For some users, the Phone Link app isn’t showing smartphone notifications, or in some cases, it is unable to sync messages with the phone in real-time. If you’ve landed on this troubleshooting guide, then you must be facing the same issues with the Phone Link app. Here in this article, we’ve mentioned the best solutions to resolve all the problems with the Microsoft Phone Link app.

Based on our research, these are some of the most common reasons for the Microsoft Phone Link not working issue:

Firewall Blocking Issues Issues With Windows Store App Background Processing Permissions Not Allowed Shared Experience Option Is Disabled Problem With Phone Link App & Link to Windows app Bugs or Outdated Microsoft Phone Link app Relink the Smartphone & PC Third-party Antivirus Programs

Before moving to the solutions, we suggest checking a few things. The first check is that you need to ensure that you’re connected to a working and fast-speed internet connection. You should also ensure that both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.  Lastly, check the Link to Windows (Android app) and Phone Link (Windows app) are using the same Microsoft account to sync the data. After completing the aforementioned checks, continue following our tried and tested solutions to overcome the issues with the Phone Link app.

1. Temporary Disable Windows Firewall

One of the most common reasons behind the Microsoft Phone Link app not working is the built-in Windows Firewall. The Windows Firewall may stop the Phone Link from transferring data across different devices. In that case, we suggest disabling the Windows Firewall to ensure the Firewall isn’t causing inconvenience. Here are the steps to disable the integrated Firewall feature in the new Windows 11:

  1. Start with opening the Run Program using the Windows + R shortcut key. 
  2. Now, type firewall.cpl in the search field and press Enter. 
  3. Click on Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off from the left sidebar. 
  4. Lastly, check the Turn off Windows Defender Firewall checkbox under the Private Network and Public network settings.  Once the Windows Firewall is deactivated, open the Phone Link app and check the status of the issue. If the solution doesn’t eliminate the issue, we suggest turning on the Firewall again for extra safety measures. 

2. Disable Data Restrictions

Another common reason behind the ill-functioning of the Phone Link app could be the limited data usage permissions. You must remove all the data usage restrictions from the Phone Link and Link to Windows apps to let them function properly. Below are the steps to disable data restrictions on Android and Windows 11 PC:

On Android

  1. Firstly, open the Settings app and move to the Wi-Fi section. 
  2. Then, select the Wi-Fi network you’re currently connected to and open advanced network settings. 
  3. Select the Network usage option to Treat as unmetered in the Advanced section.

On Windows PC

  1. Start with opening the Settings app on the Windows PC. 
  2. Then, navigate to the Network & internet settings. 
  3. Following that, click on Wi-Fi and then click on the connected Wi-Fi network name.
  4. In the end, disable the Metered connection toggle.  Voila! You can now use the Microsoft Phone Link without connectivity or startup issues.

3. Use the Windows Store App Troubleshooter

The Microsoft Phone Link is an integrated Windows app that can only be downloaded and updated from the Microsoft Windows Store. Fortunately, Microsoft has provided a tool to Windows that resolves all the issues with built-in and Windows Store apps. You can check the mentioned steps to troubleshoot all the problems with the Phone Link app using the Windows Store troubleshooter:

  1. Open the Settings app on the PC using the Windows + I shortcut key. 
  2. Then, move to the Troubleshoot section and then Other troubleshooters.
  3. Now, search for the Window Store Apps under the Others section. 
  4. Following that, click on the Run button beside the Window Store Apps to scan for issues with the Windows Store apps.
  5. Lastly, follow the on-screen instructions to resolve the existing issues with the applications. 

4. Allow All Necessary App Permissions

When we set up the Phone Link app on the PC, in the initial steps, it asks for permission to read smartphone data and sync with the computer. It’s essential to allow all those permissions for the proper functioning of the Phone Link app. If the messages or photos aren’t visible on the Windows PC, we suggest ensuring all the required permissions are enabled for constant syncing. Below are the steps to ensure the same on both Android and Windows 11 with ease: 

On Android

  1. Open the Settings app on the smartphone and move to the Applications tab. 
  2. Now, search for the Link to Windows app in the Applications tab. 
  3. Then, tap on the Link to Windows app and head to the Permissions section. 
  4. Lastly, allow or enable all the below-mentioned permissions: 

Call logs Camera Contacts Phone SMS And, Storage

On Windows

  1. Firstly, open the Phone Link app on the Windows PC and click on the Gear icon at the top right corner to open the Settings tab. 
  2. Then, navigate to the Features section in the Settings section. 
  3. In the Features section, enable all the toggles, such as Notifications, Calls, Messages, and Photos.  Once all the required permissions are provided, open the Phone Link app again on the Windows PC and check whether it’s functioning properly. 

