Some users are freaking out by seeing the process called YourPhone.exe in their Task Manager. You might be one of them and wondering what it is or if it is safe to delete it. Read on to learn more.
What Is YourPhone.exe? Is it a Virus?
YourPhone.exe is the process that runs the Your Phone app on your Windows computer. If you are not using the app or don’t remember installing one, it’s not your fault. The app comes pre-installed in the latest versions of Windows 10.
So, no. It is not a malware or some type of virus. It persists on running in the background of your Windows system because the Your Phone app needs it to communicate with your Android or iOS device.
YourPhone.exe links your mobile phone to your computer if you want to use unlock cross-devices. You can even sync your photos and messages notifications across your Windows 10 PC and Android or iOS phone. All these are possible with YourPhone.exe running in the background.
However, if you are not utilizing the app, you can save up some resources if you disable the process from running entirely.
How to Stop and Disable YourPhone.exe from Running in the Background in Windows 10
If you are not using the Your Phone app to connect your mobile phone to your Windows 10 computer, follow these steps to disable the process from running in the background.
- On the Windows Start menu right-click and choose Settings.
- Select Privacy from the Settings menu.
- Look for Background Apps section.
- In the list of Background apps, scroll down until you find the Your Phone app.
- Turn off the toggle button for the app.
By doing this, you have effectively disabled the YourPhone.exe process from running in the background again. The new setting will take effect after you log out and log in again.
However, if you are not planning to use the Your App app in the near future, it is better to completely remove it from your PC. Follow the steps below on how you can uninstall the Your Phone app from your computer.
How to Uninstall Your Phone App from Windows 10
Your Phone is a Universal Windows Platform app so it is not possible to uninstall it directly from Add or Remove Programs or in the app settings. On the other hand, you can use Windows Powershell to do the work for you.
Follow these steps:
- On the Start menu, type in Windows Powershell.
- Right-click on the Windows Powershell and select Run As Administrator
- To uninstall the app, type the following command:
Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.YourPhone -AllUsers | Remove-AppxPackage
- A Deployment Operation progress notification pops up and disappears.
- After that, Your Phone app is now uninstalled from your Windows 10 computer.
That’s it! You can verify if Your Phone was uninstalled successfully by typing “Your Phone” on the search bar in the Start menu. If ever you decide to give Your Phone a try, you can easily re-install it from the Microsoft Store.
