PC Bluetooth Not Working: Fix It in Order

Short answer

• Work in this order: check that Bluetooth is on and airplane mode is off, check the device itself (pairing mode, battery, distance), remove and re-pair the device, run the Windows Bluetooth troubleshooter, restart the Bluetooth Support Service, check the power saving settings, then check Windows updates and drivers. Many PC Bluetooth failures are fixed by one of the first four steps.
• If the Bluetooth toggle is missing or grayed out in Settings, you have a different problem from a device that will not pair. A missing toggle usually means Windows cannot see the Bluetooth hardware at all, and the fix runs through a full shutdown, a driver check, and a firmware check, not through pairing steps.
• If your PC shows a Bluetooth radio driver error in Device Manager, stop here and use our companion guide to [fixing the Bluetooth radio driver error](/technology/bluetooth-radio-driver-error/). That guide covers the driver error in full, and this article keeps driver work to one short section so the two guides do not repeat each other. That guide is a Wave 113 sibling article, so confirm it is live before relying on the link at build time.
• Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology that runs in the crowded 2.4 GHz band, so distance, walls, and other wireless devices all matter. Keep the device within a few meters of the PC with a clear path between them while you test, and only move it farther away once the connection works.
• Restart the PC before you change any driver or service setting. Microsoft lists a restart as a fix in its own right on its Bluetooth support pages, and it clears the temporary faults that cause a surprising share of Bluetooth failures.

What “PC Bluetooth Not Working” Usually Means

“PC Bluetooth not working” covers at least five different failures, and each one has a different fix. Bluetooth may be missing entirely, with no toggle in Settings and no Bluetooth entry in Device Manager. The toggle may be present but will not turn on. Bluetooth may be on but find no devices. A device may appear in the list but refuse to pair or connect. Or a device may connect and then keep dropping. Treating all of these as one problem is how people end up reinstalling drivers for a headset that only needed to be put into pairing mode.

This guide works through the causes from the simplest checks down to the hardware, reordering Microsoft’s steps to put the quickest manual checks first. The steps were checked against Microsoft Support on 12 November 2026, and where a step names a menu, the name given is the one current on that date. Windows 11 and Windows 10 put Bluetooth in different places, so both paths are given where they differ. If a menu has moved since then, look for the same words under Settings rather than assuming the step no longer applies.

Two things this guide does not cover in full. It does not cover the specific Bluetooth radio driver error, which has its own guide, linked in the Short Answer above. And it does not cover Bluetooth on a Mac or a Chromebook, which use different settings and different troubleshooting steps. This guide is for a Windows PC.

Bluetooth has been connecting devices without cables since the late 1990s, and our history of when Bluetooth came out explains how the standard developed from a cable replacement into the wireless link used by headphones, mice, keyboards, speakers, and game controllers today. The troubleshooting below does not need that history, but it helps to know one fact from it: Bluetooth was designed as a short-range link between devices close together, not as a room-scale network, and most failures come from forgetting that.

1. Diagnose the Failure Before You Fix Anything

Spend two minutes on diagnosis before changing anything. The symptom tells you where to start, and starting in the right place saves the most time.

First, note exactly what happens. Is the Bluetooth toggle missing, or present but stuck off? Does the PC find the device and fail to pair, or does it find nothing at all? Does the device connect and then drop after a few minutes? Each answer points to a different section: a missing toggle points to section 9, a device that will not pair points to sections 3 and 4, and a connection that keeps dropping points to section 7.

Second, test with a second device if you have one. Try pairing a different Bluetooth device, such as a phone or a different headset, to the same PC. If the second device pairs without trouble, the fault is in the first device, not in the PC. If no device pairs, the fault is in the PC. The same test works in reverse: try pairing the problem device to a phone. If it pairs to the phone, the PC is the problem. If it pairs to nothing, the device itself is the problem, and no PC setting will fix it.

Third, check whether the problem started after a change. Did you install a Windows update, update a driver, add a new USB device, move the PC, or rearrange the desk? Bluetooth that worked yesterday and fails today after a Windows update points at a driver or update problem, covered in sections 8 and 9. Bluetooth that fails after you moved the PC to the other side of the room points at range or interference, covered in section 3. Note the change before you start fixing, because it tells you which section to read first.

2. Check the Toggles: Bluetooth On, Airplane Mode Off

Most Bluetooth failures that look serious turn out to be a switch in the wrong position, so check the switches first.

Start with the Bluetooth toggle itself. In Windows 11, press Windows key + A to open Quick Settings and look for the Bluetooth tile, or go to Start, then Settings, then Bluetooth and devices, and check that the Bluetooth toggle is on. In Windows 10, go to Start, then Settings, then Devices, then Bluetooth and other devices. If the toggle is off, turn it on and try pairing again. If the toggle is missing or grayed out, skip the rest of this section and go to section 9, because a missing toggle means Windows cannot see the hardware.

