How to turn off Phone Link Recent Apps from Windows 11 notification area

Phone Link’s Recent Apps feature in Windows 11 lets you turn off notifications showing your phone’s recently used apps.

This setting, part of Microsoft’s Phone Link app, normally shows icons of apps you recently opened on your phone right in your PC’s system tray. This makes them easy to click on if you use them often.

Turning off the Recent Apps notification in Windows 11 helps clear up your notification area if you don’t need this shortcut. You can easily switch this off from Windows 11 settings.

Step 1Open the Phone Link App

To turn off recent apps from showing up, first open the Phone Link app on your Windows 11 computer. Type ‘Phone Link’ into the Windows 🔍 search bar and select it from the results.

1. Locate the Phone Link app. You can usually find it by typing “Phone Link” into the Windows search bar and clicking on the app when it appears.
2. Alternatively, if you’ve pinned it to your ⊞ Start menu or taskbar, you can open it from there.

Step 2Navigate to Settings

Once the Phone Link app is open, find its settings menu to manage how your phone’s apps appear on your PC. Look for the gear or settings icon within the app’s main window to access these options.

1. Look for ⚙️ the settings icon within the Phone Link app. It’s often represented by a gear or cogwheel icon.
2. Click on this icon to open the Phone Link settings panel.

Step 3Access the Features Section

In the Phone Link settings, look for the ‘Features’ section to manage app-related options.

1. In ⚙️ the settings menu, find and click on the “Features” option. This section typically contains toggles and options for different aspects of the Phone Link experience, like calls, messages, photos, and apps.

Step 4Locate the “Apps” Setting

Within the Phone Link settings, you’ll find an ‘Apps’ section that lets you control which of your phone’s applications show up on your Windows computer. Look for a heading labeled ‘Apps’ to manage your phone’s app display.

1. Look for a heading or a specific option labeled “Apps” or something similar.
2. Underneath this “Apps” section, you should see an option that controls the display of recently used apps in the Windows 🔔 notification area.

Step 5Turn Off “Show recently used apps”

To turn off recent apps, find the option labeled ‘Show recently used apps in Windows 🔔 notification area’ within the Apps settings. A toggle switch is usually next to it; click this switch to the ‘off’ position to stop recent apps from appearing.

1. Find the toggle switch or checkbox associated with “Show recently used apps in Windows 🔔 notification area” (or a very similar phrasing).
2. Click on the toggle switch to turn it off. It will usually change color or move to an “off” position to indicate it’s disabled.

Reference:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/use-apps-from-your-android-device-on-your-pc-07d3d029-236e-e71f-3561-d40d7491d435

Conclusion

Disabling recent apps in the Windows 11 🔔 notification area keeps your workspace tidy and your experience smoother.