Phone Link photos fail in two different ways. On an iPhone, the Photos panel was never there. On Android they work until they stop, almost always for one of five reasons. Find your case below.
The quick answer: on an iPhone, stop looking. Phone Link has no Photos panel for iPhone and no way to send its photos. On Android, battery optimisation usually puts the Link to Windows app to sleep. Set it to Unrestricted and the photos come back. Free for iPhone Free for Mac Free for Android Free for Windows
Phone Link has no Photos panel for iPhone, so there is nothing to fix
Few guides say this plainly, so here it is before you spend another hour in the settings.
- Phone Link's Photos panel on a Windows PC is an Android-only feature. On Android it mirrors your recent camera roll into a panel you drag pictures out of. Microsoft has not built it for iPhone.
- Phone Link on Windows handles an iPhone's calls, messages, contacts and notifications, but not its photos. A linked iPhone gets no Photos panel and no way to send photos.
- An iPhone that pairs with Phone Link perfectly still sends no photos to a normal Windows PC. The phone shows as linked, but the photos feature is simply absent.
Stop reinstalling Phone Link, since no PC setting adds iPhone photos
Nothing you change at either end turns iPhone photos on.
- No permission or setting on a normal Windows PC will make Phone Link show an iPhone's photos. The Android fixes further down this page cannot help an iPhone owner.
- Phone Link can receive a file sent from an iPhone, on iOS 16 or later. Send it from the iPhone share sheet, or from File Explorer with the Share command, as Microsoft's help page describes. What is still missing is the photo library panel, which is Android only.
Camera to Clipboard sends photos from iPhone or Android to your PC
For specific photos on your PC, from either phone, there is a more direct way.
- Camera to Clipboard sends photos to a Windows PC from an iPhone and from Android alike. Both versions have the same features. That closes the gap Phone Link leaves open.
- Camera to Clipboard sends the photos you pick, one or a batch, when you tap send. Nothing waits awake in the background, so no power setting can silently switch it off.
- A photo sent with Camera to Clipboard lands straight on the Windows clipboard, ready to paste. Ctrl + V puts it into your email or document. No file is left behind in Downloads.
Camera to Clipboard needs no account and never uploads your photo
Two more differences matter when Phone Link keeps letting you down.
- Camera to Clipboard moves photos to the PC with no Microsoft account, Google account or Apple ID. The photo is never uploaded to anyone's server.
- Camera to Clipboard uses the internet only to let the phone and the PC find each other. The photo itself goes straight across your own Wi-Fi, or the phone's hotspot. A hotspot works because the phone's mobile data connects both apps.
Set Link to Windows to Unrestricted battery to fix Phone Link photos
If Android photos worked once and then quietly stopped, check Android's power saving first.
- Android's battery optimisation puts Link to Windows to sleep, so Phone Link photos stop. Power limits exist to shut down apps that wait in the background, like Link to Windows.
- Phone Link's Photos panel goes stale slowly instead of failing outright, which hides the battery cause. It shows old pictures, and reconnecting fixes it for a while before it drifts again.
- Setting Link to Windows to Unrestricted battery usage brings Phone Link photos back. On the phone, go to Settings > Apps > Link to Windows > Battery. The wording varies by manufacturer.
Add Link to Windows to your phone maker's own power saving list too
Some phones run a second power manager that can override Android's setting.
- Samsung, Xiaomi and OnePlus phones need Link to Windows allowed in their own power saving list as well. Android's Unrestricted setting alone is often overridden. Add the app to the maker's "protected apps" list.
- A battery saver that switches itself back on undoes the Unrestricted setting and stops Phone Link photos again. That is why the panel works for weeks, then goes stale for no clear reason.
Allow Link to Windows photo access to fill the Phone Link panel
Android lets Link to Windows connect without letting it read your pictures.
- Link to Windows needs Android's photos and media permission, and shows no error when it is missing. The phone still pairs and messages still arrive on the PC. Only the Photos panel stays empty.
