How to Reset Your Android Device with Phone Link and Windows 11

Step 1Stop the “Link to Windows” App on Your Android Phone

Open your phone settings, find the app in the application list, and force stop it before you clear its storage or cache.

Menu names vary between Android versions and manufacturers (Samsung, Pixel, and others). The labels below are the most common ones. If yours differ slightly, look for the closest match. Link to Windows comes pre-installed on many Samsung phones and is a Google Play download on others.

1. Open Your Phone’s Settings: Unlock your Android phone and tap the Settings app. It usually looks like a gear. You should see the main list of settings.
2. Find Your Apps: Scroll through the Settings ⚙️ menu and tap Apps or Apps & notifications, depending on your Android version. You should see a list of installed apps.
3. Find “Link to Windows”: If the list looks short, tap See all apps or App info to show every app. Scroll until you find Link to Windows, then tap it. The app’s info screen opens.
4. Force Stop: On the “Link to Windows” app screen, tap Force Stop. Android will probably warn that stopping the app may make it behave strangely. Tap OK or Force Stop again to confirm. If the button is greyed out, the app is already stopped, so you can move on. Once it is stopped, you can clear its storage and cache from the same app info screen.

Step 2Reset the Phone Link App on Your PC

Now move to the PC. Resetting the Phone Link app on Windows 11 clears out old connection data and fixes most pairing errors. You first remove the linked phone in Settings, which deletes the PC’s stored connection to it. Then you reset the app itself.

They are not deleted. After the reset, Phone Link behaves like a fresh install. You will need to sign in and pair the phone again. No restart is required, but restarting the PC afterwards does no harm if the app still misbehaves.

1. Go to Windows Settings: On your PC, click the Start button, then click the Settings gear icon. The Settings window opens.
2. Go to "Mobile Devices": In the Settings window, click Phone. On many Windows 11 builds this page sits under Bluetooth & devices › Mobile devices, so look there if you don't see a Phone entry. You should see your linked phone listed.
3. Remove: Find your phone and click Remove. This removes the computer's specific connection to your phone. The phone should disappear from the list.
4. Go to System components: Click the back arrow in the top-left corner of the Settings window to return to the main Settings menu. Then choose Apps. On recent Windows 11 versions, Phone Link may instead be listed under System › System components If you can't find it in one place, check the other.
5. Find Phone Link in System components: In the list of apps, scroll down or use the search box to find Phone Link. Click the three-dot menu next to it, or click the app name if your version shows it that way.
6. Go to Advanced Options: Click Advanced options. The app's settings page opens.
7. Reset the App: Scroll down in Advanced options until you see the Reset button, then click it. A message asks you to confirm. Click Reset again. A check mark usually appears next to the button when the reset finishes.
   
   Resetting an app on Windows restores it to its initial state, as if it had just been installed. It removes all stored data and user preferences, which is why it fixes corrupted connection data. If you only want to try a lighter fix first, the Repair button above Reset keeps your app data. Reset is the stronger option.

Reference:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/reset-your-android-device-and-pc-with-the-phone-link-6f71a86c-53b3-92ca-6181-ee1621a206ad

Summary

Clearing the data for Link to Windows on your phone and resetting the Phone Link app on your PC fixes most stubborn pairing problems. Both devices lose their corrupted settings and cached files, so you can set up a fresh connection from scratch.

When both resets are done, open Phone Link on your PC, sign in, and follow the prompts to pair your Android phone again. Keep both devices on the same Wi-Fi network while you do it. If the problem returns, check that the phone and PC are both signed in to the same Microsoft account, and that Windows and the Link to Windows app are up to date.

Pairing the devices again after both resets repairs the broken connection. Clearing the corrupted caches removes the sync errors. Once that's done, you should have a Phone Link session that works reliably.