I spent years emailing myself photos from my phone just to get them onto my PC before I sat down and did a proper windows 11 phone link setup. Phone Link is Microsoft’s built-in app that mirrors your Android or iPhone’s notifications, texts, calls, and photos onto your Windows 11 desktop, and once paired correctly you stop reaching for your phone every few minutes.
The single biggest reason people give up on Phone Link is skipping the Bluetooth pairing step and trying to connect over Wi-Fi alone, which leaves the app stuck on “Connecting” forever.
Quick Answer
Open Windows Settings, go to Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices, and sign in with your Microsoft account. Install Link to Windows on Android or scan the in-app QR code on iPhone, keeping both devices on Bluetooth and the same Wi-Fi network. Android gets full notifications and calls; iPhone gets calls and photos only.
What Is Windows 11 Phone Link?
Phone Link is a free app built into every copy of Windows 11 that connects your phone to your PC over Bluetooth and a shared Wi-Fi network. Once paired, it streams your notifications, texts, recent photos, and even live calls into a window on your desktop, so you can answer a text without unlocking your phone.
It’s preinstalled on Windows 11; the phone-side app is called Link to Windows on Android or Phone Link on iPhone. Microsoft covers the full feature list on its Phone Link support page.
Phone Link is Microsoft’s free, built-in bridge between your phone and PC, not a third-party app you need to track down.
How Do I Set Up Phone Link on Windows 11?
Step 1: Check the Requirements
You need Windows 11 (or Windows 10 1903+), a Microsoft account on your PC, and Bluetooth on for both devices. Android needs version 9.0+; iPhone needs iOS 14+ but gets a thinner feature set, covered below.
Step 2: Open Phone Link and Sign In
Search “Phone Link” in the Start menu and sign in with the same Microsoft account you use on your PC — that account is what links the two devices.
Step 3: Install the Companion App and Pair
On Android, install “Link to Windows” from the Play Store (Samsung and most brands ship it preinstalled in Quick Settings), sign in with the same Microsoft account, then scan the QR code with your camera. On iPhone, install “Phone Link” from the App Store and scan the code instead — iPhone pairing skips the Microsoft sign-in step. Approve every notification, contact, and photo permission prompt your phone shows; skipping one is the top reason features silently don’t show up later.
On my own Pixel, the whole process took under three minutes. On a Samsung Galaxy I set up for family, app mirroring needed one extra toggle under Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices > Manage devices before the phone’s screen appeared in a window.
Pro tip: keep both devices on the same Wi-Fi network — pairing runs over Bluetooth, but photo sync and screen mirroring need Wi-Fi and fail silently without it.
Setup takes about five minutes end to end if you approve every permission prompt your phone shows you.
What Can You Do Once Phone Link Is Connected?
- Send and receive text messages from your PC keyboard
- Make and take phone calls through your computer’s mic and speakers
- See every phone notification pop up on your desktop
- Browse and drag-and-drop your phone’s recent photos onto your PC
- Mirror and control individual Android apps in a window (Samsung, Google Pixel, and a growing list of other Android phones)
Notification mirroring alone replaced my constant desk-checking; I now silence my phone entirely and still catch anything important on-screen. Pairing it with Windows 11 Focus Sessions and Do Not Disturb stops the mirrored notifications from becoming just as distracting as the phone itself, the same cross-device convenience as keeping bookmarks synced across every device.
Once connected, Phone Link turns your PC into a second screen for calls, texts, photos, and (on most Android phones) full app mirroring.
iPhone vs Android: Which Features Does Each Get?
Apple’s background-access restrictions mean iPhone support is noticeably thinner than Android. Here’s what actually works on each.
| Feature | Android | iPhone |
|---|---|---|
| Text messages | Yes, full two-way SMS/RCS | Yes, iMessage and SMS via linked contacts |
| Phone calls | Yes | Yes |
| Notification mirroring | Yes, every app | No |
| Photo access | Yes, recent photos synced automatically | Yes, via the Photos tab |
| App mirroring / screen control | Yes, on supported phones | No |
Android users get near-total phone-to-PC integration; iPhone users get calls, messages, and photos but no notification or screen mirroring.
Why Won’t Phone Link Connect or Stay Synced?
The most common failure is a stalled “Connecting” screen, usually from Bluetooth being off on one side or the two devices sitting on different Wi-Fi networks.
Troubleshooting tip: if pairing hangs for more than a minute, toggle Bluetooth off and on for both devices, confirm matching Wi-Fi networks, then unlink and re-pair from Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices > Manage devices > Remove device instead of retrying the same QR code.
If notifications stop appearing after days of working fine, check that battery optimization hasn’t been re-enabled for Link to Windows — Android reapplies aggressive limits after some system updates, which silently kills the background connection.
Most Phone Link failures trace back to Bluetooth being off, mismatched Wi-Fi networks, or battery optimization quietly killing the background app.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Signing into Windows with the wrong Microsoft account: confirm which account is active in Settings > Accounts before pairing.
- Denying a notification or photo prompt without noticing: revisit your phone’s app permissions for Link to Windows and re-enable anything dismissed.
- Assuming iPhone matches Android’s feature set: check the comparison table above before building a workflow around notification mirroring.
- Leaving battery saver on for the companion app: exclude Link to Windows from battery optimization so it stays connected in the background.
- Pairing on mismatched Wi-Fi networks: put the phone and PC on the same network, not a guest network on one side.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phone Link free to use?
Yes, it’s free and preinstalled with Windows 11. I’ve never hit a paywall using it across three PCs.
Can I use Phone Link with more than one phone?
You can link one Android and one iPhone at once, mirroring one at a time. I keep a personal Android and a work iPhone both linked and switch between them in the app.
Why can’t I mirror my iPhone’s screen like Android?
Apple blocks the background screen-sharing access Android grants, so Microsoft only offers calls, texts, and photos on iPhone — an Apple platform limit, not a bug.
Will Phone Link drain my phone’s battery?
It uses a small amount of background battery, similar to a fitness tracker app — no measurable hit on my Pixel after months of daily use.
Conclusion
A proper windows 11 phone link setup takes about five minutes and saves you dozens of trips to your phone every day, especially on Android with full notification and app mirroring. Open Phone Link from your Start menu now and get your phone paired before you close this tab.