Phone Link's Photos Tab is Disappearing, But Its Replacement is Better

Microsoft is once again adjusting its cross-device strategy, and this time it involves a core component of the Phone Link app in Windows 11. The dedicated “Photos” tab, long a staple of the app, is being removed.

Instead of accessing your phone’s gallery from within the Phone Link interface, Microsoft is shifting this entire function to the more powerful Windows File Explorer.

This change isn’t just a simple relocation; it’s an upgrade. The current Photos tab is convenient but limited. It’s primarily a viewer. The File Explorer integration, however, treats your phone’s media storage more like a regular drive, unlocking several key features that the app version lacks:

• Multi-Select: You can select, copy, and move large batches of photos at once.
• Drag-and-Drop: Easily drag files directly from your phone’s folder into a folder on your PC.
• Video Access: Perhaps most importantly, File Explorer allows you to access videos on your device, a function completely absent from the current Photos tab.

A Different Approach from Microsoft

This move is part of a larger trend, but Microsoft is handling the communication differently this time. The company has faced criticism in the past for making abrupt changes without warning. The provided text specifically recalls when Microsoft “quietly axed” the ability for users to remove old devices from Phone Link, an issue that persisted for months before a solution was offered.

Learning from this, Microsoft is now notifying users in advance. An alert is being rolled out in phases within the Phone Link app’s Photos tab, stating that “Photos is moving to File Explorer.” This phrasing presents the change as an evolution rather than a removal, even though the File Explorer access itself isn’t new and was introduced last year.

How to Get Ready for the Change

Before the tab is removed for good, users will need to ensure their system is set up for the File Explorer method. If your phone’s media doesn’t already appear, you will need to enable a specific setting.

To do this, navigate to: Settings > Bluetooth > Mobile devices > Manage devices.

Inside this menu, you must find and activate the toggle labeled “Show mobile device in File Explorer.” Once enabled, your Android device will appear in File Explorer, allowing you full access to your photos and videos, ready for the transition.