5. Disable Do Not Disturb & Airplane Mode

If you’re still facing connectivity or syncing issues, we suggest keeping the Do not Disturb mode and the Airplane mode disabled. These two functions can prevent the Phone Link app from syncing correctly. You can follow the below-mentioned steps to check the same on both Windows 11 and Android. You can simply disable the Airplane Mode and Do not Disturb Mode from the Notifications panel of the smartphone. When it comes to disabling both options on the new Windows 11, you can follow the steps mentioned below:

  1. First, click on the Battery icon at the bottom-right corner of the screen. 
  2. Now, click on Airplane mode to turn it off.
  3. Once the Airplane mode is disabled, click on the time widget at the bottom-right corner of the screen. 
  4. Finally, click on the Bell icon at the top-right corner of the display and ensure it’s in white when disabled. 

6. Force Close the Phone Link & Link to Windows App

Sometimes, closing the app from the roots resolves all the startup and slow performance issues with the applications. Luckily, both Windows and Android allow us to force close applications with ease. You can follow the below-mentioned steps to get assistance on the same.

On Android

  1. Firstly, access the Applications section of your Android smartphone.
  2. Now, tap on the Link to Windows app in the Applications section and then the Force stop option to close all its current processes.
  3. Reopen the Link to Windows app and check the issue’s status. 

On Windows PC

  1. Start with opening the Task Manager using the Ctrl + Shift + Esc key combination. 
  2. Then, search for the Phone Link in the Processes tab. 
  3. Following that, right-click on the Phone Link and click on End task in the top menu.
  4. Once done, close the Task Manager window and open the Phone Link app to let the application sync with the smartphone.

7. Allow the Phone Link & Link to Windows App To Run in the Background

Many users reported that their Phone Link isn’t syncing messages and notifications automatically. One of the most common reasons could be being unable to run in the background. You must ensure the app can run in the background. In that case, you need to give all the required permissions to the Phone Link app for continuous syncing. You can follow us along to provide background permission to the Phone Link app and Link to Windows app:

On Android

  1. Open the application properties of the Link to Windows app in the smartphone’s Settings.
  2. Then, tap on Battery Usage to edit background permissions. 
  3. Finally, enable the Allow background activity option to command the system to never restrict background activity for this app. 

On Windows

  1. First, open the Settings app on the Windows 11 PC. 
  2. Navigate to the Apps section from the left navigation pane. 
  3. Now, click on Installed apps to get a list of all the applications installed on the system. 
  4. After that, search for the Phone Link app and click on the three dot menu.
  5. Following that, click on the Advanced option from the menu. 
  6. In the end, head to the Background apps permissions section and select Always from the dropdown menu. That’s it. Once this solution is perfectly implemented, the Phone Link and Link to Windows app will process all the time in the background and sync all the notifications, messages, and other data in real-time with no issues. 

In case the Phone Link app isn’t showing smartphone notifications on the desktop, there are chances that the Link to Windows app doesn’t have permission to do so. You must ensure that the Link to Windows app has all the required permissions to show notifications. Here’s how to check the same:

  1. To start, move to the properties window of the Link to Windows app on your smartphone.
  2. Then, tap on the Manage notifications option.
  3. Finally, check whether the Allow notifications toggle is enabled. If not, enable it by tapping on it.

9. Disable The Battery Optimization Feature

One of the most common reasons for the Microsoft Phone Link not working issue is the enabled battery optimization feature. You must disable the battery optimization feature to enable the Phone Link app to function properly in the background. Here are the steps to disable the battery optimization feature in Windows 11 as well as Android.

On Android

  1. Firstly, open the Settings app on your Android phone. 
  2. Then, navigate to the Battery section. 
  3. Finally, disable the Power saving mode by tapping on the toggle. 

On Windows PC

You can disable the Battery saver option in Windows 11 by clicking on the Battery icon at the bottom-right corner of the screen. Once done, reopen and close the Phone Link twice or thrice to check if the Phone Link syncs with the phone automatically or not. 

