Additionally, under certain circumstances, the Phone link app starts to act up after being linked to your Android phone. I myself have experienced too many notifications bombarding the screen, which are too distracting. Similarly, the app consumes too many system resources and clutters the desktop for no reason. These issues justify that having the Phone Link app on your PC is not worth all the headaches you need to face. Hence, like most users, you should make up your mind to get rid of the Phone Link App from your Windows 11. You can switch to some third-party alternatives or reinstall the app if you ever need it in the future. So, without further ado, this simple guide will show you how to uninstall the Phone app in Windows 11.
No Uninstall Option In The Settings App
Microsoft allows you to uninstall an app from your Windows 11 PC by choosing the Uninstall option for the app in the Apps & Features section of the Settings app. All you need to do is to access the Settings app using the Windows + I shortcut and follow the step-by-step method described above. While this uninstallation method works flawlessly for all the third-party apps installed on your PC, this does not work for the native system apps, including the Microsoft Phone Link app. Thankfully, there is a neat workaround to uninstall the Microsoft Phone Link app from Windows 11; executing a single-line PowerShell command is what we are talking about. However, if you are skeptical about uninstalling the Phone Link app from your PC, you have other options as well. It can unlink your smartphone from the phone link app or disable the app. So, let’s proceed to check out the step-by-step process of performing the above-mentioned methods.
Unlink Your Smartphone From The Phone Link App in Windows 11
Unlinking your smartphone is a safe choice if you do not want to disable or uninstall the app. To unlink the app, you first need to initiate the unlinking process on your Android phone. Once successful, you need to move to your PC to complete the unlinking process. Having said that, let’s check out the step-by-step process of achieving it:
- Open the Link To Windows app that you have downloaded on your Android smartphone.
- Tap the Gear icon located in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
- Tap the Accounts option.
- Look for the Microsoft Account you are currently using, and press the Sign Out button for it.
- Next, you need to follow the below steps on the phone link app installed on your PC to finish unlinking your android smartphone.
- Launch the Phone Link app and click the Gear icon located on the top right of the window.
- Choose the My Devices option located under the Settings pane on the left.
- The list of all the connected devices will appear on the screen. Click the three horizontal dots icon for each of the connected devices, and choose the Remove option. Now relaunch the Phone Link app on your Windows 11 PC to apply the changes. Your smartphone will longer be linked, and you will be prompted to re-link your app.
Disable Phone Link App in Windows 11
If you do not want to use the Phone Link app in the near future, disabling the app on Windows 11 PC might be a better option. Steps to disable the phone link app in Windows 11 are described below.
- Head to the Settings app from your Pinned apps in the Start menu, or search for it in the menu.
- Click on the Apps tab present on the left sidebar of the Settings window.
- Next, select the Apps & Features option from the right side of the Settings window.
- Now you can search for the Microsoft Link Phone app using the search box in the App List section. Otherwise, you can also scroll down to find the app in the list of installed apps.
- After locating the Phone Link app, click the three vertical dots icon next to it. This will reveal a hidden menu. Click on the Advanced options.
- On the next page, locate the Background Apps Permissions section. Then click the dropdown menu directly below and select the option “Never” instead of Power Optimized (Recommended) to prevent this app from running in the background.
- After this, scroll a little below until you reach the Terminate section. Press the Terminate button here to immediately terminate this app and its related processes. That’s all! The Your Phone Link app has now been disabled on your Windows 11 machine.
Uninstall Phone Link App in Windows 11
If the above two methods fail to excite you, it’s best to uninstall to Phone Link app from your PC. As described above, the method to uninstall the Phone Link app from your Windows 11 PC is not the conventional one. You need to execute a command on Windows PowerShell in the administrator mode to bring the required changes. The process is not complex, and the step-by-step procedure described below successfully completes the uninstallation process in a few steps.
- Press the Windows key to bring up the Start Menu and type Terminal on the search bar.
- Look for the Terminal app in the search results and select the Run as administrator option from the context menu.
- Choose Yes on the User Access Control Popup to grant the required permission.
- When in the PowerShell window, type or copy-paste the following command and press the Enter key to execute it.
- PowerShell will now initiate the process of uninstalling the Microsoft Phone Link application from your computer.
- Wait for the process to complete. Once completed, the app will be removed from your system.
- To verify that the app no longer exists on your PC, type Phone Link in the search icon of the Start Menu. You won’t come across it.
- Alternatively, you can also go to the Settings app, navigate to the Apps and Features section and look for the Phone Link app in the list of apps installed on your PC. The app won’t be listed here. Now that the Phone Link app is uninstalled, you will have to install a fresh copy of the app if you ever wish to try the Microsoft Phone Link app in the future. To do that, launch Microsoft Store on your Windows 11 PC, type the Your Phone app in the search bar on the option, and click the Install or Get option.
Final Words
Undoubtedly, Phone Link is a thoughtful inclusion in the productivity category on Microsoft Store, but Microsoft needs to put more effort to provide a flawless experience to its users. Until then, it’s best to avoid the Phone Link app on your Windows 11 PC, and hopefully, the methods described above will help you unlink, disable or uninstall the phone link app from your device. With this signing off!
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