Why can't I see my Windows phone in file explorer?

[Windows Central Question]

Why can't I see my windows phone in file explorer?

I'm trying to transfer music from my laptop to my micosoft lumia 435 phone.

Plugging the phone in via USB and unlocking it makes it visible as an icon under 'devices and drives' in file explorer, and the computer says the phone is also visible via windows phone companion and in device manager it says under 'portable devices' that the phone is 'working correctly'.

However, when I double click on the phone in file explorer it merely says 'this folder is empty'.

I do not want to use microsoft one drive to transfer the music (as it apparently says you can do), as I need it on the phone when it is offline.

I'm quite confused. Can anyone help?

 

[Lee Power]

Re: Why can't I see my windows phone in file explorer?

Windows Media Player makes it easy to drag & drop music on to your phone, it will treat it as a mp3 player.

 

[xandros9]

Make sure the phone is on and you put the PIN in so its unlocked.

If the phone is locked (security-wise, NOT network) such as with a 4-digit PIN, what you just described is normal.

 

[yuu677sdd2a]

Well I keep typing the passcode in, unlocking the phone, but it still shows up as empty in file explorer...

 

[yuu677sdd2a]

Re: Why can't I see my windows phone in file explorer?

So I turned Windows Media Player on again, but it didn't come up with an icon for my phone, only my external harddrive (where all my music is kept), and is treating the latter as an mp3 device. Windows Phone Companion says the phone is connected, however!