First: Check You Actually Have the Feature
Most "Phone Link file sharing not working" reports are not a fault at all — the feature is simply not present yet. It has specific minimum versions on both ends, and it reached people gradually through the Windows Insider channel before wider release. Check all four of these before trying anything else:
- →Phone Link (Windows) version 1.24112.89.0 or later
- →Link to Windows (iPhone) version 1.24112.73 or later
- →iPhone running iOS 16 or later
- →PC running Windows 10 or Windows 11
To check the Phone Link version: open Phone Link → Settings → About. For Link to Windows: App Store → your profile → Updates. If either is below the version above, the share options will not appear no matter what else you do.
Fix 1: Update Both Apps, Then Restart Both
This resolves the majority of cases. Update Phone Link from the Microsoft Store and Link to Windows from the App Store — auto-update often lags well behind, so check manually rather than assuming.
On Windows:
Microsoft Store → Library → Get updates → wait for Phone Link → close Phone Link completely and reopen it.
On iPhone:
App Store → tap your profile picture → scroll to Link to Windows → Update. Then force-close the app and reopen it.
Updating just one side is the single most common reason the feature half-works — for example, sending from the phone succeeds but sending from the PC doesn't.
Fix 2: Turn File Sharing On for an Already-Paired iPhone
This is the fix almost nobody finds on their own. File sharing is offered as part of the pairing flow — so if you paired your iPhone with Phone Link before the feature existed, you were never asked, and it is simply off. Re-pairing is not required.
On your Windows PC:
Open aka.ms/addAccount in your browser and follow the prompts to enable file sharing for the paired device.
If you've had Phone Link set up for a while and everything else looks correct, start here — it explains most "I meet all the requirements and it still isn't there" cases.
Fix 3: "Link to Windows" Missing from the iPhone Share Sheet
iOS hides share destinations it doesn't think you use. If Link to Windows is installed and updated but doesn't appear when you tap Share, it's probably hidden rather than absent.
Tap Share on any file → scroll the app row to the far right → tap More → Edit → switch Link to Windows on, and drag it up the list so it's easy to reach.
If Link to Windows isn't in that list at all, the app either isn't installed or hasn't been opened since installing. Open it once directly, complete any setup prompt, then check the share sheet again.
Fix 4: "My Phone" Missing from the Windows Share Menu
Sending from PC to iPhone works through the Windows share menu, not through Phone Link's own window — which is why people miss it. Right-click the file, choose Share, and look for My Phone.
If "My Phone" isn't listed, pick Phone Link from the same share dialog instead — on some builds the destination is labelled with the app name rather than "My Phone".
On Windows 11, "Share" sits in the main right-click menu. On Windows 10 — and in some File Explorer views — you may need "Show more options" first.
Fix 5: The File Is in the Cloud, Not on the PC
Microsoft's documentation is explicit about this one: only local files can be shared from the PC. If the file lives in OneDrive, SharePoint, or any folder set to "online-only", the share will fail or the option won't offer itself.
In File Explorer, check the status icon next to the file. A cloud icon means it isn't downloaded. Right-click → Always keep on this device, wait for it to download, then share it.
This is a frequent cause of the failure that looks like a bug: the transfer starts and then quietly does nothing.
Fix 6: Repair the Pairing
Phone Link's iPhone connection depends on a Bluetooth pairing between the two devices, and that pairing can drop after a Windows update, an iOS update, or simply being out of range for a long time. Phone Link often still looks connected when it isn't.
Quick version:
Toggle Bluetooth off and on on both devices, then reopen Phone Link and wait for it to reconnect fully before trying to share.
Thorough version:
On the iPhone: Settings → Bluetooth → tap the ⓘ next to your PC → Forget This Device. In Phone Link: Settings → My devices → remove the phone. Then pair again from scratch, and accept the file sharing prompt this time.
Fix 7: Accept That You Might Not Have It Yet
Microsoft released this through the Windows Insider Program first and then widened it out. Rollouts of this kind are staged — two PCs on identical Windows builds can have different features for weeks. If you've checked versions, enabled sharing via aka.ms/addAccount, and re-paired, and it still isn't there, waiting is genuinely the remaining option.
