What is CrossDeviceService.exe and How to Fix Its Errors?

CrossDeviceService.exe is a Windows service that facilitates cross-device functionalities, such as activity sharing. This service is primarily utilized by the Phone Link apps, which enable you to access photos, chats, and calls from your PC without the need to handle your phone directly.

The error ‘CrossDeviceService.exe bad image’ typically arises when CrossDeviceService.exe stops functioning correctly, or the executable file becomes corrupted.

To resolve this issue, we have curated some solutions that are known to resolve the problem.

1. ‘End Task’ All the Instances of CrossDeviceService.exe

If CrossDeviceService.exe is malfunctioning, phone link applications will likely provide error messages since they are unable to use it. Thus, the initial solution to attempt is to terminate all instances of CrossDeviceService.exe and then reboot the computer. This action can help restart CrossDeviceService.exe and may eliminate the error message.

1. Right-click on the Taskbar and select Task Manager.
2. Within the processes tab, locate and right-click on CrossDeviceService.exe, then select End Task.
   

2. Update Cross-Device Experience Host

It is possible that the Cross-Device Experience Host component is not installed or is out-of-date, which could explain why the error persists when launching phone link applications.

The Cross-Device Experience Host is a software component responsible for managing the connectivity of multiple devices to the PC for sharing activities. As CrossDeviceService.exe plays a essential role for the Cross-Device Experience Host, it is important that it remains up-to-date and intact. If not, it could trigger the CrossDeviceService.exe error message.

1. Click on the Start Menu and type Command Prompt into the search bar.
2. Right-click on Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator.
   
3. Type the following command to update or install the Cross-Device Experience Host component and press Enter.

   winget install 9NTXGKQ8P7N0

   

4. Press Y to accept the terms and commence the installation.
5. Once installation is complete, verify if the error has been resolved.

3. Repair or Reset the Phone Link App

The error might also be a result of an issue with the Phone Link app. It is common for errors to occur because of app-related problems. In such situations, we advise repairing or resetting the Phone Link app to determine if the error is rectified.

Resetting the application erases all stored data, including your login credentials, settings, and cache, which often resolves errors. On the other hand, repairing the application aims to fix the app files that may have become corrupted, potentially causing this error message.

1. Click the Start Menu and type Phone Link in the search bar.
2. Right-click on Phone Link and choose App Settings.
   
3. Scroll to the bottom and select Repair. If the issue persists, consider resetting the app by clicking the Reset button.
   
4. After performing these actions, check to see if the error has been fixed.

4. Reinstall the Phone Link App

If the problem remains unresolved, try reinstalling the app. Reinstalling can help you determine if the issue is related to the app files.

1. Open the Start Menu and type Windows PowerShell into the search bar.
2. Right-click on Windows PowerShell and select Run as administrator.
   
3. Type the following command to reinstall the Phone Link app and press Enter.

   Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

4. After reinstalling, check whether the issue has been resolved.

5. Use Alternative Phone Link Applications

If reinstalling the app does not resolve the problem, you might consider trying alternative phone link applications to circumvent this error. There are various applications like AirDroid that offer more sophisticated features, such as remote control and screen mirroring, compared to the Microsoft PhoneLink application.

Finally, if none of these solutions prove effective, you could resort to a system restore utility to revert your Windows to a state prior to encountering this error or opt to reset your Windows without losing data to resolve the issue. These methods should restore the CrossDeviceService.exe file.