Phone Link "It looks like phone screen app was closed" error — Reconnects, but mouse hover/clicks are completely broken

z 0 Reputation points
2026-11-04T16:08:58.54+00:00

Hi everyone,

I’m running into a frustrating issue with the Windows Phone Link app (mirroring my Android phone to my PC).

The Issue: I can use the Phone Screen mirroring feature completely normally for a little while. Suddenly, the session disconnects and a Windows popup appears saying: "It looks like phone screen app was closed."

When I click the blue "Open" button to reconnect, the phone screen window successfully mirrors and shows my active Android screen. However, remote input is completely dead. I cannot click anything, and even the mouse hover highlights (which normally show up when moving the cursor over Android buttons) do not appear at all. The video feed works, but the input layer is completely frozen.

What I have already tried (none of this worked):

  • Restarted both PC and phone multiple times.
  • Ended Phone Link processes in Windows Task Manager before reopening.
  • Fully unlinked the phone from the Microsoft account, ran the PowerShell command to completely uninstall the app from Windows, cleared all data/cache on the Android app, and re-paired them using a fresh QR code.
  • Double-checked Android Permissions: Accessibility is ON, "Display over other apps" is allowed, and battery optimization is set to Unrestricted.

It really feels like an Android system/software issue where the OS kills the remote input tracking daemon after the initial crash, leaving only the video stream active.

Has anyone successfully fixed this specific mouse-hover/input disconnect loop?

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Connect Phone and PC
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  1. Emma1-N 14,895 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-11-05T00:09:31.1866667+00:00

    Welcome z,

    Thanks for the detailed write-up. The video coming back while clicks and hover stay frozen after the "It looks like phone screen app was closed" pop-up is a frustrating loop. You've already covered the usual fixes, so let's narrow it down.

    Windows 10 has been EOS since October 2025, but you can still try these steps.

    A few quick questions first:

    • What's your phone's make, model and Android version? Is the "Link to Windows" app built in (some Samsung, HONOR and similar phones) or installed from Google Play?
    • Which versions of "Phone Link" (PC) and "Link to Windows" (phone) are you running?
    • Are both devices on the same Wi-Fi network (same 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz band)? Are you using a VPN, a third-party firewall or the phone's mobile data?
    • Does input work again if you close the phone screen window completely and open it from the Phone Link app, instead of clicking the blue "Open" button in the pop-up?

    Looking forward to your update.

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