How to Easily Turn On the Windows 11 App Resume Feature

What is the Apps Resume Feature?

Windows 11 App Resume is a built-in feature that lets you continue working on files from your phone right on your computer. When you open a supported file on your Android or iPhone and then unlock your PC within five minutes, Windows shows a quick notification. Clicking that notification opens the exact same document on your desktop so you never lose your place.

It works with files stored in OneDrive like Word documents, Excel sheets, PowerPoint slides, OneNote pages, and PDFs.

Also, your PC must be running Windows 11 Build 22635.4515 or newer (Beta Channel).

How to Turn On Apps Resume Using Windows Settings

1. Open the Settings app ⚙️ on your PC.
   
   You can do this by clicking the Start menu ⊞ and selecting Settings, or by pressing the keyboard shortcut Win+I.
2. In Settings, click Apps on the left side.
3. Look for the Resume tile on the right and click it to open.
4. Toggle the switch to On to enable the Apps Resume feature.
   
   

   

5. Under Resume, find the OneDrive option and toggle it On to allow resuming work on OneDrive files from your phone.
6. When done, simply close the Settings app ⚙️.

How to Turn Off or On Apps Resume Using the Windows Registry (Advanced)

Windows 11 App Resume can also be turned on or off by making a direct change inside the Registry Editor. This advanced method requires you to open the system registry database, find the correct configuration folder, and edit the specific key values by hand. It works best for system administrators or users who prefer managing system settings outside the standard menus.

1. Open the Windows Registry Editor by typing regedit in the Start menu search and pressing Enter.
2. Navigate to this folder:
   
   ComputerHKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionCrossDeviceResumeConfiguration
3. Right-click on Configuration, then choose New › DWORD (32-bit) Value.
4. Name the new DWORD IsResumeAllowed.
5. Double-click the new value and set it to:

   • 1 to turn Apps Resume On
   • 0 to turn it Off
6. You can also control specific apps by creating DWORDs like this:
   
   IsOneDriveResumeAllowed
   
   Set to 1 to allow OneDrive to resume or 0 to block it.
7. Close the Registry Editor when finished.

What Happens After You Enable Apps Resume?

When you open a OneDrive file on your phone and then unlock your PC within 5 minutes, you will see a notification like this:

Click the notification, and the same file will open in your PC’s web browser, so you can continue working without searching for it.

Summary

• Apps Resume lets you continue working on OneDrive files from your phone right on your Windows 11 PC.
• You need Windows 11 Build 22635.4515 or newer (Beta Channel) and the same Microsoft account on both devices.
• Supported files include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and PDFs.
• You can turn Apps Resume on or off in Windows Settings or by editing the Registry.

Windows 11 App Resume connects your phone and computer to let you pick up right where you left off on documents stored in the cloud. You need a recent Windows beta build, matching Microsoft accounts on both devices, and compatible office files to make it work. You can control this cross-device feature easily through either your main computer settings or the system registry.

More info: Read the official Microsoft announcement here.