How do I link my iPhone 16 to my Windows 11 PC

David Burnham 0 Reputation points
2026-09-25T19:20:44.4433333+00:00

I want to be able to send text messages to my mobile phone contacts using my PC? I have struggled to make the "phone link" instructions work.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Connect Phone and PC

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  1. AI answer

    2026-09-25T19:21:03.48+00:00

    To link an iPhone 16 to a Windows 11 PC and use Phone Link for texting, use this setup path:

    1. On the PC, open Phone Link.
    2. Select iPhone when prompted.
    3. Follow the pairing steps in Phone Link and scan the QR code with the iPhone.
    4. Make sure Bluetooth is enabled on both the PC and the iPhone.
    5. Approve the Bluetooth pairing request on both devices.

    If the QR code setup does not work:

    1. Restart the Phone Link app and try again. The QR code expires after three minutes.
    2. Remove the existing pairing on both devices:
      • On the PC: Settings > Bluetooth & devices and remove the iPhone.
      • In Phone Link: Settings > My Devices and remove the iPhone if it appears there.
      • On the iPhone: Settings > Bluetooth, tap the (i) next to the PC name, then forget/remove it.
    3. Turn Bluetooth off on both devices, wait about 10 seconds, then turn it back on.
    4. Start the pairing again from Phone Link on the PC, not from Bluetooth settings.

    To make messages and contacts work correctly on iPhone:

    1. On the iPhone, go to Settings > Bluetooth.
    2. Find the PC name and tap the (i) icon.
    3. Turn on:
      • Show Notifications
      • Sync Contacts

    After setup, send a text from the PC:

    1. Open Phone Link and select Messages.
    2. Select New message.
    3. Enter the contact name or phone number.
    4. Select the contact and type the message.

    Important limitations for iPhone with Phone Link:

    • Message history is only available while the iPhone is connected to the PC through Bluetooth.
    • Disconnecting Bluetooth removes that message history from Phone Link.
    • Phone Link for iPhone does not support sending or receiving images, GIFs, or Memojis.
    • Group messages cannot be created from Phone Link for iPhone.
    • Messages cannot be deleted from the PC.

    Requirements:

    • Windows 11 or Windows 10 with May 2019 Update or later
    • PC with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) support
    • iPhone running iOS 15 or later

    If contact names do not appear and only phone numbers show, recheck Sync Contacts in the iPhone Bluetooth settings for that PC.

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

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