- Turning on the photos and media permission for Link to Windows fills the Phone Link panel. On the phone, go to Settings > Apps > Link to Windows > Permissions. Pictures usually appear on the PC within seconds.
Recheck the Link to Windows photo permission after an Android update
The photos permission can change without you touching it, and only one choice works.
- An Android update can quietly reset the photos permission and stop Phone Link photos overnight. Newer Android versions split media access into narrower groups.
- Link to Windows needs Android's Allow all choice for photos, not Allow limited access. Android offers Allow all, Allow limited access and Don't allow. Anything less leaves the Phone Link panel empty or incomplete.
Use one Microsoft account and one Wi-Fi network for Phone Link photos
Next, check the link between the two devices. Phone Link is fussier about this for photos than for messages.
- Phone Link only moves photos when the phone and the PC use the same Microsoft account. A work account on the PC and a personal one on the phone still pair, but photos fail first.
- Putting the phone and the PC on the same Wi-Fi network is the reliable setup for Phone Link photos. Link to Windows can also sync over mobile data if you turn that on. Without it, a phone on mobile data shows as connected but sends nothing.
- A guest Wi-Fi network separates the phone from the PC and stops Phone Link photos without warning. A phone on the guest network and a PC on the main one cannot see each other.
Turn off any VPN and update Phone Link and Link to Windows
Two more things can block photos even when the account and network match.
- A VPN on either the phone or the PC can stop Phone Link photos on its own. It changes what the two devices can see of each other locally. Turn it off and retry before looking further.
- Phone Link and Link to Windows must both be up to date for photos to work. Update Phone Link from the Microsoft Store and Link to Windows from Google Play. Then restart both ends, because an old version fails silently.
Phone Link is excellent for messages and wrong for photo transfer
Even with every setting right, the Photos panel was never built to hand over a chosen photo.
- Phone Link is genuinely good at putting a phone's notifications, messages and calls on a Windows PC. Answering a text from your keyboard is the reason to install it.
- Phone Link's Photos panel is a window onto your most recent shots, not a way to transfer a chosen photo. An older photo may not be there at all.
Phone Link's Photos panel is still Android-only and breaks by design
Two facts about the Photos panel matter before you wait for a fix.
- Phone Link's Photos panel is still Android-only, so iPhone owners need another method. Instead of waiting for Microsoft, pick a way that already works on an iPhone and a Windows PC.
- Phone Link photos depend on a background service staying awake on the phone, which is why they keep breaking. Phone makers keep shutting down that kind of service. So the fault is built in, not a bug someone will fix.
Five of the six Phone Link photo problems are fixed in minutes
Here are all six causes of missing Phone Link photos side by side.
| Cause | Applies to | How common | Time to fix | Can it be fixed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Photos panel on iPhone | iPhone | Very common | Never | No, use another method |
| Battery optimisation | Android | Very common | A minute | Yes |
| Photos permission missing | Android | Common | A minute | Yes |
| Different Microsoft accounts | Both | Occasional | A few minutes | Yes |
| Devices on different networks | Both | Occasional | A minute | Yes |
| Out-of-date apps | Both | Uncommon | A few minutes | Yes |
Only the iPhone cause cannot be fixed. For an iPhone, a different method is the answer.
Common questions about Phone Link and photos
Why does Phone Link not show photos from my iPhone?
Because Microsoft has not built the Photos panel for iPhone. A linked iPhone gets calls, messages, contacts and notifications, but no photos. iPhone file sharing does work, from the share sheet, on iOS 16 or later. Reconnecting or reinstalling will not add it.
Why have my Android photos stopped appearing in Phone Link?
Android battery optimisation usually puts the Link to Windows app to sleep. Set that app to Unrestricted battery usage. Then check the photos and media permission, and that both devices use the same Microsoft account.
How do I get a photo from my phone to my PC when Phone Link will not do it?
Camera to Clipboard sends the photo over your local Wi-Fi from an iPhone or Android and puts it on the PC's clipboard. It needs no Microsoft account and no background service.