How to Access Phone Link Notifications in Windows 11

What Happens When You Enable Notifications?

Once notifications are enabled, your PC mirrors the alerts from your Android device. They show up in the Windows notification panel (the Action Center 🔔, where alerts are collected) or as pop-up banners in the corner of the screen.

If you have not done that yet, open Phone Link on the PC, choose Android, and follow the pairing prompts. You will scan a QR code with your phone and sign in with your Microsoft account. The setup below assumes pairing is finished.

Supported Devices

Make sure the Link to Windows app is installed on your phone. On many phones it comes preinstalled, but if yours does not have it, get it from the Google Play Store.

Connect both your phone and your PC to the same Wi-Fi 📶 network, which gives the best experience. Also make sure you are signed in to the same Microsoft account on both devices. A mismatch there is a common reason pairing succeeds but nothing shows up on the PC.

Step-by-Step: Enabling Permissions on Android

Android will not share your alerts with the PC until you grant permission inside the Link to Windows app. You open the app settings, find the notifications toggle, and tap allow when prompted. After that, your phone can pass alerts to your Windows 11 computer. The wording of menus can differ a little between phone makers and app versions, but the steps are the same.

1. Open the Link to Windows app on your phone. You should see the app's main screen showing that your PC is connected.
2. Tap Settings. The list of app options opens.
3. Find Notifications and toggle it to On. Android should now ask for permission.
4. When prompted, tap Allow to grant access to your notifications. On some phones this opens Android's notification access list. If so, switch Link to Windows on there and confirm any warning, then go back to the app.

To undo this, turn the same Notifications toggle off, or remove the app's notification access in your Android settings. No restart is needed on the phone.

How to Access Phone Link Notifications in 🪟 Windows 11

On the PC, everything is controlled inside the Phone Link app. You open the app, click the gear icon to open settings, go to Features, and choose how you want your phone alerts to appear on the desktop.

1. Open the Phone Link app on your PC. You can find it by typing Phone Link in the Start menu search. The app window should show your phone's name and its connection status.
2. Click the Settings (gear icon) button. It sits in the top-right corner of the app window. The settings page opens.
3. Select Features. You should see a list of Phone Link features, including notifications.
4. Under Notifications, choose how you want to see your alerts. If the option is greyed out or missing, check that you completed the permission steps on your phone and that the phone shows as connected in Phone Link.

These settings apply to your own account and work the same on Windows 11 Home and Pro. To switch notifications off, return to the same page and turn the option off. You do not need to restart the PC for any of this.

Heads up: You might need administrator privileges to change system-wide notification settings in folders like C:\Windows\System32 if your user account has restrictions.

Phone Link's own settings normally do not need administrator rights. The note above applies only if your PC is managed by a work or school account, or if your account has been restricted by an administrator.

Troubleshooting Common Sync Issues

Sync problems usually come down to a few settings on the phone or the PC. Turn off Do Not Disturb on the PC, make sure battery saving is not blocking the app on your phone, and restart both devices. Work through the checks below in order, and test with a new notification after each one.

• Check that Focus Assist or Do Not Disturb mode is turned off on your PC. In current Windows 11 versions, Focus Assist was renamed Do Not Disturb. You can find it in Settings › System › Notifications While it is on, alerts go quietly to the notification panel instead of appearing as banners.
• Ensure Battery Optimization is disabled for the Link to Windows app on your phone. Android often puts background apps to sleep to save power, and that stops alerts from being passed along. The menu name differs by phone maker. Look in your phone's battery settings, or in the app's info page, for an option such as unrestricted or no battery optimization.
• Restart both your PC and your phone. This clears a stalled connection and is often all it takes.
• Verify that your PC and phone are connected to the same network. If one of them is on a guest network or a VPN, switch it to the same network as the other and check again.

If none of that helps, confirm that the notification permission on the phone is still granted. Android sometimes removes it after a system update or after the app has been force-stopped.

Customizing Your Experience

You can control which apps send alerts to your PC. In the Phone Link settings, look for the list of apps, which you will usually find with the notification options. Toggle the switch to Off for any app you want to silence. The change takes effect right away, and you can turn the app back on the same way.

You can also pin your favorite conversations to the top of the feed for faster access. This helps if you get a lot of alerts and only need to catch the important ones.

Summary

Phone Link notifications keep you updated on your PC without needing your phone in hand. Once you grant permission on your Android and adjust the settings in the Windows app, you can mirror alerts, reply to messages, and silence unwanted notifications. If notifications stop syncing, check your network connection, the notification permission on your phone, Do Not Disturb on your PC, and battery optimization for the Link to Windows app.