Phone Link stuck on "Use your mobile device from your PC" screen; continue button does nothing

Question

Phone Link stuck on "Use your mobile device from your PC" screen; continue button does nothing

Sawyer McLane 80

I've been using Phone Link for ~2 years with no issue. When I updated the app today, upon reopening I was greeted with this screen:

Clicking the "continue" button does nothing. I know the screen isn't frozen as the button turns grey while being clicked.
I've tried reinstalling phone link, with no change. I tried everything on this page: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5644388/phone-link-not-moving-past-this-screen, with no change either. I've tried the "Repair" and "Reset" options via settings multiple times with no change. I tried signing out on my phone, and now I cannot sign back in. My phone simply says "Something went wrong" after sign-in. I verified that I can sign into my Microsoft account in a browser, so my credentials are fine. However, being unable to sign in on either my phone or PC's Phone Link makes me think something is wrong with my account. I rely heavily on Phone Link during the day, so this is a huge blocker for me.

User's image

DEAN BAKKUM 25 Reputation points

2026-08-21T17:00:10.6666667+00:00

I too have the exact same issue that started today. I use this app every day....all day.
Brian Jump 20 Reputation points

2026-08-21T17:13:01.5533333+00:00

Same issue here, just started today. Attempted app repair, app reset, cleared account identity cache and full uninstall reinstall.
Ian Downs 15 Reputation points

2026-08-21T17:17:54.0133333+00:00

Same here, Very frustrating, but now that I see others are having the exact same issue, at least it isn't something weird that is only happening to me.

I use this for work, and I mean.... As much as I would like to take the rest of the day off...
Siannean 15 Reputation points

2026-08-21T17:42:00.2933333+00:00

I hate that you all are experiencing this too, but I'm so glad I'm not alone! That tells me it isn't my computer or phone taking a deep dive.... SO frustrating!
Martin C Nagel 105 Reputation points

2026-08-21T18:20:35.88+00:00
Update: 3:29p.m. PST: things are working properly now.

Original post

Add me to the list of users. This appears to be new today.

My discoveries:

The complete list of troubleshooting steps fails (summary: clearing the internal security cache after killing all processes, even after PC reboot).

Disabling and re-enabling Phone Link fails as well.

I've been unable to find a way to open an issue with Microsoft to let them know (unfortunate).

This conversation thread is growing quickly, so it appears to be systemic.

I recommend that everyone who discovers this thread add yourself to the comments (not the resolution, please, unless you have a real resolution) so that the breadth of impact of the outage is visible to the Microsoft Support Team who (hopefully) runs across this.
Dan Goldstein 10 Reputation points

2026-08-21T18:26:54.0266667+00:00

Same experience here. Started this morning, I've tried everything including creating a new account on the computer. Same problem every time, clicking Continue does nothing.
Peter Sills 10 Reputation points

2026-08-21T18:27:02.1+00:00

What is going on? I am left here, unable to get work done! This needs to be FIXED ASAP!
David Wyble 20 Reputation points

2026-08-21T18:34:16.15+00:00

Add me as well. I'm having same issue and tried all OP said they tried. I even tried talking with a rep through chat. They asked me to create a new profile and try, which I did on a laptop. Didn't work and I informed him that is now my PC and my laptop its not working on.

He then wanted me to do an OS repair and possible reinstall. I explained to him that if he thought about it, two different devices, 3 profiles, and all the steps already taken would lead you to believe its NOT a local issue. But a Microsoft backend issue. He disagreed. smh
Don Bowman 15 Reputation points

2026-08-21T18:54:49.77+00:00

Looks like a larger village for this problem as I too have now this problem beginning today.
Exxie Crockett 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T18:55:02.16+00:00

I'm in the same boat! Wild that it's affecting so many people. Just started today. Frustrating because I also rely heavily on this program throughout my work day.
Patty Miller 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T19:11:27.5766667+00:00

I am stuck there to
Nergal Di Cuthah 10 Reputation points

2026-08-21T19:11:44.6633333+00:00

Same, with the update today (i believe that it was updated the 17th (as it reports) and today. Have tried both reset and repair, in the app's windows settings.

