Can't transfer images from EOS Rebel T6 to my PC

[Bigfooter58]

All of a sudden I can't transfer images from my Cannon EOS Rebel T6 DSLR camera to my Dell Inspiron 5490 All-In-One Desktop PC. I've tried with the SD card & USB cable. I have Windows 11, but I've had it for over a year and this is a new problem

[Bigfooter58]

I installed the updates from Cannon, but nothing changed. The rectangle pops up when I put the card in the reader, but it's still blank. The images are on the card. I can see them in playback. The updates went to my pc, not my camera, even though I had my camera connected to my pc via the USB cable and had it turned on, but I didn't see anything change on my camera

[Tronhard]

OK, status check:
You have updated the Computer with WIndows updates and you rebooted the computer.
The updates I referred to are not going to go to the camera, they are for Windows operating system alone.
Please do the following:
1. Turn OFF the camera
2. disconnect the camera from the computer.
   Make sure there are no applications running on your computer except File Manager
3. If the SD card is still in the camera please remove it
4. Place the SD card into a card reader attached to the computer - either built-in or via a USB port
5. At that point the computer's File Manager should see the card as a removable drive
6. If it does so, please go to the folder on that drive called DCIM, that is where your images are
7. If you see the images select them all (Ctrl+A will select them)
8. Press Ctrl+C to copy them
9. Go to a folder on your computer's hard disc where you want the files stored
10. Once there Press Ctrl+V to paste them in
11. Please check the number of files copied is correct, if so..
12. RIGHT CLICK on the icon for the Card and from the quick menu select Eject, the computer should remove the card from the list of drives, if that cannot be done it will give you an error message.  In that event do not remove the card, wait a few moments and repeat this step.
13. If the card disappears of the list, remove it and replace it back in your camera
14. Turn on the camera and, using the camera's format command, format the card clean
At that point you are back to a stable situation.  Using an SD card reader instead of the camera tethered to the computer is a far more reliable, and in fact faster way to transfer images to your computer. I recommend you use that over any other.

If this works for you, please confirm that with us via this thread.
Please note the following advisories:
Never use a micro-SD card with an adapter in the camera, they do not work reliably
If you purchase SD cards, stick to well-known brands like SanDisk, Lexar, Prograde and from a reputable store - avoid cheap deals on the web, there are lots of counterfeits out there.

If you are not sure what to do, please respond to this post or, if you are in the US call 800-OK-CANON to speak to a Canon support tech.

[Bigfooter58]

I don't have a separate card reader

[Tronhard]

I recommend you buy one, they are not expensive and definitely worth the effort.

[Tronhard]

If you are confirming you have tried using your SD card in a reader, and that card worked previously, then likely something has changed on your computer.  Given that there has been a rash of WIndows and apps updates of late, I would suggest first checking if there are updates pending:
For that you can use the Settings icon on the Start Menu and select Windows Update.  If you don't have auto-update enabled then select to check for updates, install them all (and accept the multiple reboots) and when the last one is done do a reboot AGAIN.   Then WAIT.  You will see that the computer is doing a bunch of things in the background by the behaviour of the cursor arrow.  Wait until that stops, then open up your File Manager and see if you can get the computer to recognize your card.

[normadel]

Let's get down to basics.

Don't bother with EOS Utility just for copying/moving files from camera. It only complicates what is a simple operation.

1. Do you see images in Review mode on the camera?

2. When you connect the camera to computer with a USB cable, does the camera mount in Windows File Explorer as a drive? If your camera has WiFi, disable it to use USB.

3. When (if?) you put the SD card in your computer, directly or with a USB card reader, does it appear as a drive?

Tell us what DOES happen when you do these things, please.

[Tronhard]

When you say 'all of a sudden' what has actually changed since it worked?  Something must have brought it from working to not working, we just have to figure out what that was.  When you say you have tried SD cards, do you mean using it in the computer via a SD card reader? 
Windows 11 updates (there are lots of those), if you have had updates and not rebooted your computer to allow them to fully cycle then that can cause connectivity issues.
Have you got a new card, if so, what brand and is it a full-size USB or micro-USB with adapter.