You Can Connect Your Smartphone to Your Windows PC

If you’re like most people, you probably bounce between your smartphone and your computer throughout the day. You might update a spreadsheet on your computer, respond to a text on your phone, take a Zoom call on your PC, then take a phone call on your smartphone. But if you have a Windows PC, you don’t need jump between these two devices: You might be able to do all of them just on your computer.

This is possible through Microsoft’s “Link to Windows” app. It lets you sync your iPhone or Android with your Windows PC, and run certain smartphone tasks directly on your computer. Your PC likely has the app preinstalled already. Just search for “Phone Link” on Windows, and open the app. If you don’t have it, you can download the app for free from the Microsoft Store here.

Before you continue, please only sync your personal devices together. You should own both the PC and the smartphone you are syncing. If either your PC or smartphone is provided to you by your organization, do not sync them together, as this is a security risk.

Once you have the app up and running on your PC, you’ll have to choose whether you want to pair an iPhone or Android. (Note: Many features only work with Android.) If you have an Android, download the Link to Windows app from the Google Play Store. If you have an iPhone, download the app from the iOS App Store. Then, pick the phone type you want to pair from the app on your PC.

Whichever phone you have, you can choose to pair it via QR code, or URL. The former is the simplest method: With it, scan the code that appears on your PC with your smartphone’s camera. You can use the in-app camera in the Link to Windows app, or scan it with your smartphone’s camera. Either way, the QR code will prompt you to take you through the proper steps to sync your phone.

If you have an iPhone, the process may be a bit more involved at this point. You may need to grant Link to Windows access to your Bluetooth, then ensure the number that appears on your PC matches the number that appears on your iPhone. Hit Pair.

Once your phone is properly paired, Link to Windows will present a short tutorial walking you through what you can do with the app. Again, your experience will differ depending on which phone you have. If you have an iPhone, you can access text messages (but not iMessages), phone calls, and notifications. Android users can do the same, but they can also access their photo libraries, run Android apps on Windows, and set up a hotspot through the app.

Either way, this app offers an excellent shortcut to run key smartphone tasks directly on your computer. You might not be able to do everything you need to on just your PC, but you can avoid picking up your phone as much throughout the day.