Subscribing to this thread would love to compare versions with y'all
Nergal Di Cuthah 10 Reputation points

2026-08-21T19:18:40.5833333+00:00

After a short search, it seems to be all over the U.S. and a few more locations reporting that the middleman authorization server at Microsoft is not working properly.
Don Bowman 15 Reputation points

2026-08-21T19:19:00.0766667+00:00

Same as Nergal.
Rogelio Sanchez 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T19:20:25.4433333+00:00

Same here, Phone link not going beyond the continue button.
Loel Larzelere 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T19:22:01.3066667+00:00

100% The exact same problem here.
Amit Kinger 90 Reputation points

2026-08-21T19:31:14.72+00:00

Same with me. I wasted the last 2 hours on this and finally found this post saying I'm not the only one. This is frustrating! Please fix this ASAP.
Dustin 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T19:32:28.94+00:00
Same issue and tried everything in this list:

Sometimes the Phone Link account binding gets corrupted in Windows’ hidden Account Broker & Web Account Manager cache. When this happens, the UI behaves exactly as you described:

Continue button does nothing

Switch account flashes but doesn’t change

Reset/repair of the app does NOT fix it

You need to clear these Windows system-level identity caches, not just the app.

First, stop all Phone Link background services

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc → open Task Manager

End these tasks if present:

PhoneExperienceHost.exe

Phone Link

YourPhone.exe

wsappx (if it’s running and heavy)

Next, delete the “IdentityCache” folder

Press Win + R, paste this:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PhoneExperienceHost

Delete the folder IdentityCache (or everything inside that folder).

This removes the corrupted Microsoft account handshake data.

Next, clear Windows Web Account Manager tokens

Press Win + R, paste:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\TokenBroker

Delete EVERYTHING inside:

Cache

Identity

TokenBroker subfolders

Don’t worry, these regenerate automatically.

Then restart Windows Account Sign-in Services

Press Win + R → type services.msc

Restart these services:

Web Account Manager

Microsoft Account Sign-in Assistant

Credential Manager

Lastly, fully restart your PC and open Phone Link again.Thanks for sharing the details, HannahKremsdorf-0379!

Sometimes the Phone Link account binding gets corrupted in Windows’ hidden Account Broker & Web Account Manager cache. When this happens, the UI behaves exactly as you described:

Continue button does nothing

Switch account flashes but doesn’t change

Reset/repair of the app does NOT fix it

You need to clear these Windows system-level identity caches, not just the app.

First, stop all Phone Link background services

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc → open Task Manager

End these tasks if present:

PhoneExperienceHost.exe

Phone Link

YourPhone.exe

wsappx (if it’s running and heavy)

Next, delete the “IdentityCache” folder

Press Win + R, paste this:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PhoneExperienceHost

Delete the folder IdentityCache (or everything inside that folder).

This removes the corrupted Microsoft account handshake data.

Next, clear Windows Web Account Manager tokens

Press Win + R, paste:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\TokenBroker

Delete EVERYTHING inside:

Cache

Identity

TokenBroker subfolders

Don’t worry, these regenerate automatically.

Then restart Windows Account Sign-in Services

Press Win + R → type services.msc

Restart these services:

Web Account Manager

Microsoft Account Sign-in Assistant

Credential Manager

Lastly, fully restart your PC and open Phone Link again.
RRepstock-2160 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T19:35:21.3733333+00:00

I have the exact same issue. It began today.
Stephen Walters 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T20:01:22.4233333+00:00

Same issue, started today. There's no useful log information, and since this was made part of the OS you can't do a clean uninstall reinstall. All troubleshooting fails, MS Copilot answer gives you wrong instructions, there's no "manage device" for non windows PC's in the site it links too. Poor QA on MS's side.
Ron G 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T20:03:36.2233333+00:00

Same exact problem!!!!! I have been using Phone Link everyday until today.

Wake up Microsoft!!!!
Wayne Brummet 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T20:04:01.7+00:00

Problem also seems to cause PC/Android Bluetooth connection to drop after showing "connected" for a few questions.
Terry D 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T20:41:06.0233333+00:00

Same problem with me. Started today and spent the last 4 hours trying to troubleshoot it.
Michael Fouquette 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T21:06:35.97+00:00

Same. On two devices I needed to reconnect with after getting a new phone.
CrazyKats 19,245 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-21T21:17:24.47+00:00

Please read the link in my posted Answer.

It's a Microsoft issue.
John Afshar 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T21:32:09.7033333+00:00

+1. Same problem as everyone else. On two different devices.
Ty B 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T22:21:48.6333333+00:00

I have this same problem, but then I tried logging in about 30 minutes ago and it let me in. I checked my version number on my computer to see if I got a new update or something, but it was the same as Nergal's (1.26071.164.0), and "check for updates" revealed nothing. My phone's version number is different, with it being 1.26071.104.0. It says that is the latest version. My phone sees that my computer is available, although some features are "unknown", like battery and signal strength, and I need to refresh every time my phone screen turns off. My computer refuses to connect to my phone though, with the computer saying it's "offline". Despite this, I was able to send a file from my phone to my computer via Link to Windows. Maybe my phone is on a more stable version? I have submitted feedback.
Dan Goldstein 10 Reputation points

2026-08-21T22:43:27.34+00:00

Fixed!

Answer accepted by question author

Martin C Nagel 105

For all of you who have posted, many other folks and I have been able to successfully run link now. If you haven't tried already, you might try. No new errors have been posted since the first success, so as Micheal Fouquette mentioned, it might have been an infrastructure issue on the Microsoft side of things.

Michael Fouquette 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T23:00:18.66+00:00

On one of my PCs, all I did was re-start the PC and open Phone Link, refreshed the Link to Windows app on the phone and selected the right PC. Back on the PC I went to settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Mobile Devices. Switch to making the previous phone active and skipped that setup. Then set the mobile device back to the new phone and made sure Bluetooth connect re-paired etc. On other PCs, it helped to remove the mobile device and back up a bit more. Kind of happy to see what appears to be a fairly quick (comparatively) fix. Considering ALL the different devices and PCs that are out in the world that Windows has to run on (unlike MAC/iOS), being able to isolate and repair whatever went wrong in this timeframe should be praised a little. Sure, avoiding the issue altogether would have been better, but, again so many devices, OS versions, phones, etc. For the record, raise your hand if you were on Insider Builds. I am running Experimental myself. And, gonna glaze MS a little more, they seem to have folks who are doing a good job in making sure we get to try lots of things early without bricking our devices. Today was a minor hiccup around a truly helpful new integration.

5 additional answers

Your answer

DEAN BAKKUM 25 Reputation points

2026-08-21T17:00:10.6666667+00:00

I too have the exact same issue that started today. I use this app every day....all day.
Brian Jump 20 Reputation points

2026-08-21T17:13:01.5533333+00:00

Same issue here, just started today. Attempted app repair, app reset, cleared account identity cache and full uninstall reinstall.
Ian Downs 15 Reputation points

2026-08-21T17:17:54.0133333+00:00

Same here, Very frustrating, but now that I see others are having the exact same issue, at least it isn't something weird that is only happening to me.

I use this for work, and I mean.... As much as I would like to take the rest of the day off...
Siannean 15 Reputation points

2026-08-21T17:42:00.2933333+00:00

I hate that you all are experiencing this too, but I'm so glad I'm not alone! That tells me it isn't my computer or phone taking a deep dive.... SO frustrating!
Martin C Nagel 105 Reputation points

2026-08-21T18:20:35.88+00:00

Update: 3:29p.m. PST: things are working properly now.

