How to connect my phone to Phone Link without using a qr code?

Roger Blair 365 Reputation points
2026-08-28T21:56:52.4433333+00:00

I run Windows 11 Pro on a Dell Inspiron Laptop. I need to connect my Android phone to Phone Link. Unfortunately, I'm having trouble scanning a QR code on my phone. How do I connect my phone to Phone Link without a QR code?

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Connect Phone and PC
0 comments

2 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Hendrix-V 18,515 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-08-29T03:29:38.8333333+00:00

    Hi Roger Blair,

    If scanning the QR code isn't working, you may be able to complete the Phone Link setup by using the manual pairing option instead. As I have checked and verified, the approach from AI answer is pointing at the correct direction, so you can follow to see if it works.

    Please ensure that you have Link to Windows app on your Android phone, both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network and signed in with the same Microsoft account.

    If the pairing code does not appear or the setup still cannot be completed, please let me know at which step the process stops and whether you receive any error messages. I'll be happy to look into it further. Feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

    Was this answer helpful?

  2. AI answer

    2026-08-28T21:57:04.58+00:00

    Yes. Phone Link supports manual pairing without scanning a QR code.

    1. On the PC, open Phone Link.
    2. Select Android and sign in with the Microsoft account used for linking.
    3. On the Android phone, open a browser and go to aka.ms/linkPC.
    4. When prompted, select Continue to download or open the Link to Windows app.
    5. In Link to Windows, sign in with the same Microsoft account.
    6. Enter the code shown on the PC into the phone app.
    7. Select Continue and allow the requested permissions on the phone.
    8. Back on the PC, select Continue to finish setup.

    Requirements:

    • Windows 11 or Windows 10 with the October 2022 update or later
    • Android 10 or newer recommended
    • Both the PC and phone should be nearby, turned on, and connected to the same Wi‑Fi network

    If code matching fails more than 3 times, close and reopen Phone Link on the PC and start setup again.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

    Was this answer helpful?

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.