Pair a Bluetooth device in Windows

You can pair all kinds of Bluetooth devices with your PC—including keyboards, mice, phones, speakers, and a whole lot more. To do this, your PC will need to have Bluetooth. Some PCs, such as laptops and tablets, have Bluetooth built in. If your PC doesn’t, you can plug a USB Bluetooth adapter into the USB port on your PC to get it.

Before you start, make sure that your Windows 10 PC supports Bluetooth. For more info on how to check, see Fix Bluetooth problems in Windows 10. If you need help adding a device without Bluetooth capabilities, see Add a device to a Windows 10 PC.

Turn on Bluetooth

After you’ve checked that your Windows 10 PC supports Bluetooth, you’ll need to turn it on. Here’s how:

Select Start > Settings > Devices > Bluetooth & other devices, and turn on Bluetooth.

In action center

Action center can be found next to time and date on your taskbar. On the taskbar, select action center ( or ), then select Bluetooth to turn it on. If it’s turned off, it might appear as Not connected.

If you don’t see Bluetooth in your action center, here’s how you can change it:

Expand quick actions. On the taskbar, select action center ( or ) > Expand. Bluetooth should appear here. It will appear as Bluetooth or Not connected.

Add Bluetooth to action center. Select Start > Settings > System > Notifications & actions > Quick actions. Go to Add or remove quick actions and turn on Bluetooth.

Note: For more info about how to change the apps and settings that appear in action center, see Change notification and action settings in Windows 10.

To pair a Bluetooth headset, speaker, or other audio device

Turn on your Bluetooth audio device and make it discoverable. The way you make it discoverable depends on the device. Check the device or visit the manufacturer’s website to learn how.

On your PC, select Start > Settings > Devices > Bluetooth & other devices > Add Bluetooth or other device > Bluetooth. Choose the device and follow additional instructions if they appear, then select Done.

Your Bluetooth device and PC will usually automatically connect anytime the two devices are in range of each other with Bluetooth turned on.

To pair a Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, or other device

Turn on your Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, or other device and make it discoverable. The way you make it discoverable depends on the device. Check the device or visit the manufactur’s website to learn how.

On your PC, select Start > Settings > Devices > Bluetooth & other devices > Add Bluetooth or other device > Bluetooth. Choose the device and follow additional instructions if they appear, then select Done.

To pair a Bluetooth printer or scanner

Turn on your Bluetooth printer or scanner and make it discoverable. The way you make it discoverable depends on the device. Check the device or visit the manufacturer’s website to learn how.

Select Start > Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners > Add a printer or scanner. Wait for it to find nearby printers, then choose the one you want to use and select Add device.

If you’re having installation issues with your printer or scanner, see either Fix printer problems or Install and use a scanner in Windows 10.

To pair a Bluetooth device using Swift Pair

Swift Pair in Windows 10 lets you quickly pair a supported Bluetooth device with your PC. If the Bluetooth device supports Swift Pair, you’ll receive a notification when it’s nearby and you put it into pairing mode to make it discoverable.

Turn on a Bluetooth device that supports Swift Pair and make it discoverable. The way you make it discoverable depends on the device. Check the device or visit the manufacturer’s website to learn more.

If this is your first time using Swift Pair, select Yes when asked if you want to get notifications and use Swift Pair.

When a notification appears that a new Bluetooth device was found, select Connect.

After it’s connected, select Close.

Before you start, make sure that your Windows 8 PC supports Bluetooth.

Turn on your Bluetooth device and make it discoverable.

The way you make it discoverable depends on the device. Check the device or visit the manufacturer’s website to learn how.

Select Start > type Bluetooth > select Bluetooth settings from the list.

Turn on Bluetooth > select the device > Pair.

Follow any instructions if they appear. Otherwise, you’re done and connected.

Your Bluetooth device and PC will usually automatically connect anytime the two devices are in range of each other with Bluetooth turned on.

Before you start, make sure that your Windows 7 PC supports Bluetooth.

Turn on your Bluetooth device and make it discoverable.

The way you make it discoverable depends on the device. Check the device or visit the manufacturer’s website to learn how.Turn on your Bluetooth device and make it discoverable. The way you make it discoverable depends on the device. Check the device or visit the manufacturer’s website to learn how.

