Cross-Device Resume in Windows 11: Continue Phone Tasks on Your PC

Moving between a phone and a computer often interrupts your workflow. You may start reading, listening or working on your Android phone, then need to find the same content again after sitting down at your PC.

Windows 11’s Cross-Device Resume feature is designed to make that switch easier.

When a supported activity is available, Windows displays the relevant app icon on the taskbar with a small phone badge. Clicking it opens the related application or content on your PC, allowing you to continue with fewer steps.

The feature is still expanding, so it does not work with every Android app. However, it shows how Microsoft wants Windows 11 and Android devices to work more closely together.

Looking for a current Windows edition for your PC? Browse our Windows 11 product keys.

What Is Cross-Device Resume?

Cross-Device Resume is a Windows 11 continuity feature for supported Android applications.

It allows a mobile activity to trigger a one-click alert on the Windows taskbar. The taskbar icon includes a phone badge, making it clear that the activity began on a linked mobile device.

A typical handoff works like this:

Open a supported application on your Android phone.
Begin a supported activity.
Look for the app icon on the Windows 11 taskbar.
Click the icon.
Continue the activity in the corresponding PC app or browser.

This is different from manually opening Phone Link, searching for the same content or sending yourself a link.

How Windows 11 Cross-Device Resume works

What Do You Need?

To use Cross-Device Resume, you generally need:

A Windows 11 PC
An Android phone running Android 10 or later
Internet access on both devices
The Link to Windows app on the phone
The phone connected under Windows Mobile devices settings
A supported app and activity

The feature is enabled by default when the required setup is complete.

Which Apps Are Supported?

Support remains limited and can vary by device, app and Windows version.

Microsoft currently documents support for activities including:

Spotify

You can continue music or podcast playback from your Android phone on your Windows PC.

The Spotify icon appears on the taskbar with a phone indicator. Selecting it opens Spotify on the PC and resumes the activity.

If Spotify is not installed, some Windows test versions can begin a one-click Microsoft Store installation.

Vivo Browser

Users with compatible vivo Android phones can continue a browsing session from vivo Browser in the default browser on their Windows PC.

Microsoft 365 Copilot Files

Microsoft has expanded Cross-Device Resume in recent Windows 11 updates and Insider builds.

Users of selected HONOR, OPPO, Samsung, vivo and Xiaomi phones may be able to continue working with supported online files opened through the Microsoft 365 Copilot app.

This can include documents associated with Word, Excel or PowerPoint.

Availability may depend on the Windows build, mobile brand and rollout status.

How to Connect Your Android Phone

To prepare the feature:

Open Settings on your Windows 11 PC.
Select Bluetooth & devices.
Open Mobile devices.
Select Manage devices.
Add or enable your Android phone.
Sign in through Link to Windows when requested.
Make sure both devices use the required Microsoft account and internet connection.

The exact setup may vary slightly depending on the phone manufacturer.

How the Taskbar Alert Works

The taskbar is the main entry point for Cross-Device Resume.

When Windows detects a supported activity:

The corresponding app icon appears on the taskbar.
A phone badge identifies it as a mobile handoff.
Clicking the icon opens the relevant desktop app or browser.
The supported content or activity resumes.

The alert is designed to reduce searching and repeated navigation.

Windows 11 taskbar alert for continuing a phone activity

Cross-Device Resume vs Phone Link

Cross-Device Resume and Phone Link are related, but they are not the same feature.

Phone Link

Phone Link can provide access to supported phone features such as:

Messages
Notifications
Calls
Photos
Mobile apps on compatible devices

You normally open the Phone Link application to use these tools.

Cross-Device Resume

Cross-Device Resume focuses on continuing a specific activity directly from the Windows taskbar.

You do not need to open Phone Link first. The app or content appears as a continuation prompt when a supported mobile activity is detected.

Phone Link helps you access the phone from your PC. Cross-Device Resume helps you continue what you were already doing.

How to Turn Resume Off

You can disable the feature if you do not want mobile activity prompts on your taskbar.

Open:

Settings > Apps > Resume

You can turn the entire feature off or disable Resume for individual supported applications.

This is useful when:

You share the PC
You do not want activity prompts
You use separate personal and work devices
A particular app creates unwanted alerts

Privacy and Security

Cross-Device Resume depends on a linked-device relationship and app support.

You remain in control of whether the phone is connected and which applications can use Resume. The activity does not simply appear on unrelated Windows computers.

For better security: