How to use 'Continue on PC' for Android and iOS in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update

By Cale Hunt
last updated

The new "Continue on PC" function lets you easily share web pages between your phone and PC.

Continue on PC
Continue on PC (Image credit: Windows Central)

The Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is on its way, and it's bringing a bunch of awesome features that we can't wait to regularly use. One feature is the ability to link your iPhone or Android (such as the much-anticipated Pixel 2) with your PC, allowing you to quickly "Continue on PC" with whatever you were viewing in the browser on your phone. Since we all know about the sad state of Windows 10 Mobile, this is a welcome addition for anyone who's recently made the switch over to a different mobile OS. Here's how to get everything set up, as well as how to use the feature on Android and iPhone.

How to set up Continue on PC in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update

To begin, follow through with these steps on the PC you'd like to link with your Android or iPhone.

  1. Right-click the Start button.
  2. Click Settings.
  3. Click Phone.

  1. Click Add a phone.
  2. Click the dropdown arrow in the left field.

  1. Click your country's area code.
  2. Click the middle field.

  1. Type your phone number.
  2. Click Send.

A text message will be sent to your phone. Keep in mind that usual SMS fees will apply to this text. In our case, we're using an Android phone.

  1. Open the text message on your phone.
  2. Tap the link in the text message. In Android's case, the Google Play Store will open to the Microsoft Apps page.

  1. Tap Install.
  2. Tap Open when installation is complete.

As long as you open the Microsoft Apps package once on your phone, the Continue on PC option will be available when you share a web page.

How to use Continue on PC in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update

Now that you have the Microsoft Apps package installed on your phone, you can use the Continue on PC function.

Using Continue on PC with Android

This first set of steps is for those using an Android phone.

  1. Launch a web browser on your phone. In this case, we're using Google Chrome.
  2. Navigate to a web page you'd like to continue viewing on your PC.
  3. Tap the More button in the top-right corner of the screen.

  1. Tap Share.
  2. Tap Continue on PC.
  3. Tap Continue now. You can also tap Continue later, in which case a reminder will appear in your PC's Action Center.

  1. Tap Sign in with Microsoft.
  2. Type your email address attached to your Microsoft account.
  3. Tap Next.

  1. Type your password.
  2. Tap Sign in.

You might see Continue on PC searching for devices for a moment, but you'll soon see the webpage open on your PC.

Using Continue on PC with iPhone

This second set of steps is for anyone using an iPhone.

  1. Launch a web browser on your phone. In this case, we're using Safari.
  2. Navigate to a web page you'd like to continue viewing on your PC.
  3. Tap the Share button.
  4. Tap More.

  1. Tap the switch next to Continue on PC.
  2. Tap Done.
  3. Tap Continue on PC.

  1. Tap Continue now. You can also tap Continue later, in which case a reminder will appear in your PC's Action Center.
  2. Tap Sign in with Microsoft.
  3. Type the email address associated with your Microsoft account.

  1. Tap Next.
  2. Type your password.
  3. Tap Sign in.

That's it! The webpage will now open on your PC.

More resources

If you're using Windows 10 Mobile and would like your Edge data to sync between your PC and phone, check out this guide. You can even use unofficial Windows 10 apps like Hand off (opens in new tab) to create a similar experience to the FCU's "Continue on PC" feature for Android and iOS.

Need more info about the Fall Creators Update? Check out these links!

Cale Hunt
Cale Hunt
Senior Editor, Laptop Reviews

Cale Hunt is formerly a Senior Editor at Windows Central. He focuses mainly on laptop reviews, news, and accessory coverage. He's been reviewing laptops and accessories full-time since 2016, with hundreds of reviews published for Windows Central. He is an avid PC gamer and multi-platform user, and spends most of his time either tinkering with or writing about tech.

