Q: Windows won't connect to iphone 5 wifi hotspot

Mmarinov rocks !

What used to work on Windows XP doesn't on Windows 8.
the ' character messes the hotspot connection. It took me hours and hours and phoning to telephone service provider before I read Mmarinov simple answer

And it worked

Thank you so much !

PS : for those who did not follow : " RENAME YOU IPHONE WITHOUT THE '  SPECIAL CHARACTER "

For anyone researching this issue, @skmvet's solution is the correct one. I've dealt with it extensively (I'm an IT guy with lots of users with iPhones). Skmvet's answer is why the renaming the iPhone solution also worked, but this is easier and should work consistently.

On a Windows computer:

• Click on the Windows key on your keyboard or just pull up the search function
  • Win 7 click on the Start button / Win 8.1 swipe left from the Desktop or just start typing from the Metro Tile screen
• Type: Manage Wireless Networks
• Select or hit Enter
  
  •   These are all the wireless networks you've told your computer to remember.
• Find your iPhone and remove. I recommend removing any others that you don't use frequently or won't use again.
• Turn your hotspot off on your phone and back on, and now you should be able to connect
  

skmvet wrote:

 

I was having the same problem with my iPhone 5 hotspot using wifi, buletooth or usb when trying to connect to a Windows7 laptop (Samsung).  Turns out that the laptop was "remembering" an old hotspot wifi password and not asking for a new one. I kept getting "unable to connect to iPhone".  What I did was go into the network settings on the Laptop "Open Network and Sharing Center" and click on the right side tab to "Manage Network Connections".  All of your previous wifi connections will show up. If your Iphone is on the list, click on it and then delete it and then try to connect to the iPhone hotspot. It will now ask you for the wifi password.  In my case this did the trick and now I can connect.

SKMVET: Very helpful and worked for me. Better than renaming my phone which has effects on other bluetooth devices. For Windows 8.1 have to go to PC Settings>Network>manage known networks> choose a network to forget

Cheers

Thanks !   Your tip helped me connect my iPhone 6 personal hotspot to my Win-10 YogaPro 3 Lenovo laptop after two frustrating days including one giu advising the Windows 10 is not supporting personal hotpots yet.....

windows 10 is currently not supporting personal hot-spots  however it will in a future update

I found the list of remembered Wi-Fi networks  on my laptop - and erased - deleted all connections.

Then I paired again the iPhone and re connected it after being asked for the personal  hotspot's  password !!! and Bingo ! CONNECTED.

Still having problems, have tried every solution on this thread to no avail.  Was having no problems connecting via iPhone 5 wifi until about 10 days ago, now no connection, via wifi or USB.

Running Windows 7, iPhone 5 iOS 9.0.2

Please help, this is effecting my job (and my sanity)!!!

• This worked for me. Didn't have to connect to iTunes either. On my phone went to settings, general, about and changed the name of my iPhone. Connected to Windows right after. Just turn off on hotspot before trying again.

Thank you so much skmvet!!   You are a star!

You helped me solve an issue that I have been struggling with for months!  Thank you so very much!

Tried all the other stuff  suggested by Apple and this is the only thing that worked. A very simple fix and no changing settings in the computer or the phone other than renaming it.

Struggled with this myself for awhile. This was a new Windows to iPhone wifi connection, so there were no old associations saved on my laptop. Turns out that Windows doesn't like the spaces and apostrophe in the SSID (I believe an earlier poster mentioned apostrophes too). I changed the name from "John Doe's iPhone" to just "John" and Windows immediately associated no problem and I'm online.

In short: rename your phone to one word, no punctuation. The SSID will match this name and Windows will connect immediately.

I'm having a similar issue with one of our guys out in the field; he has an iPhone 6s and a Lenovo Helix running Windows 8. The wifi network shows up in his available networks but it will not connect.

I have been through his list of known networks and there is no other network named the same in the known networks. I instructed him to change the name of the phone to something with no special characters and change the password but it still does not work.

He was able to use a co-workers iPhone 6 hotspot with no issues, I have sent him that one basic trouble shooting article http://support.apple.com/en-ca/ht203302 and asked him to report back if anything in there helps.

It seems odd to me that one iPhone would work on the computer but another won't. Are there any differences in the security protocols between the 6 and the 6s when it comes to the wifi hotspot that could prevent it from connecting?

I figured it had to be W10 issue as my laptop normally runs and connects in Linux just fine.

Instructions for iphone 5 go to Settings>General>About and delete the apostrophe from the name