PhoneExperienceHost.exe

Application ProcessMicrosoft Corporation

Also called phoneexperiencehost, phone link, your phone

WindowsApplication

Phone Link (Your Phone). This process is the Phone Link window. YourPhoneAppProxy.exe is a helper. CrossDeviceResume.exe is continue-on-PC.

What you need to know

This is the Phone Link app window, not a Windows service named Phone.

PhoneExperienceHost.exe is Microsoft Phone Link. It can stay in the tray after you close the window. Uninstall or Settings will stop it. Ending the process only until it restarts.

Safe?: Yes, from Phone Link
Need it?: Only if you use the phone app
High RAM?: Photos and messages cache

Feex says

If I do not use a phone on this PC, I would uninstall Phone Link. Ending PhoneExperienceHost every hour is not a setting.

What is PhoneExperienceHost.exe?

PhoneExperienceHost.exe is the Phone Link (Your Phone) application host in WindowsApps.

What does it do?

It shows messages, photos, and calls when a phone is linked. It often uses WebView2. The proxy process handles some background work.

Why is it running?

You opened Phone Link, or it started with Windows from its own setting. A PC with no linked phone can still keep the package installed.

Is it safe?

Usually safe

The Microsoft.YourPhone package is Phone Link. A PhoneExperienceHost.exe outside WindowsApps is not.

A legitimate copy normally runs from:

C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.YourPhone_*\PhoneExperienceHost.exe

Phone Link UI
Proxy is a sibling helper
May embed WebView2

Can I end it?

Closes Phone Link until it restarts

Ending the host drops the window and in-flight sync. Turn off launch at startup in Phone Link if you do not want it back.

Can I remove it?

Uninstall Phone Link

Uninstall Phone Link from Settings > Apps. Do not delete files under WindowsApps by hand. YourPhoneAppProxy.exe belongs to the same package.

Should it start with Windows?

Phone Link has its own start-with-Windows option.

Normal resource behavior

These are contextual labels, not universal averages.

CPU: Notifications and photo sync
Memory: Can grow with media cache
Network: Phone graph
Disk: Cached photos

File information

PhoneExperienceHost.exe file information
Executable name	PhoneExperienceHost.exe
Common legitimate path	C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.YourPhone_*\PhoneExperienceHost.exe
Publisher	Microsoft Corporation
Signature expectation	Signed by Microsoft Windows

Common problems

RAM after photo dump

Clear Phone Link cache from the app. That is not SearchIndexer.

People end YourPhoneAppProxy and wonder why sync died

Both processes belong to the same product.

Troubleshooting

Diagnose before you change anything destructive.

Unlink and relink the phone

Microsoft documents that after a stuck sync.

Check WebView2 if the UI is blank

The embed can be the broken piece.

Technical details

PhoneExperienceHost.exe technical details
Image name	PhoneExperienceHost.exe
Product	Phone Link

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

Microsoft Support: Phone Link · Official app
Microsoft Store: Phone Link · Package
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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