48 Comments
  • So this is definitely *not* coming to W10M?
  • could used Reading list in edge, or hand off/romait
  • fsdgfdgdfgfd
  • We don't need this on W10m, Cortana already offers this feature without the hassle of hitting share. She just offers to pick up where I left off. I'm sure you all have a W10M phone but do you use it?
  • I have it turned on - on both my Surface and Lumia 950 (Fast Ring)...but have never seen it "work"? I'm browsing pages on my phone, then power up the Surface...it doesn't "ask" me if I want to Continue Where I Left Off? nor vice versa. Is there a trick (or manual) to actually "using" this feature?
  • Where is this turned on/off? I can't find any such option in Cortana? Is this a (yet another) regional dependent option?
  • Cortana note book: pick up were your left off
  • One thing I truly miss from W8.1/WP8.1 was the possibility to effortlessly open tabs from your phone on the PC and vice versa. They killed it on W10 and never revived it.
  • One thing I truly miss from W8.1/WP8.1 was he ability to effortlessly open tabs from your phone on the PC and vice versa. They killed it on W10 and never revived it.
  • No, it doesnt work on W10M. It has never offered to pick up anything from my phone on my PC, that has only ever happened between two PC's.
  • and with Reading List in Edge
  • Didn't they say specifically that this would be coming to windows phone when the demoed Graph a few months ago? I swear I recall Joe B. Stating that.
  • Cant trust anything Microsoft says when it comes to W10M.
  • I thought this was built in for Windows devices; only needed if you have an IPhone, etc.
  • w10m/w10 has reading list in edge for back and forth
  • Hey Nutella, how about we don't need your products at all? You don't see the need to be the third player in the mobile field? I don't see the need why you have a second gaming platform, another cloud offering, office tools, outlook, god knows how worthless your position is in music and movie streaming, and so on... All your products... All competitors have them too. You are a big liar. I bought all your **** and now it's all useless. False promises, big lies at keynotes and in interviews. Stop making lame excuses. Your latest big excuse for the lack of Edge extensions is the biggest joke of all. Developers don't give two ***** about your browser, that's why there are not many extensions. I don't need to use your ****** ios-android-windows integration ****. If i am forced to leave your mobile platform it's goodbye to all of your ****. And i am pretty sure I am not alone in this. You **** on your fans. Lumia 950 was made for fans? I remember those words... It was made to **** us over.
  • Lol.. You? bitter? Naaaaaaaaaaaa😂
  • Maybe not how I would have worded it, but unfortunatly your sentiments are being felt by a lot of us at the moment.
  • 😂😂😂
  • Any idea whether it will work on W10M?
  • 😂😂😂😂
  • When I read few days ago that it would be possible to connect Windows 10 PC with Android and iOS phones but not W10M phone, the first time I had a thought that maybe it was high time to move to Mac/iPhone tandem. And it made me very sad. Shame on you, MSFT!
  • As much as I WANT to do this Patrol,  I can't.  MacOS is way to ****** for me to use as a computer OS.
  • ยูทูป
  • Man this is bad from Microsoft... This should already be working on W10M and they don't even want to do it... Can't wait until we get real Windows on phone... Will they allow continue browsing between Windows 10 PCs? Like I need to leave home and would transfer my browsing onto my Windows 10 ablet?
  • Just use Chrome. We have been able to do that for years.
  • Chrome can't be installed on Windows phones, so it doesn't make sense to suggest that as an answer to the previous poster's question.
  • His answer is not wrong if he specifically answers the question from my last paragraph where I asked about continuing to browse between Windows PCs, tablets run the real Windows 10, not the mobile one. But personally I don't like Chrome, it's ugly looking and it's missing my most important feature: to have the option to automatically switch to a new tab when I do right-click open in new tab.  The only two browsers I know that allow that are IE and Firefox.
  • Windows phone is dead. If you care about functionality, that is the wrong platform.
  • I'm not usually going to join the "but what about Windows 10 Mobile?" crowd, but this time I am. I get prioritizing platforms with more users for some features like the latest Office apps. But how hard would it be to add this share target to an OS which they control? They shouldn't even need a separate app to do it on W10M - the Microsoft account linking is already there. Some of us use W10M because we bought in to the One Windows vision, imagining stuff like easily picking up where you left off between devices. *sigh* I hope they show us some Andromeda to get excited about soon.
  • I tried that and it says my phone number is invalid... maybe it's a regional thing, like every Microsoft service.
  • This is in addition to being able to send/receive SMS and get other phone notifications on pc using Cortana, which has been available for a while
  • Do you have to log into your Microsoft account every time you want to send something? If so, it seems like i could probably just email a link to myself faster...
  • You only need to login the first time.
  • When you continue on a PC... Does the link open in whatever the default browser happens to be or is Edge being forced?
  • I have it on my IPhone and IPad, but it hasn't seemed to do anything yet.
  • The Title of this article that I clicked on reads: "You can open web pages on your Windows 10 PC from your Android or iPhone" When the article now opens, the Title is now "How to use 'Continue on PC' for Android and iOS in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update" Both titles are not the same, the 1st one is seems attention grabber or click bait, to find out all the author is providing is screenshots of how to configure Continue on PC if you have Android or iPhone that have been around for quite sometime. How to instructional set for "Continue on PC' for Android and iOS in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update" is NOT the same at all as "You can open web pages on your Windows 10 PC from your Android or iPhone" From what I know, YOU CAN NOT open web pages on your windows 10 PC from your Android or iPhone. You can continue where you left off from Android or iPhone on WIndows 10 PC.
  • what happened to visualizations in groove ? I was really excited for that feature
  • Remember when we used to have this on Windows phone 8.1? Pepperidge Farms remembers.
  • Yuppers. It was nice when you could see your desktop edge stuff in the windows mobile edge
  • It was Internet Explorer, not Edge. But otherwise, yes :)
  • W10M have this build in, MS just decide it don't worth their time to put it out.  It call "open on another device" I think, readit have this.  We're just lab rat to MS.
  • Are you sure this isn't a "Continue on Android / ios" and will pop up shortly on all Windows 10 machines when MS closes down Windows like WM, Groove....
  • Sharing Chrome browser tabs has always been possible between mobile & PC. You just need to be logged in to your Chrome browser via the same account on mobile & PC. Then you can view the tabs open on one device on the other by going into Recent Tabs. Also, the history is shared if the account logged into is the same.
  • sdkjlfkdsjfkljdskljfklds
  • Nice, nice. Very nice. 
  • I take it this is for using IE / Edge on Windows? 'Cause Chrome and Firefox have this baked into their browsers, and thus works with whatever your desktop is.
  • They actually don't. With this feature, you actually pop open the browser on the PC desktop. Those will sync to what you're viewing on the mobile browser, but don't actually open the browser.