Your phone holds your texts, photos, and notifications. Your PC has the bigger screen and the keyboard you actually want to type on. aka.ms/phonelink bridges the two, so you stop reaching for your phone every few minutes while you work.

This guide covers what Phone Link does, how to set it up, and how to fix the errors people run into most.

What aka.ms/phonelink Does

aka.ms/phonelink is the Microsoft link that opens Phone Link, a built-in Windows app. It connects your Android or iPhone to your PC over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Once connected, your phone's texts, calls, notifications, and photos show up right on your desktop.

You get:

• Texts and calls without touching your phone
• Notifications that mirror straight to your PC
• Instant access to your camera roll
• App mirroring on supported Android phones
• Drag-and-drop file transfer between devices

What You Need Before You Begin

• Windows 10 or Windows 11, fully updated
• An Android phone on version 8.0+, or an iPhone for calls, texts, and photos
• Phone Link app on your PC (built into Windows already)
• Link to Windows app on Android, or Phone Link on iPhone
• Wi-Fi on both devices, same network works best
• Bluetooth enabled for calls and some sync features

Samsung, Honor, and a few other brands ship with Link to Windows already installed. That saves you one install step.

Setting Up Phone Link on Android

1. Open Phone Link on your PC.
2. Sign in with your Microsoft account.
3. Choose Android as your device type.
4. A QR code shows up on your screen.
5. Open Link to Windows on your phone and scan the code.
6. Approve the pairing request on your phone.
7. Give it a few seconds to sync everything.

Prefer not to scan a code? Sign in with your Microsoft account directly on your phone through aka.ms/phonelink, then follow the on-screen steps instead.

Setting Up Phone Link on iPhone

iPhone setup skips the QR code and uses a different path because of how Apple restricts background access.

1. Open Safari on your iPhone and visit aka.ms/phonelink.
2. Tap "Continue without QR Code."
3. Install Phone Link from the App Store when prompted.
4. Sign in with the same Microsoft account you used on your PC.
5. Type in the 8-character code your PC displays.

Calls, texts, and photo syncing work well on iPhone. App mirroring and full file access stay limited to Android for now.

Fixing Common Phone Link Problems

Your phone won't show a pairing code. Double check both devices use the exact same Microsoft account. A different account on either side stops the pairing cold.

PC hangs on "waiting for connection." Close Phone Link and the phone app, then reopen both and retry the scan. This clears most stuck sessions.

Notifications stop coming through. Battery-saving modes on Android often block background apps, including Link to Windows. Turn off aggressive battery optimization for the app, and confirm Bluetooth stays on.

App opens on the wrong screen. Right-click the Phone Link window in your taskbar, choose "Move," and drag it to your main monitor.

Transfers run slow. Put both devices on the same Wi-Fi network. Mixed networks or weak signal strength cause most of the lag people report.

Calls don't connect. Confirm Bluetooth is on for both devices and your phone stays within range. Some carriers also require a settings toggle inside your phone's call app.

How to Unlink a Device

Switching phones or want to remove one from your account? Unlink it first.

1. Visit accounts.microsoft.com/devices/android-ios.
2. Sign in with your Microsoft account.
3. Select the device and choose "Unlink."
4. Restart Phone Link on your PC so the change takes effect.

You can also do this from inside the app. Open Phone Link, go to Settings, select "My Devices," and unlink from there.

Getting a Reliable Connection

• Stay within 30 feet of your PC for steady Bluetooth performance.
• Keep both devices updated. Most pairing failures trace back to outdated software.
• Match your phone and PC to the same Wi-Fi network when you can.
• Restart your router if several devices show sync lag at once.

Wrapping Up

aka.ms/phonelink connects your phone and PC in a handful of steps. When something breaks, check your Microsoft account match, your Bluetooth range, and your app versions first. Those three things solve nearly every pairing issue you'll run into.