Philips Hue 'No Bridge Found' — How to Fix It

What it means

'No bridge found' means the Hue app can't see your Bridge on the network.
Most often the phone and the Bridge are on different networks — a guest Wi-Fi, a 5 GHz/2.4 GHz split, or a mesh system handing you a different segment — or the Bridge has lost its wired connection or needs a reboot.
The Hue Bridge connects to your router by Ethernet cable, not Wi-Fi, so a loose cable or a dead router port is a common culprit.

Affected Models

Hue Bridge v2 (square, the current model)
Hue Bridge v1 (round) — discontinued and no longer supported by the app
Setups where the Bridge is plugged into a router, switch, or mesh node by Ethernet

Common Causes

Phone on a different network than the Bridge (guest Wi-Fi, VPN, or a separate mesh segment)
Bridge's Ethernet cable loose, or plugged into a dead router/switch port
Bridge needs a reboot
Router rebooted and the Bridge hasn't been given a new address yet
Router settings (IGMP snooping, AP isolation, very strict firewall) blocking discovery
Bridge powered off or its power adapter failed
Trying to use an old round v1 Bridge with the current app, which no longer supports it

How to Fix It

Get your phone on the same Wi-Fi as the Bridge.

Turn off any VPN on your phone, and make sure you're on your normal home Wi-Fi — not a guest network and not a neighbour's.
If you have a mesh system, just stay connected to it normally; the app should still find the Bridge as long as it's on the same router.
Check the Bridge's lights and cable.

The Hue Bridge has three round lights on top — power, network, and internet.
If the network light is off, reseat the Ethernet cable at both ends and try a different port on your router.
If no lights are on at all, the power adapter or socket is the problem.
Reboot the Bridge, then the router.

Unplug the Bridge for ten seconds and plug it back in; wait for all three lights.
If it's still not found, reboot your router too (off 30 seconds, back on), then give everything a couple of minutes and reopen the app.
Add the Bridge by IP address.

In the Hue app's Bridge settings there's an option to connect using the Bridge's IP address.
Find that address in your router's list of connected devices (look for 'Philips' or 'Hue'), enter it in the app, and press the round button on the Bridge when prompted.
This gets past most discovery problems.
Check restrictive router settings.

On some routers, 'AP isolation'/'client isolation', aggressive 'IGMP snooping', or a strict firewall stops the app from discovering the Bridge.
Turn AP isolation off; if you're comfortable in the router settings, try toggling IGMP snooping.
If you recently got a new round-style v1 Bridge second-hand, note the current Hue app no longer supports it — you'd need a v2 (square) Bridge.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Hue Bridge connect to my Wi-Fi?

No — the Hue Bridge connects to your router with an Ethernet cable.
That's why 'no bridge found' is so often a cable problem: a loose plug or a dead router port and the Bridge effectively disappears from the network.
Your phone uses Wi-Fi to reach the Bridge through the router, so both still have to be on the same home network for the app to see it.