How do I see my phone messages, apps and files right on my Windows 11 PC?
Windows 11’s expanded Phone Link connection puts message previews in Start, phone files in File Explorer, phone apps in desktop windows, and cross-device Resume on supported phones.
Your phone is buzzing in the other room, your hands are on your keyboard, and the code or photo you need is — of course — on the phone. Short answer: Windows 11 is expanding its built-in phone connection, so from your PC you can preview phone messages and notifications in Start, reply in a focused window, browse phone files in File Explorer, and pick up supported activities with Resume instead of starting over. This is about fewer device switches during ordinary work.
Quick Settings can help you ring or silence a misplaced phone. On supported Android phones you can also open phone apps in separate, resizable windows right on the desktop. Take a photo on your phone, and a notification on the PC can open it with one click.
Availability is not identical for everyone: Microsoft notes the features depend on the phone platform and device, and Android generally gets more of these extras than iPhone.1. Update Windows 11, then open the Phone Link app on your PC.2. Sign in with your Microsoft account.
Follow the pairing steps with Link to Windows on your phone.3. Allow only the permissions you want. Messages, calls, photos, or files — you do not have to grant them all.4.
Check Settings, then Bluetooth & devices, then Mobile devices. Confirm your phone is allowed to connect.5. Try it out.
Preview a message from Start, open a phone file in File Explorer, and look in Settings, then Apps, then Resume to control which apps can hand off activities.Pro tip: If Resume prompts get noisy, do not turn the whole phone connection off. Turn Resume off just for the apps you do not want popping up on the PC.Ad’s take: This is the kind of “new feature” I actually use — not flashy, just one less reason to pick up, unlock, and lose my train of thought on my phone every five minutes.
Ask AI about this tip
Send this tip to your favorite AI assistant for a plain-language walkthrough, follow-up questions, or help applying it to your device.
Update — November 2, 2026: Windows Search learns phone tricks. A Windows 11 Insider Experimental test build (26340.9843, released October 30) lets you type into Windows Search to call or text a contact on your linked Android phone, turn on the phone's Do Not Disturb, and open Android apps from Search, mirrored on your PC through Phone Link. It works with select Samsung, HONOR, OPPO, ASUS, vivo, Xiaomi, iQOO and Realme phones on Android 11 or later; Microsoft says iPhone support is coming early next year. This is test software that may change or never ship — don't install Insider builds on a PC you depend on. Source: Android Authority