Nikon D3200 not detecting cord?

I received a nikon D3200 last christmas, about 5 months ago, and recently i have been trying to upload the pictures to my laptop. The camera does not detect the cord when i insert it into the slot on the side.

what do i do? Is it the cord that is having the problems or my camera?

Could be the laptop's USB port, too… Can you use something else in that USB port on the computer. If it works, then it is not that port. Replace the cable. It is a USB cable - they are not expensive. If the problem continues, then it is the camera… Or it could be the driver in the computer… What changed between the last time you successfully transferred from the camera to the computer?

And then you could always just buy a card reader for $7 and not worry about it…

The problem is typical of any cord that is attached to a camera.

What you need to do (and should have done) is buy a USB 3.0 card reader and use it to read your card and copy the images to your computer.

This will give you more control over where the images end up on your computer, so you can find them again.

At the end of each shooting day, copy all the images to a new file folder named for the subject/location and date. After all the images (still and video) are safely on your computer, insert the memory card into your camera and using the format feature, format the card.

Buy a Card Reader.
So much quicker and easier; most people use one now instead of connecting the camera.

The first thing I do when my computer doesn't detect my camera is reboot the computer. Solves the problem 99% of the time.

Sometimes the port dies. See if you have more than one USB port. My laptop has 3. If you plug it into a different port and the computer detects the camera, the other port is dead.