Huawei ships its Windows USB driver inside the HiSuite companion application. Beyond driver installation, HiSuite provides backup, restore, and firmware update features for Huawei and Honor smartphones. This guide covers installing HiSuite, enabling the correct USB mode on EMUI and HarmonyOS devices, verifying ADB connectivity, and working around common Windows 11 compatibility issues.
Unlike some Android devices that work with the generic Google USB Driver for ADB, Huawei handsets require Huawei's own driver package because they use a proprietary composite USB device configuration. When a Huawei phone is connected in HiSuite mode, it presents a composite device that includes the HiSuite communication interface alongside standard MTP and ADB interfaces. Windows needs Huawei's INF file to correctly enumerate this composite device and load the right driver stack for each interface.
HiSuite also installs a PC-side application service that handles the phone-to-PC backup protocol, over-the-air firmware staging, and contact/calendar sync. If you only need ADB and not HiSuite's other features, you still need to install HiSuite to get the driver. There is no published standalone Huawei USB driver separate from HiSuite as of 2026.
HiSuite is available from the official source at consumer.huawei.com — navigate to the support section and search for "HiSuite" or look under PC Software for your device model. Download the current version for Windows.
HiSuiteDownloader.exe (or the direct HiSuite installer if available) from Huawei's official support pages.Huawei's EMUI and HarmonyOS have a distinctive Developer Options path that changed across versions:
EMUI 8 through EMUI 11 (Android-based): Go to Settings > System > About Phone and tap Build Number seven times. Developer Options appears under Settings > System > Developer Options. Enable USB Debugging.
EMUI 12 and later (including HarmonyOS 2 and 3): Go to Settings > About Phone > Build Number and tap seven times. Developer Options may appear either under Settings > System or directly at the bottom of Settings depending on the regional build variant. Use Settings search and type "developer options" if it does not appear in the expected location.
HarmonyOS 4 (NEXT-based, non-Android): HarmonyOS 4 and later on newer flagship devices uses Huawei's own kernel and does not support the Android ADB protocol. These devices connect to HiSuite via Huawei's proprietary protocol rather than standard ADB. If you own a HarmonyOS NEXT device (typically a Mate 60 series or later), the adb devices command will not show it — use HiSuite's graphical interface for backup and file management instead.
When you connect a Huawei phone to a PC, a notification appears offering USB connection choices. For HiSuite and ADB, the required mode is labeled Use USB to: Transfer photos (HiSuite) or simply HiSuite on some EMUI versions. This mode is distinct from "File Transfer (MTP)" and "Transfer Photos (PTP)."
If you do not see the notification, swipe down the notification shade and look for a USB connection entry, then tap it to change the mode. Alternatively: go to Settings > Connected Devices > USB and select the HiSuite option.
Once HiSuite mode is selected on the phone and HiSuite is running on the PC, the application should detect the phone and show its model name and storage summary. The USB driver is confirmed working when HiSuite establishes this connection.
For ADB specifically, you also need USB Debugging enabled. With HiSuite mode active and USB Debugging on, open a terminal and run:
adb devicesAn authorization dialog appears on the phone. Tap Allow. Run adb devices again. The device should appear as device.
Verify the connection with a basic shell command:
adb shell getprop ro.product.modelThis returns the model string, for example ELS-NX9 for a Huawei P40 Pro or TET-AN00 for a Mate 50. If the command hangs without output, the ADB daemon on the phone may need a moment to start — wait 10 seconds and try again.
Check the EMUI version:
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.emuiOn HarmonyOS Android-based builds, this property still exists and shows the underlying EMUI version. On HarmonyOS NEXT (non-Android), this command will fail because ADB is not available.
HiSuite installer fails with "This app can't run on your PC": Some older HiSuite versions were compiled as 32-bit applications and may have compatibility issues on certain Windows 11 configurations. Download the latest HiSuite version from the Huawei support page rather than using an older cached installer.
Driver installs but HiSuite cannot connect to the phone: HiSuite uses a background service (HiSuiteService.exe) that must be running. Open Task Manager, go to the Services tab, and look for HiSuiteService. If it shows Stopped, right-click and start it. You may also need to allow HiSuite through Windows Firewall: go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Windows Security > Firewall & Network Protection > Allow an app through firewall, and add HiSuite to the allowed list for both private and public networks.
ADB shows the device as "unauthorized" after HiSuite connects: HiSuite connection and ADB authorization are independent. HiSuite connecting successfully does not mean ADB is authorized. Make sure USB Debugging is enabled, look for the authorization dialog on the phone, and tap Allow.
Device appears as "Huawei Mobile" in Device Manager under Portable Devices but not under Android Device: This means the MTP driver loaded instead of the HiSuite/ADB driver. The phone's USB mode is set to File Transfer rather than HiSuite mode. Change the mode on the phone to HiSuite, and Device Manager should update automatically within a few seconds.
Honor was a Huawei sub-brand that became an independent company in 2020. Pre-2020 Honor devices (Honor 8, Honor 9, Honor 10, View 20, etc.) use the same HiSuite driver as Huawei devices — install HiSuite and the driver covers them. Post-2020 Honor devices (Honor 50, 70, 90, Magic series) ship with near-stock Android and standard USB hardware IDs. For these devices, the Google USB Driver is sufficient for ADB, and HiSuite is not required unless you specifically want HiSuite's backup features for the phone.