Bluetooth Not Working

Bluetooth not working on a PC usually shows up in one of three ways: the Bluetooth switch is missing from Windows, a device will not pair, or it pairs and then drops or plays no sound. The fixes that work most often are turning airplane mode off, switching Bluetooth off and on, and removing the device and pairing it again. To find out whether the adapter works at all, open the bluetooth test in Chrome or Edge. It reports whether your browser can see a Bluetooth adapter and lists nearby Bluetooth Low Energy devices. The sections below cover Windows 11 and 10, Mac, iPhone, Android and cars.

Quick checks

• Airplane mode off. Open quick settings from the network, sound or battery icon on the taskbar and make sure Airplane mode is off.
• Bluetooth off and on. In the same panel, turn Bluetooth off, wait a few seconds, and turn it on again.
• The device itself. It needs charge, it needs to be on, and it must be in pairing mode, usually shown by a fast blinking light. Many headphones and speakers connect to one source at a time, so disconnect them from your phone.
• A full restart. Choose Restart rather than Shut down, because a restart always reloads drivers.

The Bluetooth switch is missing

When Windows 11 shows no Bluetooth switch in Settings, Bluetooth & devices, or Windows 10 has none in Devices, Bluetooth & other devices, Windows has lost the adapter.

1. Full shutdown. Hold Shift while you select Shut down, wait 30 seconds and turn the PC on. Fast Startup otherwise saves the adapter's broken state and restores it.
2. Device Manager. Right-click Start, open Device Manager and expand Bluetooth. An adapter with a down arrow is disabled: right-click it and choose Enable device. If the category is missing, select View, Show hidden devices.
3. Drain the power. On a laptop, shut down, unplug the charger, hold the power button for 15 seconds, then start it again. This resets the wireless card, which on most laptops handles Wi-Fi and Bluetooth together.
4. BIOS. Some BIOS menus can switch off Bluetooth or the whole wireless card. Check it is enabled, especially after a BIOS update or reset.
5. The driver. If Wi-Fi works but Bluetooth vanished, the card's Bluetooth driver is missing. Install it from your PC maker's support page. It is usually named after Intel, Realtek, MediaTek or Qualcomm.

To stop Fast Startup bringing the problem back, open Control Panel, Power Options, Choose what the power buttons do, select Change settings that are currently unavailable and untick Turn on fast startup.

Many desktops have no Bluetooth at all. A USB Bluetooth adapter adds it. Plug it into a rear port and, if the signal is weak, use a short USB extension cable to bring it up onto the desk.

A device will not pair

1. Put the device in pairing mode. On most headphones you hold the power or Bluetooth button until the light blinks fast. Check the maker's manual if it does not.
2. Windows 11: open Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Add device, then Bluetooth. Windows 10: Settings, Devices, Bluetooth & other devices, Add Bluetooth or other device.
3. If the device does not appear, select Show all devices when it shows in the Add a device window, because Windows hides uncommon device types at first. On Windows 11 versions before 24H2, set Bluetooth devices discovery to Advanced in Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Devices instead.
4. If it was paired before, remove it first: in Devices, open the three dot menu next to it and choose Remove device. Remove it from other phones and computers nearby too, so they stop grabbing it.
5. Run Microsoft's guided check: Settings, System, Troubleshoot, Other troubleshooters, then Run next to Bluetooth.

Controllers, mice and keyboards have their own pairing buttons and quirks, covered in controller not connecting to pc and mouse not working on pc.

Paired, but it drops out or stutters

• Distance and bodies. Bluetooth is short range and your body blocks it, so a phone in a back pocket or a laptop behind you can cut out. Stay within a few meters with a clear line.
• Interference. Microsoft warns that USB 3 ports, drives and hubs disturb Bluetooth. Move them away from the adapter or the side of the laptop with the antenna. A router on 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi nearby competes too.
• Power saving. In Device Manager, open the Bluetooth adapter's Properties, then Power Management, and untick Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.
• Too much at once. Headphones plus two controllers plus a mouse on one adapter can stutter. Windows uses only one Bluetooth adapter at a time, so connect fewer devices, or use the USB receiver that came with a mouse or controller where it has one.
• Low battery. A nearly flat device often drops its connection before it shuts off.

If wireless audio lags behind the picture, the bluetooth audio latency test measures the delay in milliseconds.

Connected, but no sound

Headphones and speakers can be connected and still silent.

1. Choose them in the output menu: the speaker icon on the taskbar, then the arrow next to the volume slider.
2. In Settings, Bluetooth & devices, they should show Connected music or Connected voice, music. If they show only Paired, select Connect.
3. Open Services by pressing Windows + R and typing services.msc. Check that Bluetooth Support Service is running. If not, start it and set its startup type to Automatic.
4. Remove the device and pair it again.

Sound that turns thin and mono when a call starts is the headset's hands-free mode, explained in headphones not working. AirPods have their own reset steps in airpods not connecting.

Update, roll back or reinstall the driver

1. In Device Manager, expand Bluetooth and right-click the adapter.
2. Choose Update driver, then Search automatically for drivers. If Windows finds nothing, download the driver from your PC maker or the adapter maker.
3. If Bluetooth broke after an update, open Properties, the Driver tab, and select Roll Back Driver.
4. If that fails, choose Uninstall device, shut the PC down, wait a few seconds and turn it on. Windows reinstalls the adapter. If not, use Action, Scan for hardware changes.

Windows Update also offers drivers under Advanced options, Optional updates. Microsoft's guide to Bluetooth problems in Windows lists the same steps.

Bluetooth on a Mac

1. Open System Settings, Bluetooth, and turn Bluetooth off and on.
2. Click the Info button next to the device, choose Forget This Device, put the device in pairing mode and click Connect under Nearby Devices.
3. Restart the Mac. For Bluetooth alone, you can type sudo pkill bluetoothd in Terminal and enter your password: macOS restarts the Bluetooth service at once and connected devices drop for a moment.
4. Move USB 3 hubs and drives away from the Mac. Apple, like Microsoft, notes they interfere with 2.4 GHz wireless.

Bluetooth on iPhone and Android

iPhone. Turn Bluetooth on in Settings, Bluetooth. The Control Center button only disconnects accessories until the next day. Tap the Info button next to the device, Forget This Device, and pair again. As a last step, Settings, General, Transfer or Reset iPhone, Reset, Reset Network Settings clears all Bluetooth pairings and saved Wi-Fi passwords.

Samsung Galaxy. Open Settings, General management, Reset, Reset Wi-Fi and Bluetooth settings, then tap Reset settings. Samsung warns there is no further confirmation: pairings and saved Wi-Fi networks are cleared at once. Pixel phones have a similar reset under Settings, System, Reset options.

Bluetooth not working in the car

1. Delete the phone from the car's device list, and the car from the phone's Bluetooth list.
2. Pair again from the car's menu while parked, and accept the prompts for calls and contacts on the phone.
3. Many cars store only a few phones. Delete old ones you no longer use.
4. If it still fails, turn the car off, open and close the door so the screen shuts down fully, wait a minute and start again. Car makers release infotainment updates through their apps or dealers.

When it is a hardware fault

If the adapter is missing from Device Manager even after the BIOS check, a full power drain and the maker's driver, the wireless card or its antenna cables have failed. On many laptops the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth card is a small replaceable module, while on thin models it is soldered to the board. Check the warranty with your serial number before paying for a repair. On a desktop, a USB Bluetooth adapter is the simple fix.

If one device fails with every phone and computer you try, the device is faulty, not your Bluetooth. A keyboard that will not pair anywhere, for example, belongs with keyboard not working and its maker's warranty.

Bluetooth questions