- Pair a Bluetooth device in Windows
- Turn on Bluetooth
- To pair a Bluetooth device
- To pair a Bluetooth printer or scanner
- To pair a Bluetooth device using Swift Pair
- Turn on Bluetooth
- To pair a Bluetooth headset, speaker, or other audio device
- To pair a Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, or other device
- To pair a Bluetooth printer or scanner
- To pair a Bluetooth device using Swift Pair
- Related topics
- How to turn on Bluetooth on Windows 7 [Solved]
- How to turn on Bluetooth on Windows 7 easily
- What to do if you can’t turn on Bluetooth on Windows 7
- Fix 1: Update your Bluetooth driver
- Fix 2: Re-enable the Bluetooth driver software in Device Manager
- Fix 3: Make sure the Bluetooth Support Service is running
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
- 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.
- On your PC, select the Network , Sound, or Battery icons ( ) next to the time and date on the right side of your taskbar.
- Select Manage Bluetooth devices on the Bluetooth quick setting, then select your device under New devices.
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
- 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 >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.
- 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.
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
- 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.
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.
Related topics
How to turn on Bluetooth on Windows 7 [Solved]
If you’re using Windows 7 and want to connect you computer with your wireless keyboard, mouse or headset, or to transfer files from your smart phone to your computer through Bluetooth, you need to first turn on Bluetooth on Windows 7. This article will show you how to do it. You’ll learn:
How to turn on Bluetooth on Windows 7 easily
Normally you can turn on Bluetooth on Windows 7 by taking these easy steps:
- Click the Start button in the lower-left corner of your screen.
- Type bluetooth settings in the search box, then select Change Bluetooth settings from the results.
- Make sure you check the boxes as the screenshot shown below, then click OK.
- Click the little triangle icon on the bottom-right part of your screen, and you’ll see the Bluetooth icon; it means you’ve turned on Bluetooth in your Windows 7. Congratulations!
But if you don’t see the Bluetooth icon in the system tray, don’ worry, you can try the methods below to solve the problem.
What to do if you can’t turn on Bluetooth on Windows 7
Here are the top 3 ways to fix Bluetooth issues on Windows 7. Just work your way down the list until you find the one that works for you.
Fix 1: Update your Bluetooth driver
Bluetooth needs the supporting hardware and software to work. When you’re sure your computer is Bluetooth capable but you somehow can’t use it, the most likely cause is a Bluetooth driver problem.
Fortunately, this is also the easiest problems to fix.
There are two ways to update your Bluetooth driver — manually or automatically.
Update your Bluetooth driver manually — You can update your Bluetooth driver manually by going to the hardware manufacturer’s website, and searching for the latest driver for your Bluetooth. But if you take this approach, be sure to choose the driver that’s compatible with the exact model number of your hardware, and your version of Windows.
Update your Bluetooth driver automatically — If you don’t have the time, patience or skills to update your driver manually, you can, instead, do it automatically with Driver Easy. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to risk downloading and installing the wrong driver, and you don’t need to worry about making a mistake when installing. Driver Easy handles it all.
- Download and install Driver Easy.
- Run Driver Easy and click Scan Now. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
- Click Update next to any flagged devices to automatically download the correct version of their drivers, then you can install them manually. Or click Update All to automatically download and install them all automatically. (This requires the Pro version — you’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All. You get full support and a 30-day money back guarantee. )
- Restart your computer and check if you can turn on Bluetooth now. If you can’t, contact Driver Easy’s support team at support@drivereasy.com for further assistance. They’d be happy to help you. Or you can move on to Fix 2, below.
Fix 2: Re-enable the Bluetooth driver software in Device Manager
- Click the Start button, type device manager in the search box, and select the matching result.
- Expand the Bluetooth Radios category. You’ll see the Bluetooth hardware listed there.
If you don’t see the «Bluetooth Radios» category, find your Bluetooth adapter in the “Network adapters” category. It normally contains your network card that you use to connect to wireless or wired networks.
If there is a yellow exclamation mark on the Bluetooth icon, you need to install the proper driver before the Bluetooth will work. See How to install or update the latest Bluetooth driver as mentioned in Fix 1.
3) Right-click on your Bluetooth device and select Disable.
4) Right-click on your device again, then click Enable.
5) Click Show hidden icons .
Can you see the Bluetooth icon now? If you do, congratulations. You’ve fixed the problem. But if it’s still not there, try Fix 3, below.
Fix 3: Make sure the Bluetooth Support Service is running
- Type services in the Start Search, then select Services to access the Windows Services Manager.
- In the list find Bluetooth Support Service, right-click on it and select Start. (If the Start option grayed out, then click Restart.)
- Right-click Bluetooth Support Service again, and this time select Properties.
- Set the startup type to Automatic. Click Apply, then click OK.
- Now check if you find the Bluetooth icon in the Notification Area.
Hopefully this can help you out.
You’re, as always, more than welcome to leave a comment below to share your results or any other suggestions.