Your Phone app help

You can link iPhones or Android phones to your PC. 

From your iPhone, you can connect to the Your Phone app and send webpages straight to your PC using the Continue to PC app. Currently all the other features only work with Android 7.0+ capable devices. 

While it’s possible to install the companion app for Android on an Android tablet, some of the features will be limited. Most tablets do not have a Sim card, which means no phone number. With no phone number, there’s no way to send and read messages.

Windows phones are already synced to your PC through your Microsoft account, but they don’t have the same cross-device experiences as other phones. Learn how to sign in on your Windows phone.

The app you’ll receive when you link your phone and PC depends on the type of phone (iPhone or Android), your locale, and other factors.

However, once you’ve linked your phone and PC with the first app, you can install other Microsoft apps on your phone to turn on cross-device experiences.

For more info about the app experiences for iPhone and Android, see What can I do after I've linked my phone and PC?

1. On your PC, select the Start  button, then select Settings  > Phone .
   Open Phone settings

   Tip

   If you don’t see the Phone option in Settings, you’re not running Windows 10 version 1709 or later. To install the latest version of Windows 10, select the Start  button, then select Settings  > Update & Security  and select Check for updates.

2. Select Add a phone, then follow the instructions to enter your phone number.
3. Look for a text message from Microsoft on your phone.
4. Open the text and tap the link. The link will open the App Store (on iPhones) or the Google Play Store (on Android phones) to a Microsoft app that links your phone and PC.
5. Install the app.
6. Open the app, sign in with Microsoft, and see the What can I do after I've linked my phone and PC below.

Your Phone is an app that runs on your PC. It's preinstalled in Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809) and it's available to download in Windows 10 April 2018 Update (version 1803).

To find out if you already have the app on your PC, in the search box on the taskbar, type your phone and select Your Phone from the results. If Your Phone is not in your app list, open Microsoft Store in the app list, and in the search box at the top of the Store page, type Your Phone.

Once you have the Your Phone app installed on your PC, follow the directions to install the app on your phone.

When you open the Your Phone app for the first time, we’ll walk you through the setup process. The steps vary depending on how you've previously used Windows and various Microsoft mobile apps. Here are some of the things that we might ask you to do on your PC and on your phone: 

1. In the search box on the taskbar, type your phone and then select Your Phone from the results. Sign in to your Microsoft account.
2. Enter your mobile phone number so we can send you a link to install a companion app on your phone. The specific app we send you varies by the type of phone you have. Typically, we'll send you the Your Phone Companion app for Android or Microsoft Edge for iPhone.
3. When you receive the text message from Microsoft, tap the link to install the companion app on your phone.
4. Open the companion app on your phone and follow the setup instructions.
5. If you're prompted to sign in to the companion app, be sure to use the same Microsoft account that you're using on your PC. 
6. Accept the notifications on your phone that request access to your photos and other related permissions.

After you’ve completed the setup process on your Android phone and PC, you’ll be able to use the Your Phone app to see your most recent photos from your phone and to send text messages from your PC. If you have an iPhone, you'll be able to send webpages from Microsoft Edge on your phone to Microsoft Edge on your PC.

The Your Phone app on Windows 10 lets you:

• Link your phone and PC to unlock a variety of cross-device experiences for Android and iPhone.
• See recent photos from your phone on your PC for Android only.   
• View and send text messages from your PC for Android only.

What you can do depends on what kind of phone you have (Android or iPhone) and which apps you install. The more apps you install, the more cross-device experiences you’ll unlock. For the full experience, make sure that you sign in to each app with your Microsoft account.

Android phone experiences

App	What does it do?
Your Phone Companion	When used in conjunction with the Your Phone app on your Windows 10 computer, this app (formerly known as "Microsoft Apps") lets you: See photos from your Android phone on your PC View and send text messages from your PC (requires an Android phone) Browse all the apps from Microsoft on Android in one simple experience
Microsoft Launcher	Lets you access your work/school calendar, documents, and recent activities from your phone. Also lets you send photos, docs, and webpages almost instantly to your PC.
Microsoft Edge	Lets you send an individual webpage from your phone to your PC, immediately or to read later. Also automatically syncs your web browser favorites, browser history, and reading list items between Microsoft Edge on your phone and your PC.
Cortana	Lets you send articles from the Cortana Interests tab on your phone to Microsoft Edge on your PC. Also automatically syncs your Cortana notebook (your interests, reminders, etc.) between your phone and your PC so your personal assistant can continue to help you no matter which device you’re currently using.

iPhone experiences

App	What does it do?
Microsoft Edge	Lets you send an individual webpage from your phone to your PC, immediately or to read later. Also automatically syncs your web browser favorites, browser history, and reading list items between Microsoft Edge on your phone and your PC.
Continue on PC	Lets you send a webpage from your phone to your PC, immediately or to read later. When you install and set up the app on your phone, a Continue on PC command is added to your phone’s Share menu.
Cortana	Automatically syncs your Cortana notebook (your interests, reminders, etc.) between your phone and your PC so your personal assistant can continue to help you no matter which device you’re currently using.

