Link to Windows

Review by eFreeware

Most of us spend the day within arm's reach of two screens, and the smaller one keeps interrupting. A message arrives, a code needs confirming, a photo has to be sent somewhere, and the work on the PC stops while you pick up the phone. Link to Windows is Microsoft's attempt to close that gap: it pairs an Android handset with a Windows computer so the phone's messages, calls, notifications and photos appear on the desktop instead.

The app is published by Microsoft Corporation and has been available since December 2015, which makes it one of the longer-running pieces of cross-device software on the store. It is free, carries no advertising and has no in-app purchases. The install count is the striking part: more than a billion devices have it, and it holds a 3.9 average across roughly 1.3 million ratings.

That combination of a free price and a huge install base is striking. It is not a product you buy; it is a companion to a Windows PC for someone who also carries an Android phone.

What the phone-to-PC link actually does

The core of the app is messaging. Once an Android phone is connected to the Phone Link software on a Windows machine, text messages can be read and answered from the computer. Notifications from the phone surface on the PC as well, so an alert that would normally pull your eyes down to the handset can be dealt with on the screen you are already looking at.

Calls are part of the same idea, with a caveat the developer is upfront about: making and receiving calls through the PC requires a Windows 10 computer with Bluetooth capability. That is a requirement the developer states for calls. If your machine has Bluetooth, calls can go through the PC.

Photos are the other headline feature, and the pitch is aimed at anyone who has ever emailed an image to themselves as a way of moving it between devices. The app shows the phone's pictures on the PC, and on supported hardware you can copy, edit and drag files across without touching the handset. For anyone who regularly moves screenshots, documents or pictures between the two devices, that alone can justify the setup.

The extras that depend on your hardware

Copy and paste can work across the two devices, so text lifted on the phone can be dropped into a document on the PC. Files can be dragged between them. There is also a Phone screen mode that puts the handset's display on the monitor and lets you drive it with a keyboard, mouse or touchscreen, and a way to open individual mobile apps on the PC rather than the whole phone interface.

These are the features that make the app interesting rather than merely convenient, and they are also the ones with the tightest requirements. Phone screen, drag and drop and the app-by-app view work only on certain Duo, Samsung and HONOR models. Microsoft publishes the full breakdown of which handsets support what, and it is worth checking that list before assuming your phone qualifies.

Running several apps at once needs more: a PC on the May 2020 Update or newer with 8GB of RAM, plus Android 11.0. That is a specific combination of requirements.

On phones where it comes built in

Owners of certain Microsoft Duo, Samsung and HONOR handsets get a different arrangement. On those devices the app is integrated, so there is nothing to download from the store, and Microsoft describes the experience as better than the standard one. It can be reached from the Quick Access tray by swiping down from the top of the screen, which puts it a gesture away rather than buried in an app drawer.

The exclusive features on those phones are the ones listed above: cross-device copy and paste, Phone screen, file drag and drop, and the app-by-app access. In other words, the integration is not just a convenience of installation.

If you own one of those handsets, the app is effectively already part of the phone. If you own anything else, you install it from the store and get the parts of the feature set that do not depend on that hardware.

What it asks of your setup

The requirements are the part worth reading carefully, because they are not uniform. A Windows PC is the non-negotiable starting point, and Phone Link has to be running on it. From there, Bluetooth on a Windows 10 machine gates calls. Android 11, 8GB of RAM and the May 2020 Update are required for several apps at once.

On cost, there is nothing to weigh: the app is free, with no ads and no in-app purchases. The developer's own framing is that this is a companion to hardware you already own rather than a product in its own right.

There is one accessibility detail worth mentioning for anyone who uses a screen reader on the PC. With the accessibility service on, Android keyboard navigation lets you run phone apps from the PC, and the PC speakers carry the spoken feedback. According to Microsoft, the service gathers no personal or sensitive data.

Getting the most out of the pairing

The practical advice follows from the requirements. Before installing, check the device compatibility list Microsoft publishes, because that determines whether you are getting messaging and notifications or the full set of cross-device tools. If calls matter to you, confirm the PC has Bluetooth first; that single check saves a disappointing setup.

For the multiple-apps mode, the RAM and Windows version requirements are the ones people trip over. A machine with less than 8GB of memory, or an older build of Windows 10, does not meet the stated requirements. If your PC is close to that line, it is worth knowing before you plan around the feature.

Microsoft also invites users to shape what comes next: the Phone Link settings include a Send feedback option for suggesting features. That channel is probably the most direct way to ask for support on a device that is not on the current list. The app was last updated in September 2026.

A free bridge for desk-bound Android owners

Link to Windows is at its best for someone who works at a Windows PC for long stretches and keeps an Android phone nearby. Answering a text, clearing a notification or pulling a photo onto the desktop without breaking stride is a real convenience, and the price of entry is nothing. The 3.9 average across a very large number of ratings suggests a broadly useful app.

The judgment call is about your phone and your PC, not the app. If you own a compatible Samsung, HONOR or Microsoft Duo handset and a reasonably modern Windows machine, you are in line for the full experience, including Phone screen and the cross-device file handling. If you own a different Android phone, the app still handles messaging, notifications and photos.

It is free, so the only real cost is the setup and the hardware requirements. For anyone who spends the day at a desk with a phone that keeps interrupting, that is a trade worth making.