I keep getting a phone link message to reconnect to an old android phone that is no longer. There is apparently no way to delete a link?

Dear Jim Caylor

Thanks for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A Forum.   

Thank you for confirming that you tried Option 2 and for letting me know that your Microsoft Account online is not showing any linked mobile devices. This tells us a critical piece of information: the stubborn link record is not in the cloud but is instead stuck locally on your PC.

If possible, please share:

• The exact wording of the prompt (or a screenshot).
• Does it appear at startup, randomly, or when opening Phone Link?
• Your Phone Link version (open app > Settings > About).

Please consider trying these suggestions and please let me know anything news from it:

Option 1:

• Open Settings (press Windows + I) > Go to Apps > Installed apps > Phone Link > Click the three dots next to the Phone Link app name > Select Advanced options > Scroll down to the "Reset" section.
  • First, click the Terminate button to ensure the app and its background processes are completely shut down.
  • Then, click the Reset button. This will wipe the local app data.
• After the reset is complete, Restart your PC and check if the prompt is gone.

Option 2: If the Reset doesn't work, please consider a clean install

• Go to Windows Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Devices (not Mobile devices) > Scroll to Other devices or Your Phone Companion. If you see the old phone listed, click the three dots (⋮) > Remove device.
• Restart your PC and check if the prompt is gone.
• Go to Windows Settings > Apps > Installed apps > Find “Phone Link” > Click the three dots (⋮) > Select Uninstall.
• Restart your PC.
• Reinstall Phone Link from the Microsoft Store: Search for “Phone Link” > Click Install.

If it still fails, Manually Clear the App's Local Cache Folder:

• Open File Explorer.In the address bar, paste the following path and press Enter: %LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.YourPhone_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache
  (This folder is the local cache for the Phone Link app (its package name is Microsoft.YourPhone).
• Once in the LocalCache folder, delete all files and sub-folders within it.

Note: Resetting or uninstalling Phone Link may clear synced messages/photos from the app. If you’ve backed up important data elsewhere, this shouldn’t be an issue.

We appreciate your comments that can improve Microsoft's limitations and at the same time contribute to the Microsoft Windows user community. You can contribute your comments through the instructions of the following link so that Microsoft's team can develop more software to support your needs: Send feedback to Microsoft with the Feedback Hub app - Microsoft Support

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Dear Jim Caylor

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A. I'm Haien from Microsoft Q&A.

May I ask if you have tried my suggestions for your case? I hope you can keep me updated on your issue in the future.

Your satisfaction is Microsoft's priority.

Warm regards

Dear Jim Caylor

Thanks for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A Foum. I'm Haien from Microsoft Q&A. 

The Phone Link app's behavior is driven by link records that are often stored in multiple locations, which is why deleting one record may not remove the persistent notification. The issue stems from a previous pairing between your PC and the old Android phone via the Link to Windows service. When the phone is no longer available, Phone Link can't fully unlink it automatically, leaving behind sync data that prompts you to reconnect. This is by design for security, but it can feel stuck without the old device.

Since you are using Windows 11, please consider trying my suggestions and keep me updated with anything new that you were trying:

Option 1:

• Open the Phone Link app on your Windows 11 PC (Search for "Phone Link" in the Start Menu) > Click the Settings icon (gear icon) in the top-right corner
• Go to the My Devices section > Look for the old Android phone in the list > Click the three dots ( ⋯ ) next to the old phone's name > Select Remove or Unlink > Confirm the action to remove the device.

Option 2:

• Open your web browser and go to the official Microsoft Account Devices page: https://account.microsoft.com/devices/android-ios
• Sign in with the same Microsoft account you use on your Windows 11 PC for Phone Link.
• Look for the list of Mobile devices (Android and iOS) > Find the listing for your old Android phone > Click on the device entry > Select Remove device or Unlink this phone.
• Once removed, Restart your Windows 11 PC.

Option 3:

• Go to Windows Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices (under "Related settings").
• Find the old phone > Click the three dots (  ⋯ ) next to the device's name > Remove device

For additional information, please visit these articles to know more about similar situations: Troubleshooting the Phone Link - Microsoft Support and Remove your mobile device from Phone Link, Link to Windows, and Windows Settings - Microsoft Support

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment". 

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