Resolving High CPU Usage Caused by yourphone.exe on Windows 10 and 11
If you’ve noticed yourphone.exe sending your CPU into a tailspin in Task Manager, you’re definitely not alone. That process belongs to the Phone Link app (formerly Your Phone), which is designed to connect your Windows PC with your Android or iPhone. Sounds pretty handy, right? Until it starts acting up and drains all your resources even when you’re not actively using it. I’ve been in the same boat. Here’s how I finally managed to get it under control — because nobody wants their PC sounding like a jet engine just because an app has gone haywire.
Getting rid of yourphone.exe with Task Manager
This is the quick fix. If your CPU is crying over that process, open Task Manager — press Ctrl + Shift + Esc or Win + X, then select Task Manager. Once it’s up, go to the Processes tab, locate yourphone.exe (or it might just say “Phone Link”), click on it, then hit End Task. That’ll kill the process for now. If your CPU usage drops immediately, good on ya! But be aware, the app might restart itself or come back later, especially after a reboot. Sometimes, a quick restart can help if it keeps spiking your CPU again and again.
Prevent Phone Link from running in the background
If you want a longer-term fix, you’ll need to disable the app’s background activity. That way, it won’t sneak in and gobble up resources without your say-so. To do this: open Settings with Win + I, go to Apps > Installed apps, find Phone Link, click the three dots next to it, and select Advanced options. Look for Background app permissions: it might be a dropdown or toggle. Set it to Never or switch off the option that allows it to run in the background. Sometimes, this setting is tucked away under Privacy > Background apps, so have a poke around there too. Doing this stops Windows from launching Phone Link in the background and consuming CPU cycles without your knowledge.
Update the Phone Link app
Often, high CPU usage stems from bugs in outdated versions. Developers regularly push updates to fix glitches and improve stability; running an old version can cause weird activity like resource spikes. Head over to the Microsoft Store: open it, click on your profile icon (top right), then select Apps & Features. Find Your Phone or Phone Link, and hit Update if it’s available. Or simply choose Get updates in the Store. Usually, just updating the app fixes the high-CPU problem. Also, check for Windows updates — sometimes, the system itself needs a patch to play nice with the app.
Repair or reset if the app’s still misbehaving
If Phone Link is frozen, crashing, or still hogging CPU, try repairing or resetting it. This often sorts out internal glitches, especially if cache files or settings have become corrupt. Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps, find Phone Link, click the three dots, and pick Advanced options. First, try clicking Repair — it attempts to fix issues without deleting your preferences. If that doesn’t do the trick, hit Reset. Be aware, resetting deletes local data and settings for that app, so you might need to set things up again afterwards. But honestly, it’s often the best option to stop the process from constantly punching your CPU into the red zone.
Reinstall via PowerShell if all else fails
When everything else has failed and yourphone.exe still acts up, reinstalling the app from scratch can do the trick. Especially if it’s misbehaving after updates or system tweaks. Open PowerShell as administrator — search for PowerShell in the Start menu, right-click, then select Run as administrator. To check the current package, enter:
Get-AppxPackage *YourPhone*If you see something like Microsoft.MicrosoftYourPhone, remove it with:
Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.MicrosoftYourPhone | Remove-AppxPackageNote: Package names may differ slightly depending on your version of Windows. After removing it, head to the Microsoft Store, search for Your Phone or Phone Link, and install it fresh. This ensures any corrupted files are wiped clean so you start anew. Just be prepared to log in again and redo some settings, but this last step can save your CPU and sanity if the process has gone completely off the rails.
Why does yourphone.exe chew up CPU?
Figuring out why yourphone.exe suddenly ramps up CPU usage is half the battle. Usually, it’s bugs, stuck sync attempts, or internal conflicts — kinda like a phone call that won’t drop and loops endlessly in the background. Sometimes, corrupted update files or failed syncs cause the process to spin out of control, which is both frustrating and heating up your PC. When Windows updates or your phone OS gets an upgrade, the app can lose sync and try to reconnect repeatedly, pushing CPU to its limits. You’ll likely notice your PC’s fan roaring louder or your device’s temperature rising unexpectedly.
The trick: keep everything — Windows, your phone’s OS, device drivers — up to date. If you see CPU spiking, start with simple fixes like killing the process, disabling background activity, updating, repairing, or reinstalling. Often, it’s a cascade — once the process gets stuck, it keeps trying to fix itself, and your system pays the price.
Pro tip — some BIOS background settings
Here’s a bit of a weird tip: I once tinkered with BIOS/UEFI and disabled Intel SpeedStep and C-States on an older machine — just to see if it helped. Sometimes, hidden CPU management features can cause background processes to misbehave, especially during syncs or updates. Also, check your Power Settings — try setting it to High Performance temporarily to see if it stabilises CPU usage. Just remember to revert to a power-saving mode afterwards if you’re trying to conserve energy or battery life.
If you’re really stuck, open Event Viewer and sift through the logs. Sometimes, conflicts or driver issues show up there and point to what’s causing the CPU spikes. It took me some late-night troubleshooting to figure it out, but understanding that the app looping is often caused by sync failures or missing updates helps to sort it out faster next time.
Hopefully, this helps — it took me ages to crack. Anyway, I hope it saves someone else from a weekend of frustration. Good luck, and keep an eye on your processes!