I can't access Manage Devices option in Mobile Devices under Setting in Windows 10

Question

I can't access Manage Devices option in Mobile Devices under Setting in Windows 10

EL2026 0

Reliability chart report : Faulting application name: CrossDeviceSettingsHost.exe, version: 1.25072.59.0, time stamp: 0x68a40000 Faulting module name: KERNELBASE.dll, version: 10.0.19041.6280, time stamp: 0x56511854.

Yes, clicking Manage Devices in Mobile Devices under Setting in Windows 10 causes CrossDeviceSettingsHost.exe to crash as described above. I can't access Manage Devices option, when I click it, nothing happens except a faint circle spinning around for few seconds, the Manage Devices text is in blue color. Any way to fix this problem ? I was able to access the Manage Devices option about a week ago to set up connection between my PC and phone, and since then had transferred some pictures from my Samsung Galaxy gallery to my PC.

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Answer 1

Hi EL2026,

Thanks for including the Reliability Monitor details. Since selecting Manage devices causes CrossDeviceSettingsHost.exe to crash, this appears to be an issue with the cross-device feature rather than the Settings page simply not responding.

Did this begin after a recent Windows or Store app update? Also, can you still open the Phone Link app normally and does your Samsung phone remain connected there?

As a first step, open the Store, select Library, and install any available updates. Restart the PC afterward, then try opening Manage devices again.

If Phone Link is listed under Settings > Apps > Apps & features, select it and check whether Advanced options is available. If so, try Repair first. If the issue continues, you can try Reset, although this may remove the existing connection and require you to link the phone again.

If Manage devices still crashes, open Command Prompt as administrator and run the following commands one at a time:

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
sfc /scannow

Allow each command to finish, then restart the PC and test the setting again. If Phone Link continues to work, you can use it directly in the meantime to access the phone connection.

Kindly also note that Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025. You can still try the troubleshooting above, but newer cross-device features may no longer receive Windows 10-specific fixes. If the PC meets the requirements, you may consider upgrading to a supported version of Windows when convenient.

Please let me know whether Phone Link opens normally and whether the problem started after a recent update. That should help narrow down whether the issue is limited to the Settings integration or affects the phone connection as a whole.

EL2026 0 Reputation points

2026-10-17T18:43:21.7466667+00:00

Hi, the crashing problem started I think with some Microsoft background update on the phone link failed, such is the report from reliability chart:

Installation Failure: Windows failed to install the following update with error 0x80073D02: 9NTXGKQ8P7N0-MicrosoftWindows.CrossDevice.

Then, I manually updated the phone link and also reinstalled the 9NTXGKQ8P7N0-patch in the library of store: Reliability chart report says: Installation Successful: Windows successfully installed the following update: 9NTXGKQ8P7N0-MicrosoftWindows.CrossDevice.

But after all these updates, I was still unable to access the Manage Devices option, when I click CrossDeviceSettingsHost.exe would crash.

But now, I am able to access my Samsung Galaxy phone from my PC, I can connect the two devices and seems to be working fine. As of now, I am able to transfer pictures from my phone to my PC. And it seems I can access the Devices option in the phone to do some set up. It's just I can't activate the Manage Devices option in Mobile Devices under Setting and causes some background crash if I do.
EL2026 0 Reputation points

2026-10-17T18:54:24.0466667+00:00

Add, I also first tried to reset the Phone Link app in System Components under System in Setting, but it didn't solve the problem, I can't find Phone Link in Apps & Features.