Microsoft’s Link to Windows app for Android is testing a Power menu that lets you shut down, restart or put your PC to sleep from your phone. As reported by Android Authority, the controls appear in beta version 1.26101.103.0, replacing the app’s single Lock PC button.
Until now, the app offered only remote locking as a power-related action. Tapping the new Power button opens a bottom sheet with four options: Lock PC, Sleep PC, Shut down and Restart. Android Authority also spotted options to finish pending updates first. Per the on-screen text, choosing either option closes all apps, installs the update, then shuts down or restarts the computer.
Each action comes with a warning. The shutdown and restart prompts warn that you may lose unsaved work, which makes sense when you’re not at the machine to save it. The sleep prompt differs, warning that you’ll need to be physically near the PC to wake it. That’s a practical limit: a sleeping PC drops off the link, so sleep is a one-way trip unless someone is home.
Not a surprise
The feature has been visible for weeks. Windows Latest found inactive strings for these commands in the app’s code in late August, and said it expected them to arrive via an update. The beta is the first sign that the code has been switched on, though Android Authority says the controls “appear to be” rolling out, and neither it nor Microsoft has given a stable release date.
Android Authority notes you can already control a PC’s power with tools such as Remote Desktop, so this isn’t new. The appeal is convenience. If you already use Link to Windows for calls, messages, photos and file transfers, the power controls sit in an app you’ve set up, with no separate remote-access software to configure.
For readers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, the use case is easy to picture: a home or office PC left running after you’ve left, or a download that finished while you were out. Nothing in the reports covers regional availability, required Windows or Android versions, or a timeline for the stable app, so expect to wait unless you’re in the beta.
Can I use the remote shut down feature now?
Only if you’re on the Link to Windows beta, version 1.26101.103.0, where Android Authority saw the Power menu. No stable release date has been reported.
Can I wake my PC from my phone after putting it to sleep?
No. The app’s sleep warning says you’ll need to be physically near the PC to wake it, so use sleep only when someone can get to the machine.
Do I need this if I already use Remote Desktop?
Not necessarily. Remote Desktop can already control a PC’s power, according to Android Authority, but the Link to Windows menu is a quicker route if you already use the app for calls, messages and file transfers.
