phone link broke, existing mobile device missing in settings>mobile device, add device button does nothing, phone link says it's unable to connect my devices, says to reset app in settings but app is missing in the apps section of windows settings

Dorian L 10 Reputation points
2026-08-29T22:31:09.7133333+00:00

phone link broke

existing mobile device missing in settings>mobile device

add device button in the same setting page does nothing

phone link says it's unable to connect my devices, says to reset app in settings but phone link is missing in the apps section of windows settings

already

  • forcefully uninstalling phone link with powershell and reinstalled it through the windows store, phone was then able to connect until i restarted the pc then back to square one
  • turned bluetooth off then restart pc then enable bluetooth
  • remove phone in bluetooth settings then add it back (although in bluetooth settings it showed phone as "not connected" right after i added it back)
  • restarted "Device Association Service" and "Bluetooth Support Service"

windows 11 home 25H2

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Connect Phone and PC

2 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Carl-L 21,320 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-09-01T07:20:50.0566667+00:00

    Hello Dorian L, Sode Oh

    Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

    Before we proceed further, can you please check if you can find the Phone Link under Settings > System > System components?

    Additionally, the next time you reinstall and reboot, can you please type these commands in PowerShell and let me know the results?

    • Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.YourPhone
    • Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.YourPhone | Select Name, PackageFullName, Status

    I'm waiting for your reply.

    Was this answer helpful?

  2. AI answer

    2026-08-29T22:31:27.7533333+00:00

    Since reinstalling only worked until the next restart, the most likely issue is stale local Phone Link state on the PC.

    Try this in order:

    1. Reset Phone Link from App settings
      • Press Start, search for Phone Link.
      • Right-click Phone Link > App settings.
      • Select Terminate, then Reset.
      • Restart the PC.
    2. Relink the Android device from inside Phone Link
      • Open Phone Link.
      • Go to Settings > Devices > Add new device.
      • On the Android phone, open Link to Windows.
      • Under Linked Account, select the Microsoft account > Account Settings > Sign out and unlink account > confirm Unlink.
      • Pair the phone again by following the on-screen steps.
    3. If Phone Link shows a QR reconnection prompt
      • On the PC, open Phone Link > Settings > General and check for updates.
      • On the phone, open Link to Windows > Settings > About Link to Windows > Check for updates.
      • Then scan the QR code shown in Phone Link with the phone camera and complete the relink process.
      • If needed, select the refresh button next to the connection status in Phone Link.
    4. Check the common connection blockers again after relinking
      • Confirm both apps use the same Microsoft account.
      • Make sure Battery saver is off on both PC and phone.
      • Make sure both devices have an active Wi‑Fi connection.
      • On Android, turn off battery optimization for Link to Windows:
        • Settings > Apps & notifications > App info > Link to Windows > Advanced > Battery > Manage Battery Usage > Battery optimization > Link to Windows > Don't optimize
      • On the PC, make sure Phone Link can run in the background:
        • Start > Settings > Privacy > Background apps > enable Phone Link
      • On the PC, check Start > Settings > System > Shared experiences. If Fix now appears under Accounts, complete it.
      • On Android, verify notifications are enabled for Link to Windows and Do not disturb is Off.
    5. If the phone and PC are on the same Wi‑Fi but still cannot connect
      • Check the router for Wireless Isolation or AP Isolation.
      • Disable it under Wireless > Advanced Wireless Setting if present.
    6. If the app still breaks again after restart
      • Use Start > search Phone Link > right-click > App settings even if it does not appear in the normal Apps list.
      • Run Repair first, then Reset.
      • If that still fails, uninstall and reinstall again, then relink the device immediately after reinstall.

    Note: Resetting or unlinking clears Phone Link’s local app state and can remove synced content shown in the app until the device is linked again.

    References

    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.