Select Start > Devices and Printers.

Select Add a device > select the device > Next.

Follow any other instructions that might appear. Otherwise, you’re done and connected.

Your Bluetooth device and PC will usually automatically connect anytime the two devices are in range of each other with Bluetooth turned on.

How to Turn On Bluetooth in Windows 7

Going wireless simplifies your work day

What To Know

• Windows 10 and 8.1: Press Start >Bluetooth, and toggle it on.
• Windows 7: Press Start > search for Bluetooth >Change Bluetooth Settings > check Allow. Find This Computer >Ok.

This article explains how to enable Bluetooth on a Windows PC running Windows 10, 8.1, or 7.

How to Turn On Bluetooth in Windows 10 or Windows 8.1

Some computers offer a button or keyboard key that allows you to turn on Bluetooth with a single tap. However, if you cannot find one of these, enable Bluetooth in your computer’s settings.

Select the Start button.

Type «Bluetooth» into the search box and select Bluetooth settings from the list.

Toggle the Bluetooth switch to On.

How to Turn On Bluetooth in Windows 7

The settings to turn on Bluetooth in Windows 7 are slightly different than in newer Windows versions.

As of January 2020, Microsoft is no longer supports Windows 7. We recommend upgrading to Windows 10 to continue receiving security updates and technical support.

Select the Start button.

Type Bluetooth in the Start Search box.

Select Change Bluetooth Settings in the search results. The Bluetooth Settings dialog box opens.

Select the Allow Bluetooth Devices to Find This Computer checkbox under Discovery.

Optionally, on the same screen, select the Allow Bluetooth Devices to Connect with This Computer checkbox and the Alert Me When a New Bluetooth Device Wants to Connect checkbox under Connections. These two options streamline the connection process without additional manual steps to connect a specific device.

Select Apply and then select OK.

The Bluetooth icon appears on your taskbar or in the Hidden Icons folder to the left of the date and time on your taskbar.

After you activate Bluetooth and made your computer discoverable, connect Bluetooth headphones to your computer or pair any Bluetooth-enabled device—such as a keyboard, mouse, or speakers—to your computer.

The computer is now paired with the other device. They should automatically connect any time the two devices are within pairing range, provided Bluetooth is enabled on both.

Troubleshooting Bluetooth Issues

If you are unable to enable Bluetooth on your Windows 7 computer, or if you are not able to pair another device with your computer through Bluetooth, troubleshooting can help you find the solution.

How to Turn on Bluetooth on Windows 10 [Solved]

How to fix it if your Bluetooth won’t turn on? Here’s the real fix!

Last Updated: 1 year ago

To connect your Bluetooth device (headphones, mouse, etc.), or to transfer files from your iPhone to your PC via Bluetooth, you need to turn on Bluetooth on Windows 10 first.

How to Turn on Bluetooth on Windows 10 (and how to fix it if it won’t turn on)

In this guide you’ll learn:

How to Turn on Bluetooth on Windows 10

Normally you can turn on Bluetooth in Windows 10 in three easy steps:

1. On your keyboard, hold down the Windows logo key and press the I key to open the Settings window.
2. Click Devices.
3. Click the switch (currently set to Off ) to turn on Bluetooth. (The status will change to On .)But if you don’t see the switch and your screen looks like the below, there’s a problem with Bluetooth on your computer.

There’s no need to panic. We’re about to show you how to fix Bluetooth on your Windows 10 computer and get that switch back for you.

What to do if you can’t turn Bluetooth on in Windows 10

Here are the top three ways to fix Bluetooth issues in Windows 10. Just work your way down the list until you find the one that works for you.

Here’s how you can check if your computer support Bluetooth:

On your desktop, right-click on the Start button to select Device Manager.

In Device Manager, check to see if there’s Bluetooth section or if there’s any Bluetooth adapter located in the Network adapters section. The Bluetooth adapter could also be listed under the Other devices section due to some errors.

a) If you do find one or more Bluetooth adapters in Device Manager, your Windows 10 computer supports Bluetooth then. Move on to the solutions to continue solve your problem.

b) If you can’t find any Bluetooth adapter in Device Manager, your Windows 10 computer doesn’t support Bluetooth then. But don’t worry, a Bluetooth receiver can easily solve the problem for you.

