How to Lock Your Windows PC from Your Phone: Android & iPhone Guide

If you've ever walked away from your desk and wondered whether you left your PC unlocked, this guide is for you. Android users with a paired Windows 11 PC can now remote lock Windows PC from their phone in two taps, without touching a browser. The Lock PC button lives inside the Link to Windows app that's the newer part. Microsoft's Find My Device web tool has offered remote locking for years, but the dedicated in-app control makes it faster when you're already on your phone.

The decision is simple: if you have an Android phone paired to your PC via Phone Link, use the Lock PC button in Link to Windows. If you're on iPhone, using an unpaired device, or the button hasn't appeared yet, use Find My Device at account.microsoft.com from any browser. That's it. Everything below is setup and troubleshooting.

One limitation to understand before starting: this is intentionally one-way. Your phone can lock the PC; it cannot get back in. Unlocking still requires local authentication at the machine password, PIN, or Windows Hello. As PCWorld confirmed this week, the phone is a security tool for a machine you've walked away from, not a remote access tool.

The Windows Insider Blog previewed this capability in mid-2025 as part of a broader refresh to Link to Windows that also added file transfer and clipboard access. PCWorld tested and confirmed the feature this week.

What you need before starting

Android only. The Lock PC button does not exist in the iPhone version of Link to Windows. Pureinfotech confirmed iOS is not supported for the in-app lock control. iPhone users can skip to the Find My Device section.

App versions matter. Phone Link on the Windows PC must be version 1.25062.83.0 or later; Link to Windows on Android must be version 1.25071.155 or later. Below those versions, the Lock PC button simply won't be there not because setup is wrong, but because the feature isn't in older builds. Update both apps before continuing: Phone Link from the Microsoft Store, Link to Windows from Google Play. (Pureinfotech)

Same Microsoft account, both devices online. The lock command travels over the internet, not Bluetooth or a local network. Both devices need to be signed into the same Microsoft account and connected to the internet when you send the command. (PCWorld)

How to lock your Windows PC from your phone with Link to Windows

Step 1: Configure the Windows PC

One-time setup. Do this before leaving the desk.

1. Open Phone Link from the Start menu. If it's not installed, get it from the Microsoft Store.
2. Click the gear icon in the top-right corner to open Settings.
3. Scroll down, expand App Behavior, and check "Start Smartphone Link when I sign in to Windows."

Phone Link must be running on the PC when you send the lock command. If it isn't, the command has nowhere to land. Enable this setting now so it starts automatically at sign-in. (PCWorld)

4. Open Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Mobile devices.
5. Confirm "Allow this PC to access your mobile devices" is toggled on.
6. Enable "Remote PC controls" for the paired Android phone. This Windows-side toggle is what authorizes a phone to issue a lock command. Without it, nothing in the Android app will work regardless of how the pairing looks. (Windows Forum)

Step 2: Pair the Android phone

The updated onboarding flow can be completed entirely from the phone. When Microsoft previewed the refreshed Link to Windows experience in mid-2025, the Windows Insider Blog called out phone-first setup as a deliberate simplification which is why pairing no longer requires switching back and forth between devices. That said, the Windows-side configuration in Step 1 still needs to be done first.

1. Install or update Link to Windows from the Google Play Store. Confirm the version is 1.25071.155 or later older builds don't include the Lock PC control. (Pureinfotech)
2. Open the app and sign in with the same Microsoft account used on the PC.
3. Follow the pairing prompts. The app scans for the linked PC automatically.
4. Once connected, the paired PC appears in the app's device view. The Lock PC button should be visible here. If it isn't, see the troubleshooting section before continuing.

Step 3: Lock the PC from your phone

1. Open Link to Windows on the Android phone.
2. Tap the paired PC in the device list.
3. Tap Lock PC, then confirm with Lock. (Pureinfotech)
4. The PC locks immediately. The Phone Link session disconnects and the Windows login screen appears on the machine. (PCWorld)

To regain access, someone must authenticate locally at the machine password, PIN, or Windows Hello. The phone cannot unlock it. Windows Forum and Pureinfotech both confirm this is by design.

If the Lock PC button isn't there

Missing button after setup usually comes down to one of three causes.

App versions are out of date. Update Phone Link on the PC (Microsoft Store) and Link to Windows on Android (Google Play). The required versions are 1.25062.83.0 or later on the PC and 1.25071.155 or later on Android. (Pureinfotech)

Remote PC controls toggle is off. On the PC, go to Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Mobile devices and confirm "Remote PC controls" is enabled for the paired phone. If the toggle isn't present at all, the PC may need a Windows update. (Windows Forum)

Stale pairing. If the pairing predates the feature update, disconnect and re-pair using the phone-initiated onboarding flow described in Step 2. The Lock PC button sometimes only appears after a fresh pairing session on an updated build.

If all three checks pass and the button still isn't there, it may not have reached your account yet. Windows Forum reported a staged rollout through late 2025, with the feature tied to builds in the 1.25071.x and 1.25102.x ranges. Check for app updates over the next few days. Find My Device, covered below, covers the same security need in the meantime.

iPhone or no active pairing: lock your Windows PC remotely from any browser

Microsoft's web-based Find My Device works from any browser, on any device, with no app pairing required. It's the right option for iPhone users, anyone on an unfamiliar phone, or anyone waiting on the Lock PC button to appear.

How to use it:

1. Go to account.microsoft.com and sign in.
2. Select the Windows device you want to lock.
3. Choose Find my device and wait for the location to refresh. The PC must be online.
4. Click Lock. (Windows Forum)

One difference worth knowing: Find My Device signs out any active users before locking a harder stop than what Phone Link does. Phone Link locks the screen but leaves active sessions intact. (Windows Forum) For a machine you'll be back to shortly, Phone Link is faster and less disruptive. For a shared workstation, a managed device, or a machine you won't return to for a while, Find My Device is the right call.

Microsoft's Find My Device service has long offered device location and a Lock action for Windows devices tied to a Microsoft account. (Windows Forum) It's not a new workaround it's a mature tool that happens to fill in where Phone Link can't reach.

Which method to use

The setup is a one-time investment. Get Phone Link configured to start at sign-in, enable Remote PC controls in Windows Settings, and the lock action is available passively from anywhere. (PCWorld, Windows Forum)

If you have an Android phone and can see the Lock PC button, Link to Windows is the faster option two taps and done. If you need something that works from any device or needs to terminate active sessions, bookmark Find My Device at account.microsoft.com. Both methods accomplish the same core goal; which one fits depends on your situation.