Original post

Add me to the list of users. This appears to be new today.

My discoveries:

The complete list of troubleshooting steps fails (summary: clearing the internal security cache after killing all processes, even after PC reboot).

Disabling and re-enabling Phone Link fails as well.

I've been unable to find a way to open an issue with Microsoft to let them know (unfortunate).

This conversation thread is growing quickly, so it appears to be systemic.

I recommend that everyone who discovers this thread add yourself to the comments (not the resolution, please, unless you have a real resolution) so that the breadth of impact of the outage is visible to the Microsoft Support Team who (hopefully) runs across this.
Dan Goldstein 10 Reputation points

2026-08-21T18:26:54.0266667+00:00

Same experience here. Started this morning, I've tried everything including creating a new account on the computer. Same problem every time, clicking Continue does nothing.
Peter Sills 10 Reputation points

2026-08-21T18:27:02.1+00:00

What is going on? I am left here, unable to get work done! This needs to be FIXED ASAP!
David Wyble 20 Reputation points

2026-08-21T18:34:16.15+00:00

Add me as well. I'm having same issue and tried all OP said they tried. I even tried talking with a rep through chat. They asked me to create a new profile and try, which I did on a laptop. Didn't work and I informed him that is now my PC and my laptop its not working on.

He then wanted me to do an OS repair and possible reinstall. I explained to him that if he thought about it, two different devices, 3 profiles, and all the steps already taken would lead you to believe its NOT a local issue. But a Microsoft backend issue. He disagreed. smh
Don Bowman 15 Reputation points

2026-08-21T18:54:49.77+00:00

Looks like a larger village for this problem as I too have now this problem beginning today.
Exxie Crockett 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T18:55:02.16+00:00

I'm in the same boat! Wild that it's affecting so many people. Just started today. Frustrating because I also rely heavily on this program throughout my work day.
Patty Miller 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T19:11:27.5766667+00:00

I am stuck there to
Nergal Di Cuthah 10 Reputation points

2026-08-21T19:11:44.6633333+00:00

Same, with the update today (i believe that it was updated the 17th (as it reports) and today. Have tried both reset and repair, in the app's windows settings.

Subscribing to this thread would love to compare versions with y'all
Nergal Di Cuthah 10 Reputation points

2026-08-21T19:18:40.5833333+00:00

After a short search, it seems to be all over the U.S. and a few more locations reporting that the middleman authorization server at Microsoft is not working properly.
Don Bowman 15 Reputation points

2026-08-21T19:19:00.0766667+00:00

Same as Nergal.
Rogelio Sanchez 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T19:20:25.4433333+00:00

Same here, Phone link not going beyond the continue button.
Loel Larzelere 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T19:22:01.3066667+00:00

100% The exact same problem here.
Amit Kinger 90 Reputation points

2026-08-21T19:31:14.72+00:00

Same with me. I wasted the last 2 hours on this and finally found this post saying I'm not the only one. This is frustrating! Please fix this ASAP.
RRepstock-2160 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T19:35:21.3733333+00:00

I have the exact same issue. It began today.
Stephen Walters 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T20:01:22.4233333+00:00

Same issue, started today. There's no useful log information, and since this was made part of the OS you can't do a clean uninstall reinstall. All troubleshooting fails, MS Copilot answer gives you wrong instructions, there's no "manage device" for non windows PC's in the site it links too. Poor QA on MS's side.
Ron G 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T20:03:36.2233333+00:00

Same exact problem!!!!! I have been using Phone Link everyday until today.

Wake up Microsoft!!!!
Wayne Brummet 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T20:04:01.7+00:00

Problem also seems to cause PC/Android Bluetooth connection to drop after showing "connected" for a few questions.
Terry D 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T20:41:06.0233333+00:00

Same problem with me. Started today and spent the last 4 hours trying to troubleshoot it.
Michael Fouquette 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T21:06:35.97+00:00

Same. On two devices I needed to reconnect with after getting a new phone.
CrazyKats 19,245 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-21T21:17:24.47+00:00

Please read the link in my posted Answer.

