How to Enable App Sharing Across Devices in Windows 11
- 5 steps
- Needs administrator rights
- Group Policy needs Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise or Education
- Includes a restart or sign-out
App sharing across devices in Windows 11 lets you move current tasks, web links, and app progress between your PCs and Android phones. Microsoft calls the setting Share across devices. It controls whether your PC can share activity with other devices signed in to your account, and whether it can receive activity from them.
Once it is on, you can continue what you were doing on another device. Say you start a big job on your main PC and want to pick it up on your laptop. You don’t need to copy files or save a copy by hand. It is most useful if you often move between computers or check things on your phone.
Before you start, check three things. Every device should be signed in with the same Microsoft account. Each one should have Wi-Fi or Bluetooth turned on. Your Windows 11 should be up to date, because older builds can lack the option or label it differently.
Open Settings with Win+I, then go to Apps Advanced app settings and select Share across devices. Choose My devices only to limit sharing to devices signed in to your Microsoft account. Repeat this on each PC, and sign in with the same Microsoft account on every device. Changes take effect immediately, with no restart needed.
How to Enable App Sharing via Settings
The setting works per device, so repeat the steps below on each PC you want to include. Changes take effect straight away and you don’t need to restart.
- Press Win+I to open Settings. The Settings window opens with the System page showing.
- Navigate to Apps Advanced app settings. You should see a short list of options for how apps are installed and shared.
- Click Share across devices and choose your preference. My devices only limits sharing to devices signed in to your own account. Everyone nearby also lets other people’s devices nearby share with you. For most people, My devices only is the safer choice. If you want to turn the feature off, choose the off option in the same list.
If the option is missing or greyed out, see the troubleshooting section further down.
Enterprise and IT Management
IT administrators manage Windows 11 app sharing across company computers with the Registry Editor (a system tool for changing deep system settings) or Group Policy (a tool for managing computer settings across a network). To turn off app sharing through the registry, open Registry Editor, go to 🗝️HKEY_CURRENT_USER\
Disabling it via the Registry involves navigating to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CDP
Set the value of NearShareEnabled to 0. To undo the change later, set it back to 1. Sign out and back in afterwards so Windows picks up the new value.
A Group Policy Object (GPO) can also be used to push these settings to all computers in your domain. That is easier to maintain than editing each PC by hand. Keep in mind that the Local Group Policy Editor is not included in Windows 11 Home, so on Home the registry is the only option.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
If your Share across devices option is greyed out in Windows 11, it usually means your accounts aren’t synced correctly or you’re using a local account. Sharing depends on your Microsoft account, so a local account can’t use it.
Check these in order:
- Open Settings Accounts Your info. If it says you are signed in with a local account, choose the option to sign in with a Microsoft account instead.
- Make sure the same Microsoft account is used on every device you want to link.
- Check that Windows is fully updated, then restart the PC.
- On a work or school PC, an administrator may have turned the feature off with the registry or Group Policy settings described above. In that case you need to ask your IT team.
Clearing Synced Clipboard History
If you sync your clipboard, sensitive data such as copied passwords or account numbers might move between devices. To clear it:
- Go to Settings System Clipboard. The clipboard options page opens.
- Click the Clear button next to Clear clipboard data. This removes everything stored in clipboard history on this device and with your account, except items you have pinned. Unpin those first if you want them gone too.
For a quick clear, press Win+V to open clipboard history and remove items from there. Do this whenever you copy something private on a shared or borrowed PC.
Summary
Windows 11 app sharing can make your workflow smoother once the sync settings are configured properly. The main points: sign in with the same Microsoft account on every device, pick My devices only unless you have a reason not to, and clear your clipboard when it holds anything sensitive. If something doesn’t work, check the account type first, because that is the most common cause.
Have a question about this guide?
Answered by AI from this guide. Good questions may be added to this page — please don't include personal details.
Did this guide fix your problem?
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.
Hi Richard i do very similiar type of searches and i have a small non profit organization-educational. i was wondering would it be ok to list your site on my website as a free resource link?
that would be awesome