try accessing phone clipboard on my win11 laptop via phone link

Question

I am trying to access my phone's clipboard content on my Windows 11 laptop via the Windows Phone link, but it doesn't work. It worked fine the other way; the clipboard content on my laptop automatically shows on my phone. I tried to change the setting, but I can only see the Access PC's clipboard toggle in the Windows settings instead of the Cross-devices copy and paste toggle I saw on some online tutorials. And I have turned on Clipboard history and Sync across devices.

Answer 1

Hello Jacky Ho!

Thank you for reaching out to the Q&A forum.

If clipboard sync works only from PC → phone, but not from phone → PC, this usually indicates one of the following:

• The phone model or manufacturer does not support two‑way clipboard sync
• Cross‑device copy and paste is enabled in only one direction
• Required background permissions are restricted on the phone

To identify the cause and troubleshoot, first confirm you’re using the correct apps:

• On Windows: Phone Link
• On Android: Link to Windows

Note: Clipboard sharing is not supported with iPhone.

For cross‑device copy and paste to work correctly, please also ensure your Android device is on Microsoft’s supported device list for this feature. Other brands may support only one direction (PC → phone).

See more: Seamlessly transfer content between your devices

If your phone model is listed as supported, continue with the checks below:

1. Network requirement

If sync over mobile data is allowed and the devices are not on the same Wi‑Fi network, copy and paste will use mobile data.

If this option is turned off, copy and paste will only work when both the PC and the Android device (or Surface Duo) are connected to the same Wi‑Fi network.

2. Account requirement

Both devices must be signed in with the same Microsoft account.

3. Make sure both apps are up to date

Phone Link (from Microsoft Store on Windows)

Link to Windows (from Google Play on Android)

4. About “Access PC’s clipboard”

The Access PC’s clipboard option (typically found under Windows Settings > System > Clipboard > Sync across devices) controls the Windows cloud clipboard. It does not manage Phone Link’s cross‑device copy and paste feature. Check the Phone Link settings instead:

On your Windows 11 PC:

• Open Phone Link
• Go to Settings > Features
• Enable Cross‑device copy and paste or Share clipboard between devices (wording may vary)

On your Android phone:

• Open Link to Windows
• Go to Settings
• Look for Cross‑device copy and paste or a similar clipboard option

Also make sure on Android:

• Cross‑device clipboard permission is enabled
• The app is allowed to run in the background
• Battery optimization is turned off for the Link to Windows app

Hope this helps clarify things. Please let me know how it goes!

---

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

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.