To use the Your Phone app to see photos and to send texts, you'll need:

• A mobile phone running Android 7.0 (Nougat) or later
• A PC running Windows 10 April 2018 Update (Version 1803) or later

Your mobile phone must be connected to Wi-Fi and your PC must be connected to the internet. Also, the Your Phone app on your PC should be allowed to run in the background. To set this up, select the Start  button, and then select Settings > Privacy > Background apps . Find Your Phone app in the list and turn it On. 

On your PC, select the Start  button, then select Settings  > Phone  to see the phone you’ve linked.

It's not possible to connect your phone to multiple PCs at one time. As a workaround, you can disconnect one PC from your phone and re-connect to another.

On your Android phone:

1. When your phone is connected to your first PC, swipe down from any screen on your Android phone to show the Notification list. 
2. Find the Your Phone Companion Connected to your PC notification in the list, tap the down arrow in the notification to expand it, and then tap Disconnect.

On your second PC:

1. On your second PC, if you haven't already done so, go through the Your Phone app setup process to link your phone and PC.
2. Open the Your Phone app, and then tap the Allow notification on your Android phone when you're prompted.

Your Android phone is now connected to your second PC. Repeat the process to connect to your first PC again.

After you've completed setting up the Your Phone app on your PC and the Your Phone Companion app on your Android phone, do the following:

1. Take a photo on your Android phone.
2. On your PC, select Photos on the left side of the Your Phone app. The photo should automatically appear within a few seconds.

There are several ways to interact with photos in the Your Phone app. Here are a few options.

To copy a photo, select the photo and then select Copy . Drag a photo from the Your Phone app to, for example, your desktop, an Office document, or an email.  It's not possible to copy a photo into a text message. 

To share a photo, select and hold (or right-click) the photo, and select Share.

To edit a photo, select a photo to open it with the Photos app. If you save your changes, they'll be saved as a new file and your original photo will remain unchanged on your phone. 

To minimize network bandwidth and maximize performance, we show your 25 most recent photos and screenshots from your phone.

As you take more photos on your mobile phone, we remove the temporary copies of the older photos from your PC. If you think you'll need an older photo later, be sure to copy it from the Your Phone app before it gets replaced by any new photos. 

We never change or delete any photos on your mobile phone. 

No. The Your Phone app gets your recent photos from your mobile phone over Wi-Fi, but it does not store your photos online.

No. The Your Phone app gets a copy of your recent photos from your mobile phone and stores the copy as a temporary file on your PC. If you delete the temporary file on your PC, it does not affect the original photo on your phone. If you use the Your Phone app to edit the copy of the photo on your PC, it does not affect the original photo on your phone.

After you've completed setting up the Your Phone app on your PC and the Your Phone Companion app on your Android phone, do the following:

1. On your PC, select Messages on the left side of the Your Phone app.
2. To start a new conversation, select New message.

Delete messages on the connected phone. The deletions show on the phone and in the Your Phone app on the PC. It's not possible to delete messages directly on the PC.

To minimize network bandwidth and maximize performance, we show text messages that you've received or sent within the last 30 days.

For troubleshooting info, see Why are some of my text messages missing?

The Your Phone app supports messages sent by Short Message Service (SMS). It also supports Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) group messaging, but does not support media attachments, such as photos or videos.

The Your Phone app does not support messages sent by Rich Communication Services (RCS). Some mobile operators refer to RCS as "push messages," "chat features," "advanced messaging," or "RCS messages." For info about turning off RCS on your Android phone, see Why are some of my text messages missing?

If we detect that you're already using Cortana to see text messages on your PC, we'll give you the option to see them in the Your Phone app instead. Open the Your Phone app on your computer to go through the setup process.

If you see this error message, it means your PC can't connect to your phone. This can happen for a variety of reasons. Here are few things consider:

• Make sure your phone is connected to Wi-Fi. Or, to use your cellular network to connect, turn on "Sync over mobile data” in Your Phone Companion app settings.
• Is your PC connected to the internet? 
• Is your phone is turned on?
• Make sure the Your Phone app on your PC is allowed to run in the background. In Windows, select the Start  button, and then select Settings > Privacy > Background apps. In Choose which apps can run in the background, make sure that Your Phone is turned on.
• Make sure you're signed into the Your Phone Companion app with the same Microsoft account as you're using on your PC.
• Make sure you can receive app notifications on your phone. For example, in your phone settings, make sure Do not disturb is turned Off and that app notifications for Your Phone Companion is turned On.
• Make sure your system accounts are working correctly. In Windows, select the Start   button, then select Settings  > System > Shared experiences. If you see a Fix now link in the Accounts section, select the link and follow the instructions.
• Make sure your phone is not in airplane mode.
• Make sure Battery saver mode on your PC is turned off.

