Prevent Android from suspending Link to Windows, then correct any Microsoft-account warning; these are the next relevant checks because Bluetooth and the shared network have already been verified.
1. Allow Link to Windows to run in the background
On the Android phone:
- Turn Battery Saver off.
- Open Settings → Apps → Link to Windows → Battery.
- Select Unrestricted or Don’t optimize. Depending on the phone, the path may instead be:
- Battery → Optimize battery usage
- Select All, find Link to Windows, and turn optimization Off.
- Open Link to Windows again and leave it running while testing Phone Link.
Android battery optimization can interrupt the connection and cause the phone to appear offline.^1^
2. Check the account connection
- On Android, open Link to Windows → Settings and confirm it is signed in with the same Microsoft account used by Phone Link.
- On Windows 11, open Settings → System → Shared experiences.
- If Fix now appears under Accounts, select it and complete the sign-in repair.
- Close and reopen Phone Link.
Microsoft lists mismatched accounts and an account requiring repair among the causes of connection errors.^1^
3. Update both apps
- PC: Open Phone Link → Settings → About → Updates, then install any available update.
- Android: Open Link to Windows → Settings → Check for updates.
- After updating, close Phone Link and restart the Android phone.
Microsoft recommends updating both applications when content stops syncing or connectivity fails.^2^
If Phone Link still reports Offline:
- On the PC, open Start → Settings → Bluetooth & devices.
- Select Phone Link.
- Toggle Phone Link Off, then On.
- Select Open Phone Link and test again.
This is Microsoft’s non-destructive first reset for persistent connectivity issues.^3^
5. Fully reset and relink only if it remains offline
Resetting removes the existing Phone Link app state, so locally synced messages and photos may disappear from the PC.
- On Android, open Settings → Apps → Link to Windows → Force stop.
- In the Microsoft account’s mobile-device list, select the phone and choose Show details → More actions → Unlink this phone.
- On the PC, open Settings → Apps → Installed apps → Phone Link → Advanced options → Reset.
- Remove the existing phone entry from Phone Link → Settings → Devices, if it remains listed.
- Restart both devices.
- Open Phone Link and pair again. When shown the QR code, scan it using the camera inside Link to Windows, then grant the requested permissions.^3^^4^
If a complete relink still shows Offline, check whether a VPN, firewall, or router AP/Wireless Isolation setting is blocking communication between local devices. Do not change the router unless that feature is enabled; its setting is commonly under Wireless → Advanced Wireless Settings.^2^
References
- Troubleshoot Apps in the Phone Link
- Troubleshooting the Phone Link
- Reset your Android device and PC with the Phone Link
- [Android](https://support.microsoft.com/windows/apps/phonelink/phone-link-requirements-and-setup#how-to-link-your-devices-starting-from-phone-link)