How to use an eSIM on a Windows laptop

The Cellular page tells you whether the laptop has one

Most laptops have Wi-Fi but no mobile modem, and no setting can add one. Microsoft's rule of thumb is simple: open Settings, Network & internet. If you see a Cellular page there, the PC supports mobile connections.

That still does not prove it has an eSIM. On Windows 11, look on the Cellular page for Use this SIM for cellular data; if the drop-down offers eSIM, SIM2 or something similar, there is an eSIM. On Windows 10, which needs version 1703 or later for this, the sign is a Manage eSIM profiles link near the bottom of the Cellular page.

If your laptop also has a physical SIM slot and the eSIM option does not appear, Microsoft suggests switching the SIM in that drop-down and checking again. Business laptops sold as LTE or 5G models are the usual candidates, so the model's spec sheet is worth a look before you buy a plan for it.

Adding the profile, step by step

• Open Settings, Network & internet, Cellular, eSIM profiles.
• Under the section for adding a profile from your mobile operator, select Add profile.
• Choose Let me enter an activation code I have from my mobile operator, then Next.
• Scan the QR code with the laptop's camera or type the activation code by hand, then Next and Download.
• Back in the list, select the new profile and choose Use. Windows warns that this may incur charges; select Yes.

These are the Windows 11 steps from Microsoft's support page. On Windows 10 the route is Cellular, Manage eSIM profiles, Add a new profile. The laptop needs an internet connection for the download, so do it on home Wi-Fi before you leave. Microsoft also advises sharing identifiers such as the EID and IMEI only with sites you trust.

Two settings that decide what happens abroad

The first is Data roaming options, under Settings, Network & internet, Cellular. Microsoft describes it as the setting that controls whether cellular data stays on outside your operator's network, and suggests Don't roam to avoid roaming charges. That is right for a home plan. A travel eSIM, though, connects to local networks in the destination, which Windows treats as roaming, so on that profile roaming has to be allowed or it will not connect.

The second is the metered connection. Microsoft says cellular connections are metered by default, so some apps reduce their data use and some Windows updates will not install automatically. Leave it that way on a trip. You can also set a data limit under Data usage, and Windows will help you stay under it.

A third switch, Let Windows keep me connected, makes the laptop jump to cellular whenever no other network is available. Handy, but it means data flows the moment Wi-Fi drops.

Switching and deleting profiles

A laptop can hold more than one eSIM profile but uses one at a time. To change, select the current profile and choose Stop using, confirm, then select the other one and choose Use.

Deleting is a different matter. Microsoft warns that if you delete a profile you may need to contact your operator to add it again, and the Windows 10 prompt says the profile will be permanently deleted. With a travel eSIM that usually means the plan and the data left on it are gone, so stop using it rather than deleting it. The same logic applies on phones, as the guide on deleting an eSIM explains.

On a company laptop, Microsoft notes that organisational policies may prevent you from deleting profiles, and IT may restrict adding them too. Ask before buying anything for a managed machine.

A laptop eSIM or the phone's hotspot

Before buying a plan for the laptop, consider sharing the phone's. A travel eSIM on the phone can feed the laptop by Wi-Fi hotspot or by USB cable, and the cable keeps the phone charging while it works. The comparison is in our guide to USB tethering and Wi-Fi hotspot.

A separate eSIM makes sense when the laptop works on its own all day, away from the phone, or when the phone's battery cannot take hours of hotspot. Either way, size the plan for a computer, not a phone: updates, cloud sync and video calls use far more than mobile apps, as the laptop data guide shows.

A travel eSIM stays on the device where it is installed. If you scan it on the laptop, the phone cannot use it later, so decide first.