How to manage 'Shared experiences' in the Windows 10 Creators Update

By Mauro Huculak
last updated

Windows 10 allows you to quickly enable or disable the new "Shared experiences" feature, and in this guide, we'll show you how to do it.

On the Creators Update, Windows 10 has a new feature called "Shared experiences," which allows you to start working on an app and then resume the same task on another device. You can even open the app remotely to resume a task if it's not already running. Depending on the app, it's also possible to remote control applications, share web links, and send messages across devices, including on Windows 10, Xbox, iOS, and Android devices.

While most users will know this feature as "Share experiences" on Windows 10, it's actually a reference to "Project Rome," and before the Creators Update was released, it was referred to as "Cross-Device Experiences."

The idea of Project Rome is simple, you're constantly switching devices throughout the day, and they're not all Windows 10 devices, and apps, just like your data, shouldn't be restricted to one device. They should roam with you. Using Project Rome, developers can connect their apps and services across devices and platforms offering users a continue experience no matter the device you're using.

On Windows 10, "Share experiences" comes enabled by default, but if it isn't working, it could be that it's disabled on your system. Or if you're not interested in sharing experiences between devices, you can always use the Settings app to enable, disable, or change its settings.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the easy steps to configure this new app cross-platform feature on your computer.

How to configure 'Shared experiences' on Windows 10

You can quickly enable, disable, and change the Shared experiences settings on Windows 10 using the following steps:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Click on System.
  3. Click on Shared experiences.
  4. Turn on or off the Share across devices toggle switch to enable or disable the feature.

If you're enabling the feature, note that there is also a drop-down menu with an option to share or receive only from devices connected to your Microsoft account, or you can also select the option to use this experience with any nearby devices.

Currently, there are only a small number of apps with support for Project Rome, because developers need to implement this functionality into their services. However, it's expected that this will change with the release of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, which will give developers more reasons to adopt this feature, such as with Timeline that will help to drive even more user engagement.

More Windows 10 resources

For more help articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:

Mauro Huculak
Mauro Huculak

Mauro Huculak is technical writer for WindowsCentral.com. His primary focus is to write comprehensive how-tos to help users get the most out of Windows 10 and its many related technologies. He has an IT background with professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, and CompTIA, and he's a recognized member of the Microsoft MVP community.

18 Comments
  • Make sure you have this turned on if you are using apps like "Hand Off" from the store
  • Connected Devices is also a very good app for sending text, links, etc between devices. It used to be call Share Across Devices (not between, sorry) i think but was renamed recently.
  • Yeah, but Dan Harris didn't write that app. He did, however, write Hand Off, and I have to say, it works ridiculously well.
  • Ditto. I rely on it frequently. Great for finding new apps on mobile and sharing to my desktop to install
  • I use both. Just thought I'd mention the other. It's nice to have a vibrant developer community. ;-)
  • LOL Sorry Dan, didn't realize that you developed Hand Off. I actually use both because I have this thing for cloud connected sharing apps. ;-)
  • "If you're enabling the feature, note that there is also a drop-down menu with an option to share or receive only from devices connected to your Microsoft account, or you can also select the option to use this experience with any nearby devices." Would the latter option also work with Android devices?
  • Are any current W10/W10M default apps able to do this today? I could see myself switching between my Surface Pro 4 and 950 using Outlook (drafting emails), Edge browsing a page, reading a News app or WC article, or listening to a song on Groove or Podcast show. Seems like the perfect type of apps for Shared Experiences?
  • For Outlook, that is already the case. A draft on any device roams on Outlook.com, W10M (Lumia 950) or W10 SP3).
    I have also seen that between 2 PCs where it showed me the open pages of one PC on the Notification Center of my SP3 when i switched device...
  • For Outlook, that is already the case. A draft on any device roams on Outlook.com, W10M (Lumia 950) or W10 SP3).
    I have also seen that between 2 PCs where it showed me the open pages of one PC on the Notification Center of my SP3 when i switched device...
  • Hmm...thought maybe I missed this setting on my 950 (15063.297) but the System list doesn't have Shared Experiences on W10M?
  • It's under Settings > Privacy > Continue App Experiences
  • It's not quite the same on W10M, even though they can participate in Project Rome scenarios. W10M has an annoying limitation (To me as a developer) that triggering an App Service on a W10M device can only be done when the phone is unlocked, the background task won't run otherwise
  • Got it, thanks. So the (simple?) scenarios I mentioned earlier - with Edge/News/Groove - is that the "intention" of Shared Experiences, or something different?
  • Movies and TV seems to use this. Press pause or play on my phone and it comes ouit on my desktop. Was quire confused when I first saw this happen lol. Not sure what else does, but I'm pretty curious cause i'd like to use as much of this feature as I can...
  • List of apps known to use this feature, please? Thanks in advance
  • I don't see this on any of my mobile apps.
  • Since Cortana is not available in too many countries, neither is Project Rome. MS should bring core Cortana functionality to everywhere to enable features like this, and then continue to tinker with local modifications in their own pace.