It's a Microsoft issue.
John Afshar 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T21:32:09.7033333+00:00

+1. Same problem as everyone else. On two different devices.
Ty B 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T22:21:48.6333333+00:00

I have this same problem, but then I tried logging in about 30 minutes ago and it let me in. I checked my version number on my computer to see if I got a new update or something, but it was the same as Nergal's (1.26071.164.0), and "check for updates" revealed nothing. My phone's version number is different, with it being 1.26071.104.0. It says that is the latest version. My phone sees that my computer is available, although some features are "unknown", like battery and signal strength, and I need to refresh every time my phone screen turns off. My computer refuses to connect to my phone though, with the computer saying it's "offline". Despite this, I was able to send a file from my phone to my computer via Link to Windows. Maybe my phone is on a more stable version? I have submitted feedback.
Dan Goldstein 10 Reputation points

2026-08-21T22:43:27.34+00:00

Fixed!
Michael Fouquette 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T23:00:18.66+00:00

On one of my PCs, all I did was re-start the PC and open Phone Link, refreshed the Link to Windows app on the phone and selected the right PC. Back on the PC I went to settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Mobile Devices. Switch to making the previous phone active and skipped that setup. Then set the mobile device back to the new phone and made sure Bluetooth connect re-paired etc. On other PCs, it helped to remove the mobile device and back up a bit more. Kind of happy to see what appears to be a fairly quick (comparatively) fix. Considering ALL the different devices and PCs that are out in the world that Windows has to run on (unlike MAC/iOS), being able to isolate and repair whatever went wrong in this timeframe should be praised a little. Sure, avoiding the issue altogether would have been better, but, again so many devices, OS versions, phones, etc. For the record, raise your hand if you were on Insider Builds. I am running Experimental myself. And, gonna glaze MS a little more, they seem to have folks who are doing a good job in making sure we get to try lots of things early without bricking our devices. Today was a minor hiccup around a truly helpful new integration.

Answer 1

Michael Fouquette 5

I am able once again to get the PC system settings to authenticate and talk to the phone link service and connect my pcs. Must have been an MS infrastructure issuem

0 comments

Answer 2

rodneyk 5

I tried everything that copilot suggested all the way to almost reinstalling the OS,

Then I got a weird idea, I tried starting Phone Link on the PC as an ADMIN and I got different behavior. It sort of worked but clearly running as admin it not ideal.

From there I used Task manager to kill the phone link tasks (so I could reset it cleanly)
Then in Settings>System>System components>Phone Link>Advanced Options: I used the RESET button.
Restarted the OS,
Disconnected and reconnnected the phone. And now it is happy.

I think something in an update was trying to do some setting update that requires ADMIN permission and it is silently failing.
Giving it temporary admin privileges got it past that point. Or maybe I was just lucky. I had been working on it all day.

rodneyk 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T22:13:56.6766667+00:00

Note after the reboot I don't need admin anymore.
Michael Fouquette 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T22:22:05.53+00:00

It is working for me now. Have to remove and repair devices but the Auth or check it was doing against my "personal" account works and I can get the pcs and phone connected again
Ty B 5 Reputation points

2026-08-21T22:30:39.0466667+00:00

This worked for me! Thank you!

Answer 3

CrazyKats 19,245 Volunteer Moderator

Hi,

Please refer to Emily's answer in this thread.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5982284/phone-link-hangs-at-the-use-your-mobile-device-fro

Hal Hostetler MVP-Outlook 12,011 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-21T21:26:55.02+00:00

Same here, this is a Microsoft thing and we'll have to wait for them to fix it. If you can get as far as Help and Feedback in the app, please send feedback!!!

Answer 4

Erik Daley 0

Same issue, just started today. Can't get past "continue"

0 comments