Fix 1: Update the Bluetooth driver on your computer

Bluetooth needs the supporting hardware and software to work. When you’re sure your computer supports Bluetooth, but it’s still not working, the first thing you should do is update your Bluetooth driver.

There’re two ways you can update your Bluetooth driver: manually and automatically.

To manuall y update the driver, head to your computer manufacturer’s website and search for the most recent correct Bluetooth driver. Make sure the choose the right driver for your version of Windows (32-bit or 64-bit).

But if you don’t have the time, patience or computer skills to update your Bluetooth driver manually, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy . Driver Easy will automatically find the correct Bluetooth driver for your computer, download it, and install it correctly. Here’s how:

1. Download, install and run Driver Easy.
2. Click Scan Now. It will detect all of your computer’s driver issues (including your Bluetooth driver) in less than a minute.
3. If you have the Free version of Driver Easy, click the Update button next to the flagged Bluetooth driver to automatically download the correct driver, then you can manually install it.

But if you have the Pro version you can click Update All to automatically download and install all of the missing or outdated drivers on your computer.

(If you click the Update All button in the Free version you’ll be asked if you want to upgrade to the Pro version.)

Restart your computer.

On your keyboard, hold down the Windows logo key and press the I key to open the Settings window.

Do you see the option to switch Bluetooth on now? If you do, great. You’ve fixed the problem. But if it’s still not there, there’s something else you can try…

Fix 2: Re-enable the Bluetooth driver software in Device Manager

1. Right-click on the Start button. and select Device Manager.
2. Right-click on your Bluetooth device in the Bluetooth section, and choose Disable device. (If you’re asked to confirm, click Yes.)
3. Right-click on the device again and click Enable device.
4. On your keyboard, hold down the Windows logo key and press the I key to open the Settings window.

Is the Bluetooth switch appearing now? If it’s not, we have something else you can try…

Fix 3: Make sure the Bluetooth Support Service is running

1. Hold down the Windows logo key and press the R key to bring up the Run box.
2. Type services.msc and press Enter.
   
3. Right-click Bluetooth Support Service, then click Start. (If the Start option grayed out, then click Restart.)
4. Right-click on Bluetooth Support Service again, and this time click Properties.
5. Set its startup type to Automatic. click Apply, and then click OK.
6. Finally, hold down the Windows logo key and press the I key to bring up the Settings window, and make sure the Bluetooth option is there.

What to do if the above suggestions don’t work: Switch to ChromeOS

Windows is a very old technology. Sure, Windows 10 is relatively new, but it’s still just the latest iteration of a decades-old operating system, designed for a bygone era (pre-internet).

Now that we have the internet, fast connection speeds, free cloud storage, and endless web apps (like Gmail, Google Docs, Slack, Facebook, Dropbox and Spotify), the entire Windows way of doing things – with locally installed programs and local file storage – is totally outdated.

Why is that a problem? Because when you’re constantly installing uncontrolled third-party programs, you’re constantly opening the door to viruses and other malware. (And Windows’ insecure permission system compounds this problem.)

Plus the way Windows manages installed software and hardware has always been a problem. If your computer shuts down unexpectedly, or a program installs, uninstalls or updates incorrectly, you can get ‘registry’ corruptions. That’s why Windows PCs always slow down and become unstable over time.

Also because everything’s installed and saved locally, it doesn’t take long before you run out of disk space, and your disk gets fragmented, which makes everything even slower and more unstable.

For most people, the simplest way to solve Windows problems is to ditch Windows altogether, and switch to a faster, more reliable, more secure, easier to use and cheaper operating system…

ChromeOS feels much like Windows, but instead of installing heaps of programs to email, chat, browse the internet, write documents, do school presentations, create spreadsheets, and whatever else you normally do on a computer, you use web apps. You don’t need to install anything at all.

That means you don’t have virus and malware problems, and your computer doesn’t slow down over time, or become unstable.

And that’s just the start of the benefits…

To learn more about the benefits of ChromeOS, and to see comparison videos and demos, visit GoChromeOS.com.

Hopefully this has fixed your Bluetooth problem. Please feel free to comment below with your experiences, and to share this post with friends and colleagues, if they’re having Bluetooth troubles.