If you have a file to move today, that's not much comfort. Which brings us to the part no update fixes.
Three Limits No Fix Can Solve
Even when Phone Link file sharing works perfectly, it's built for one specific job — and it's worth knowing where the edges are before you spend an afternoon troubleshooting toward something it was never going to do.
It only moves files between your own paired devices
This is the big one. Phone Link sends to "My Phone" — a device you have personally paired to your PC. There is no way to send a file to a colleague, a client, or a family member's phone. If that's what you're trying to do, no amount of troubleshooting will get you there.
iPhone and Windows only
Not Android to Windows, not PC to Mac, not PC to PC. If either device falls outside that pair, this feature doesn't apply.
Both apps, plus a standing pairing, on every device
Phone Link on the PC, Link to Windows on the phone, a Microsoft account, and a pairing that has to keep working. On a borrowed PC, a work laptop with locked-down installs, or a phone that isn't yours, that setup isn't available.
When You Need to Send to Someone Else: SpeedyShare
SpeedyShare solves a different problem from Phone Link. Phone Link is for moving a file between two devices you own. SpeedyShare is for getting a file to whoever needs it — on any device, on any network, with nothing installed on either end.
You open it in a browser, add the file, and a QR code and 6-digit code appear. The other person scans or enters the code and downloads. The files sit in temporary storage for the length of the session and are automatically deleted after 30 minutes.
Phone Link file sharing
- ✗ Your own paired devices only
- ✗ iPhone ↔ Windows only
- ✗ Two apps + a Microsoft account
- ✗ Local files only, no cloud files
- ✓ Free and built into Windows
- ✓ Fast once it's set up
SpeedyShare
- ✓ Send to anyone, not just your own devices
- ✓ iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows
- ✓ Works across different networks
- ✓ No app, account or pairing
- ✓ Up to 2GB per file
- ✓ Files auto-deleted after 30 minutes
How to use SpeedyShare (about 30 seconds)
- 1Open speedyshare.app in any browser on the device holding the file
- 2Click "Send files" and pick the file
- 3A QR code and a 6-digit code appear — the other device scans the code, or opens speedyshare.app and enters the digits
- 4They tap Download. After 30 minutes the files are deleted automatically.
Phone Link File Sharing: Common Questions
Why is "Link to Windows" not showing in my iPhone share sheet?
Usually because iOS has hidden it. Tap Share → scroll the app row right → More → Edit, then switch Link to Windows on. If it isn't listed at all, open the app directly once to complete setup, and confirm it's on version 1.24112.73 or later.
Why is "My Phone" missing from the Windows Share menu?
Either Phone Link is below version 1.24112.89.0, or file sharing was never enabled for your paired iPhone — which happens to everyone who paired before the feature launched. Open aka.ms/addAccount on your PC to switch it on. Some builds also label the destination "Phone Link" rather than "My Phone".
Can I use Phone Link to send a file to someone else's phone?
No. Phone Link shares only with devices you have paired to your own PC — it's designed for moving files between your own devices. To send a file to another person, use SpeedyShare: they scan a QR code or enter a 6-digit code, with nothing to install on either side.
Is Phone Link file sharing the same as AirDrop?
It's similar in feel but narrower in scope. AirDrop can send to any nearby Apple device, including a stranger's, if their settings allow it. Phone Link sends only between your own paired iPhone and PC, and requires an app on each side plus a Microsoft account. It closes the iPhone-to-Windows gap; it isn't a general-purpose way to hand someone a file.
Does Phone Link file sharing work with Android?
This particular feature is the iPhone-to-Windows one. Android phones connect to Phone Link differently and have their own set of options, so the steps in this guide won't map across. For an Android-to-Windows transfer that needs no setup at all, see our Android to Windows guide.
Why does the transfer start and then do nothing?
The most common cause is a file that isn't actually stored on the PC — only local files can be shared, so anything in OneDrive that's set to online-only will stall. Right-click the file and choose "Always keep on this device", let it download, then share it. If it still hangs, the Bluetooth pairing has likely dropped; toggle Bluetooth on both devices and let Phone Link reconnect.
Still stuck, or the file needs to reach someone who isn't you? Send it with SpeedyShare — it handles large files across any network, with no pairing to break.