10. Enable Shared Experience

Shared Experience is a feature that allows the PC to seamlessly share data across different devices that are logged in with the same account. It also plays an important role in the functioning of the Phone Link app. Therefore, you must ensure the Shared Experience option is enabled for proper syncing. Below are the steps to enable/disable the Shared Experience option: 

  1. To start, open the Windows Search Bar by pressing the Windows + S shortcut key.
  2. Now, type Shared Experience in the Windows Search Bar and select Share across devices from the search results. 
  3. Ensure that the Share across devices option is set to My devices only.  You can now use the Phone Link app to access your smartphone data with ease and with no issues.

11. Reset & Repair the Phone Link App 

If none of the solutions fixes the issue, we suggest resetting the Phone Link app to clear all the existing data like cache files and other temporary data from the computer. We also recommend repairing the Phone Link app to repair broken files and functions of the app. So, let’s do the same:

  1. Firstly, open the Settings app and navigate to the Apps section. 
  2. Move to the Installed apps section and search for the Phone Link program. 
  3. After that, click on the three dot menu and select Advanced options. 
  4. Now, click on Reset under the Reset section. 
  5. Once the Phone Link app has been reset, start repairing it by clicking on Repair under the Reset section.  After resetting the Phone Link app, open it again and monitor whether the problem is resolved.

12. Update the Phone Link & Link to Windows App

If the issue still exists, there’s a possibility that the Microsoft Phone Link app or Link to Windows app has some bugs. You can try updating both applications from their native app stores and check if updating the app resolves the problem. Below are the steps to update the Phone Link app and the Link to Windows app from their integrated app stores:

On Android

  1. Start by opening the Playstore app on the smartphone.
  2. Search for the Link to Windows app in the Playstore app. 
  3. In the end, tap on Link to Windows from the search results and click on the Update button underneath the app name to start the update process. 

On Windows

  1. Open the Microsoft Store app and head to the Library section from the left sidebar.
  2. Click on the Get updates button and search for the Phone Link app in the Updates & downloads section. 
  3. Once found, click on Update beside the Microsoft Phone Link app to update it. You need to wait until both applications are updated. Once the apps are updated, open them on their respective devices and check whether the issue is gone. 

13. Update the PC to Newer Version

Microsoft could have released some fixes for the Phone Link app issues via system updates. You can try searching for new system updates and check if any updates are related to the Phone Link app. Even if there aren’t any, we suggest downloading all the pending updates to be on the safer side. You can follow the mentioned process to check the same:

  1. Open the Windows Settings app and head to the Windows Update section.
  2. Click the Check for updates button to search for new system updates. 
  3. If the scanner finds some updates, click on Download & install all to install them on the system.

14. Relink Windows PC & Android Phone 

Sadly, if none of the above-mentioned workarounds resolves the problem, we suggest relinking the smartphone and Windows computer using the Phone Link app. Doing this will re-establish the connection between the system and phone and ensure all the connectivity issues are resolved. You can follow us along to do the same:

  1. First, open the Link to Windows app on the smartphone and move to Settings by clicking on the Gear icon at the top-right corner. 
  2. Tap on the Sign out of Link to Windows and Unlink to confirm. 
  3. Once both devices are unlinked, you need to relink both devices. We suggest following this detailed guide on connecting an Android smartphone to Windows with the Phone Link app to know the entire process.

Does Your Phone App Work on Windows 11?

Yes, the Microsoft Phone Link app (previously known as Your Phone) works on Windows 11. The Phone Link app works on Windows 10 too.

One of the most common reasons for this issue is the third-party antivirus tool. We suggest disabling the antivirus program while accessing the Microsoft Phone Link app.

You can try repairing and resetting the Microsoft Phone Link app to resolve any issues with the Microsoft Phone Link app.

How Do I Connect My Phone to Windows 11?

You can check this comprehensive tutorial on how to connect an Android smartphone with a Windows PC using the Microsoft Phone Link app.

Unfortunately, Microsoft doesn’t officially allow users to remove the Phone Link app from Windows PC. But still there are ways to disable or uninstall Phone Link app from Windows 11.

Final Words

Phone Link app is one of the best ways to access your smartphone data on a Windows PC seamlessly. However, the app has many irritating issues that ruin the entire user experience in seconds. But, not anymore, as we’ve already shared more than 12 tried and tested solutions to overcome all the issues with the Phone Link app. We recommend trying all the solutions properly to escape this annoying situation immediately. Also, let us know the solution that saved your day. 

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