If you get stuck on the “Check your phone” screen in the Your Phone app, you might need to adjust the notification settings on your phone. Do the following:

1. On your Android phone, go to Settings > Notifications.
2. In the app list, find Your Phone Companion, and turn on notifications.
3. Open the Your Phone Companion app and verify that you're signed in with your Microsoft account (Settings > Accounts).
4. On your PC, restart the Your Phone app.

To minimize network bandwidth and maximize performance, we show your 25 most recent photos and screenshots from your phone.

Also, we only get photos that are in the Camera Roll or Screenshots folders on your Android phone. If you moved or saved your photos to a different folder on your Android phone, they will not appear in the Your Phone app.

If you're not seeing all of the text messages you expect in the Your Phone app, those messages might have been sent by Rich Communication Services (RCS). The Your Phone app does not support RCS.

To turn off RCS on your Android phone so you can see your text messages in the Your Phone app, try the following:

1. Open the default messaging app on your Android phone and go to the app settings.
2. If you’re using Google Messages, tap Advanced. If you’re using Samsung Messages, tap More settings.
3. Look for a setting called Push messages, Chat features, Advanced messaging, or RCS messages (the name of the setting varies by mobile operator), and then turn off the setting.

The Your Phone app doesn't support viewing or sending media attachments in MMS messages. 

The Your Phone app doesn't currently support viewing or sending media attachments in MMS messages. 

Every time you minimize or close the Your Phone app, there's a delay before the notification appears on your PC. As a workaround, check the Your Phone app for all incoming text messages even if you don't get some notifications.

On your Android phone:

1. Go to Settings > Apps (or Apps & Notification on some phones) > Your Phone Companion.
2. Tap Force Stop.
3. Tap Storage, then tap Clear Cache and Clear Data.

On your PC:

1. In your web browser, go to accounts.microsoft.com/devices, and sign in with your Microsoft account.
2. For every phone listed on the Devices page, select Show details > More actions and then select Unlink this phone.
3. In Windows, select the Start  button, and then select Settings > Phone, and then Unlink this PC.
4. Select the Back button to return to Windows Settings Home, and then select Apps.
5. In Apps & features, select Your Phone.
6. Select Advanced options > Reset.

Once these steps are completed, go to the Your Phone app on your PC and follow the set up process to link a new phone.

It can take up to 24 hours for your phone to appear as linked in your PC Settings  > Phone  page. Cross-device experiences should still work during this time.

1. On your PC, select the Start  button, then select Settings  > Phone .
2. Select Add a phone, then enter your phone number and follow the instructions.
3. Make sure your phone and PC are both connected to the internet.
4. On your PC, select the Start  button, then select Settings  > Phone  to make sure your phone is listed under Manage all devices linked with your Microsoft account.

Make sure you signed in with the same Microsoft account on both your phone and PC.  

On your PC, select the Start  button, then select Settings  > Accounts  > Email & accounts  to see what account you’re signed in to.

Choosing Continue later  on your phone will send your cross-device experience as a notification to action center on your linked PC(s). This is a good option when you’re not near your PC, or you want to remember to open a webpage, doc, or other experience on your PC later.

As a last resort, after you’ve tried all of the other troubleshooting options in this article, do the following:

On your Android phone:

1. Go to Settings > Apps (or Apps & Notification on some phones) and select Your Phone Companion.
2. Tap Force Stop.
3. Tap Storage, then tap Clear Cache and Clear Data.
4. Re-open the Your Phone Companion app.

On your PC:

1. In your web browser, go to accounts.microsoft.com/devices, and sign in with your Microsoft account.
2. For every phone listed on the Devices page, select Show details > More actions > Unlink this phone.
3. In Windows, select the Start  button, and then select Settings > Phone, and Unlink this PC.
4. Select the Back button to return to Windows Settings Home, and then select Apps.
5. In Apps & features , select Your Phone.
6. Select Advanced options > Reset.
7. Select the Back button to return to Windows Settings Home, and then select Privacy > Background apps. In Choose which apps can run in the background, make sure that Your Phone is turned On.

After you’ve completed these steps, open the Your Phone app on your PC and go through the setup process again. If you still have trouble, try restarting your PC.