How to Sign In and out of Phone Link on Windows 11
Phone Link is a built-in Windows 11 app that connects your phone to your computer. You can read text messages, make phone calls and open mobile apps on your desktop. The connection needs two matching apps: Phone Link on your PC and Link to Windows on your phone. The same Microsoft account must be signed in on both devices.
Signing out of Phone Link disconnects your devices right away, and your phone data stops showing up on your PC. You can sign out from the app settings on your computer, or you can remove the device link from your online Microsoft account page when you want to stop sharing data.
To sign in to Phone Link on Windows 11, open the app from the Start menu, click Continue, choose Android or iPhone, and log in with the same Microsoft account on both devices. To sign out, open Phone Link, click the Settings gear icon, select Devices, and click Sign out under your name. Your phone data stays on the phone and only disappears from the PC.
Sign in to the Phone Link app
Keep your phone nearby, because you need it to finish the setup and link the two devices. Before you start, check that the phone has an internet connection and that you know the password for your Microsoft account.
- Open the Phone Link app on your Windows 11 PC. Click the Start button, type Phone Link and select the app from the results. The Phone Link window opens with a welcome screen.
- Click the Continue button. This assumes you are logged in to your Windows PC with your Microsoft account. If you use a local account on the PC, Phone Link may ask you to sign in with a Microsoft account first. Do that, then carry on.
- Choose your mobile device (Android or iPhone) and log on to your Microsoft account to authenticate. The screen that follows depends on which phone type you pick.
Then sign in with the same Microsoft account on both devices to verify your identity. If the two devices use different accounts, they will not pair, so check this first when the connection fails. On an Android phone, make sure the Link to Windows app is installed and open. Some Android phones already include it. An iPhone connects over Bluetooth and supports fewer features than Android, mainly calls, messages and contacts.
What happens next? Once authentication succeeds, the sign-in is complete and Phone Link starts showing your phone’s data on the PC. It can take a minute or two for messages and notifications to appear the first time. If the app asks for permissions on the phone, allow them, because the features only work with those permissions.
Sign out of the Phone Link app
To sign out of Phone Link, open the app and click the Settings gear icon. Go to Devices, then click the Sign out link under your name. This ends your active session and unlinks your phone from your computer. The steps are the same on Windows 11 Home and Pro.
- Click the Settings (gear) icon at the top right corner of the Phone Link window. The Settings page opens with a list of categories on the left.
- Select Devices. You should see the account you are signed in with and the phone linked to it.
- Click the Sign out link under your name to sign out of the app. The app may ask you to confirm. If it does, confirm and wait for the welcome screen to return.
What happens next? The session ends and the mobile device is unlinked from the application. Your messages, photos and apps stay on the phone, and only the view of them on the PC goes away. To connect again, repeat the sign-in steps above. If you want to cut the link from the other side too, you can remove the device from the devices list in your online Microsoft account. You can also uninstall or close Link to Windows on the phone.
Summary
Phone Link lets you connect your mobile device to your Windows 11 computer and view texts, calls and apps on your desktop. You can sign in or sign out at any time from the app settings, using your Microsoft account. Here are the main points to remember.
- The Phone Link app lets you access your phone’s apps and data from your Windows PC.
- You need a Microsoft account, signed in on both devices, and the Link to Windows app on your phone to connect.
- To sign in, open Phone Link, click Continue, choose Android or iPhone and authenticate with your Microsoft account.
- To sign out, open Phone Link, go to Settings, select Devices and click the Sign out link.
- Signing in and out helps you stay secure and manage your device connection. Sign out whenever you share the PC or stop using it.
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About the Author
Richard
Tech Writer, IT Professional
Richard is a writer at Geek Rewind who turns complex IT tasks into clear, step-by-step guides. He draws on years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, focusing on Windows, Linux and WordPress: the problems people actually run into, and the fixes that work. His server and WordPress guides come from systems he runs himself. Richard builds and maintains the platform behind Geek Rewind, from its Ubuntu servers and Nginx configuration to its custom WordPress plugins. Many new tutorials start with readers' questions, and he's always glad to answer them in the comments.
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