Microsoft adds a page to manage devices sharing the same user account on Windows 11

If you are or have ever used macOS or iOS, you probably know that Apple has long provided on its operating systems a settings page where users can easily check whether their phone, tablets, computers, and other devices are connected, manage them, and remove them from your account if necessary. Currently, Windows 11 does not provide this useful feature, but Microsoft is working to fix that as soon as possible.

Specifically, in the latest Windows 11 Beta build 22635.3495 that was just released, Microsoft has added a new setting called " Linked devices ". According to the official release notes, this is where users can manage PCs and connected console systems (Xbox). If Microsoft hadn't abandoned Windows Phone, perhaps there would have been smartphones too.

We're introducing a new ' Linked devices ' page in Settings > Accounts , allowing you to manage PCs and Xbox systems you're signed into with the same Microsoft account. Note that this settings page will only appear on Home and Pro versions of Windows 11, at least during the initial rollout.

After installing build 22635.3495, you can find the new settings by navigating to Settings > Accounts > Linked devices . This page will show all devices that are logged into the same Microsoft Account as this Windows computer, along with some additional information, such as serial number, operating system version, RAM, processor, Windows build number, etc

There are also additional links that allow you to remove the device from your Microsoft account, link a new device, check the warranty, get support, view BitLocker information, etc. Unfortunately these are not included. None of these functions are handled directly in the Settings app. This means that when you click on any option, the system will immediately launch the default browser and access the account.microsoft.com website.

The new "Linked devices" page is rolling out to all internal users in the Beta Channel running build 22635.3495. Microsoft hasn't revealed when this feature will appear on the Stable Channel, but Windows 11 users probably won't have to wait long.

Samuel Daniel

Update 15 April 2024