Bluetooth phone for laptop

How to Pair Your Laptop to a Bluetooth Device

Former Lifewire writer Melanie Uy has 5+ years’ experience writing about consumer-oriented technology and is an expert telecommuter.

Jessica Kormos is a writer and editor with 15 years’ experience writing articles, copy, and UX content for Tecca.com, Rosenfeld Media, and many others.

What to Know

• Enable Bluetooth on the device, then go to your computer’s Bluetooth settings and choose to set up a new device.
• If prompted for a PIN code, confirm the number on both devices. If you don’t know the PIN, try 0000 or 1234, or consult the manual.
• Use Bluetooth to share your phone’s internet connection, transfer files between devices, or play music through another device.

This article explains how to pair your laptop with a Bluetooth device. Steps may vary depending on the device.

How to Connect a Bluetooth Laptop to Other Devices

There are many kinds of Bluetooth devices and these steps are only relevant to some. Consult the user manual for the device or the manufacturer website for specific instructions. For example, the steps to pair a Bluetooth surround sound system to a laptop are not the same as pairing headphones, which isn’t the same as pairing a smartphone.

1. Activate the Bluetooth function on the mobile device to make it discoverable or visible. If the device has a screen, look for Bluetooth in the Settings menu. Other devices have a special button.

On the computer, access the Bluetooth settings and choose to make a new connection or set up a new device. For example, on Windows, either right-click the Bluetooth icon in the notification area or go to the Control Panel to find the Hardware and Sound >Devices and Printers page.

When the device appears in the list of Bluetooth and other devices, select it to connect (pair) it to the laptop.

If you don’t know the PIN, try 0000 or 1234. If those don’t work, search for the device manual online to find the Bluetooth code.

Most modern wireless devices include Bluetooth support, but if your laptop doesn’t, you might need to buy a Bluetooth adapter.

Tips

Follow these tips to get better performance from your Bluetooth connection:

• If setting up the connection from the PC doesn’t work, initiate it from the device, for example, hold down the Connect button or find the option in the software settings for the device.
• Some devices that don’t have many buttons or options might connect to any laptop that’s listening. For instance, you might be able to find the device through the laptop and click to connect, and the device will indicate it’s connected without requiring a passcode of any kind. This is true for most headphones.
• Turn off Bluetooth when you’re not using it, to prevent battery drain.

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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 needs 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 11 PC supports Bluetooth. For more info on how to check, see Fix Bluetooth problems in Windows. If you need help adding a device without Bluetooth capabilities, see Add a device to a Windows PC.

Turn on Bluetooth

After you’ve checked that your Windows 11 PC supports Bluetooth, you’ll need to turn it on. Here’s how:

• In Settings: Select Start >Settings >Bluetooth & devices , and then turn on Bluetooth .
• In quick settings: To find the quick setting for Bluetooth, select the Network, Sound, or Battery icons ( ) next to the time and date on the right side of your taskbar. Select Bluetooth to turn it on. If it’s turned on without any Bluetooth devices connected, it might appear as Not connected .

To pair a Bluetooth device

1. 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.
2. On your PC, select the Network , Sound, or Battery icons ( ) next to the time and date on the right side of your taskbar.
3. Select Manage Bluetooth devices on the Bluetooth quick setting, then select your device under New devices.

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.

Tip: If you don’t see the Bluetooth device you want displayed in the list, you may need to set the Bluetooth devices discovery setting to Advanced. To learn how, see Fix Bluetooth problems in Windows.

To pair a Bluetooth printer or scanner

1. 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.
2. Select Start >Settings >Bluetooth & devices >Printers & scanners >Add device. Wait for it to find nearby printers, choose the one you want to use, then select Add device.

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

To pair a Bluetooth device using Swift Pair

Swift Pair in Windows 11 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.

1. 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.
2. If this is your first time using Swift Pair, select Yes when asked if you want to get notifications and use Swift Pair.
3. When a notification appears that a new Bluetooth device was found, select Connect.

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:

In Settings: 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

1. 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.
2. 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

1. 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.
2. 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

1. 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.
2. 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.

1. 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.
2. If this is your first time using Swift Pair, select Yes when asked if you want to get notifications and use Swift Pair.
3. When a notification appears that a new Bluetooth device was found, select Connect.
4. After it’s connected, select Close.

Tip: If you’re a small business owner looking for more information on how to get Microsoft 365 set up, visit Small business help & learning.

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How to connect phone to laptop?

This article will show you how to connect a phone with a computer via Bluetooth. Once paired, the devices can share information — such as photos, videos, or files — between one another with no need for a network connection.

How to use Bluetooth to pair devices?

The location of the Bluetooth capability can vary between phones, but in most cases, enabling the feature can be done in your phone’s Settings. Android users can turn on Bluetooth by heading to Settings > Wireless & networks > Bluetooth and turning the feature ON. iPhone users can find the Bluetooth feature by going to Settings > Bluetooth and flipping the switch ON.

Once Bluetooth is enabled, it will be visible to other devices with Bluetooth capabilities.

Most recent notebook models come with Bluetooth enabled, but users do have the option of disabling the option if they choose. Check your system settings to disable the feature.

Once Bluetooth is enabled on both devices concerned, it is time to establish the connection.

• Click the Bluetooth icon (represented by two right-facing arrows with a small tail) to display available devices.
• Then, select the device with which you’d like to pair your device.
• The devices will begin the pairing process. You will know when they have «found» each other when the «host» device is prompted for a password.
• Create a password (or use the one given), and insert the password into the prompt on the other device.

Once the devices have paired, you will be able to send files between them.

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