProviderName%
DriverVer           = 07/09/2013,8.0.0000.00000
CatalogFile.NTx86   = androidwinusb86.cat
CatalogFile.NTamd64 = androidwinusba64.cat

[ClassInstall32]
Addreg = AndroidWinUsbClassReg

[AndroidWinUsbClassReg]
HKR,,,0,%ClassName%
HKR,,Icon,,-1


[Manufacturer]
%ProviderName% = Google, NTx86, NTamd64


[Google.NTx86]

;Google Nexus One
%SingleAdbInterface%        = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_0D02
%CompositeAdbInterface%     = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_0D02&MI_01
%SingleAdbInterface%        = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4E11
%CompositeAdbInterface%     = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4E12&MI_01

;Google Nexus S
%SingleAdbInterface%        = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4E21
%CompositeAdbInterface%     = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4E22&MI_01
%SingleAdbInterface%        = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4E23
%CompositeAdbInterface%     = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4E24&MI_01

;Google Nexus 7
%SingleBootLoaderInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4E40
%CompositeAdbInterface%     = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4E42&MI_01
%CompositeAdbInterface%     = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4E44&MI_01

;Google Nexus Q
%SingleBootLoaderInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_2C10
%SingleAdbInterface%        = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_2C11

;Google Nexus (generic)
%SingleBootLoaderInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4EE0
;;;;;;;;
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;-new-line-added:
%CompositeAdbInterface%     = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4EE1&MI_01
;;;;;;;;
%CompositeAdbInterface%     = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4EE2&MI_01
%CompositeAdbInterface%     = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4EE4&MI_02
%CompositeAdbInterface%     = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4EE6&MI_01


[Google.NTamd64]

;Google Nexus One
%SingleAdbInterface%        = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_0D02
%CompositeAdbInterface%     = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_0D02&MI_01
%SingleAdbInterface%        = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4E11
%CompositeAdbInterface%     = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4E12&MI_01

;Google Nexus S
%SingleAdbInterface%        = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4E21
%CompositeAdbInterface%     = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4E22&MI_01
%SingleAdbInterface%        = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4E23
%CompositeAdbInterface%     = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4E24&MI_01

;Google Nexus 7
%SingleBootLoaderInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4E40
%CompositeAdbInterface%     = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4E42&MI_01
%CompositeAdbInterface%     = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4E44&MI_01

;Google Nexus Q
%SingleBootLoaderInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_2C10
%SingleAdbInterface%        = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_2C11

;Google Nexus (generic)
%SingleBootLoaderInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4EE0
;;;;;;;;
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;-new-line-added:
%CompositeAdbInterface%     = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4EE1&MI_01
;;;;;;;;
%CompositeAdbInterface%     = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4EE2&MI_01
%CompositeAdbInterface%     = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4EE4&MI_02
%CompositeAdbInterface%     = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_4EE6&MI_01

[USB_Install]
Include = winusb.inf
Needs   = WINUSB.NT

[USB_Install.Services]
Include     = winusb.inf
AddService  = WinUSB,0x00000002,WinUSB_ServiceInstall

[WinUSB_ServiceInstall]
DisplayName     = %WinUSB_SvcDesc%
ServiceType     = 1
StartType       = 3
ErrorControl    = 1
ServiceBinary   = %12%\WinUSB.sys

[USB_Install.Wdf]
KmdfService = WINUSB, WinUSB_Install

[WinUSB_Install]
KmdfLibraryVersion  = 1.9

[USB_Install.HW]
AddReg  = Dev_AddReg

[Dev_AddReg]
HKR,,DeviceInterfaceGUIDs,0x10000,"{F72FE0D4-CBCB-407d-8814-9ED673D0DD6B}"

[USB_Install.CoInstallers]
AddReg    = CoInstallers_AddReg
CopyFiles = CoInstallers_CopyFiles

[CoInstallers_AddReg]
HKR,,CoInstallers32,0x00010000,"WdfCoInstaller01009.dll,WdfCoInstaller","WinUSBCoInstaller2.dll"

[CoInstallers_CopyFiles]
WinUSBCoInstaller2.dll
WdfCoInstaller01009.dll

[DestinationDirs]
CoInstallers_CopyFiles=11

[SourceDisksNames]
1 = %DISK_NAME%,,,\i386
2 = %DISK_NAME%,,,\amd64

[SourceDisksFiles.x86]
WinUSBCoInstaller2.dll  = 1
WdfCoInstaller01009.dll = 1

[SourceDisksFiles.amd64]
WinUSBCoInstaller2.dll  = 2
WdfCoInstaller01009.dll = 2

[Strings]
ProviderName                = "Google, Inc."
SingleAdbInterface          = "Android ADB Interface"
CompositeAdbInterface       = "Android Composite ADB Interface"
SingleBootLoaderInterface   = "Android Bootloader Interface"
WinUSB_SvcDesc              = "Android USB Driver"
DISK_NAME                   = "Android WinUsb installation disk"
ClassName                   = "Android Device"

Answer 5

The one from Google USB Driver worked fine for me on two machines (Windows 7 x64 on both). Once Windows failed to auto-install the driver, I just right-clicked on the phone in Device Manager, chose "update driver" and gave it the path that I'd unzipped that driver into.

Answer 6

I found a solution in How I fixed the MTP issues on Nexus 7.

---

Another way of fixing this on Windows 8: This problem may happen, because you have the Google ADB driver from the Android SDK installed. Windows will pick the ADB driver over the MTP driver, even when USB debugging is turned off on the Nexus 7. It also comes back when you upgrade from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1. To fix this:

1. Plug the Nexus 7 in and make sure USB mode is set to MTP
2. Run devmgmt.msc
3. Locate the ADB driver, which may be under "Android Devices" or "ADB Devices"
4. Right-click on it and select "Update driver software"
5. "Browse my computer for driver software"
6. "Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer"
7. With "Show compatible hardware" checked you should see two drivers under "Model":
8. "Android ADB Interface"
9. Either "MTP USB Device" or "Composite USB Device"
10. Select "MTP/Composite USB Device" (that is, the one that isn't "Android ADB Interface") and click Next.
11. The device should now appear as an MTP device.

It was confirmed working with the Nexus 7 2013 as well.