Next, check airplane mode. Airplane mode turns off Bluetooth along with Wi-Fi and mobile data, and it is easy to turn on by accident, through a keyboard shortcut, a Quick Settings tile, or a function key. Microsoft’s own page on Bluetooth that has disappeared lists checking airplane mode as one of its five fixes, and its wording is blunt: airplane mode can disable Bluetooth, so make sure it is turned off. Press Windows key + A to open Quick Settings and check that the Airplane mode tile is off. If airplane mode is on, turn it off, then turn Bluetooth back on, because Bluetooth does not always switch itself back on when airplane mode ends.

Some laptops also have a physical switch or a function key that controls the wireless radio. Look for a switch on the side or front edge of the laptop, or a key with a wireless or airplane symbol, often on the F row and used together with the Fn key. The symbol and the key differ by maker, so check the laptop manual if you cannot find it. If your laptop has one of these switches and it is off, no setting in Windows will turn Bluetooth on until the switch is back on. Desktop PCs do not usually have this switch, but some have a Bluetooth button on the case or a wireless antenna that must be attached, which is covered in section 9.

If Bluetooth turns on but the toggle switches itself back off, or turns off again after a restart, the cause is usually a driver or a power setting rather than the toggle itself. Note the behavior and move on to sections 7 and 8 rather than tapping the toggle repeatedly.

3. Check the Device: Pairing Mode, Battery, Range, and Interference

If Bluetooth is on and the PC still cannot see or connect to the device, the device itself is the next suspect. Microsoft’s troubleshooting page lists four device-side causes before it touches the PC at all: the device is not in pairing mode, it is out of range, its battery is low, or it has a driver, service, or update problem.

Put the device in pairing mode

A Bluetooth device does not announce itself to every PC nearby. It must be put into pairing mode first, usually by pressing and holding a button until a light flashes, or for earbuds, by opening the case and holding the pairing button. The exact step differs by device, and the device manual gives it. Check the manual rather than guessing, because the same button that turns the device on often needs a longer press to enter pairing mode.

Also check that the device is not already connected to something else. Many headsets, speakers, and mice connect to only one device at a time, and some remember the last device they paired with and reconnect to it automatically. If your headset paired with your phone yesterday, it may be connecting to the phone in your pocket instead of the PC on your desk. Turn off Bluetooth on the phone, or remove the device from the phone’s paired list, then put the device in pairing mode again and try the PC. Pairing a phone to a car stereo follows the same one-device-at-a-time logic, and our guide to how to connect your phone to your car walks through the same pairing steps in a different setting.

Charge the device

Microsoft lists a low battery as a direct cause of pairing failure, and its advice is simple: charge the device fully, turn it off and back on, then try pairing again. Some Bluetooth devices do not enter pairing mode at all when the battery is low, and some connect and then drop as soon as the battery dips. For rechargeable headphones or speakers, Microsoft suggests leaving the device connected to power during pairing. If a device has been sitting unused for months, charge it for at least 30 minutes before concluding that it is broken.

Move the device closer and clear the path

Bluetooth is a short-range technology. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group, which maintains the standard, specifies that Bluetooth radios operate in the 2.4 GHz band, and its specification divides devices into power classes: Class 1 devices may transmit at up to 100 milliwatts, Class 2 at up to 2.5 milliwatts, and Class 3 at up to 1 milliwatt. Most PC adapters and peripherals are low-power devices, which is why the practical range is a few meters rather than the length of a house. Microsoft’s advice matches this: put the device in pairing mode, keep it within range of the PC, and move it closer to ensure a stable signal.

For testing, put the device on the desk next to the PC with nothing between them, and try pairing there. If it pairs at close range, move it back to its normal spot step by step and see where the connection fails. Walls, metal desk legs, and a PC case sitting under a desk all weaken the signal, and a desktop PC with its Bluetooth antenna at the back of the case, facing a wall, can have a much shorter effective range than the same PC with the antenna facing the room.

Reduce interference on the 2.4 GHz band

Bluetooth shares the 2.4 GHz band with Wi-Fi routers, wireless keyboards and mice, microwave ovens, and other Bluetooth devices, and the Bluetooth specification uses frequency hopping specifically to cope with interference and fading on that crowded band. In a home with many wireless devices, interference is a real cause of pairing failures and dropped connections, not a rare one.

Three practical steps help. First, move the Bluetooth device away from other wireless devices, and away from USB 3.0 ports and hubs if you use a USB Bluetooth adapter, because some PC makers report that USB 3.0 connections can interfere with 2.4 GHz signals. Second, if your Wi-Fi router sits next to the PC, try moving the router or the PC a little farther apart, or switch the PC to the router’s 5 GHz network if it has one, which takes the Wi-Fi traffic off the band Bluetooth uses. A phone sharing its connection as a hotspot adds to the same 2.4 GHz traffic; our guide to what is a hotspot explains how that sharing works. Third, turn off Bluetooth on nearby devices you are not using, so the PC is not competing with a dozen radios at once. If the connection works at night when fewer devices are active and fails during the day, interference is the likely cause.

Note the device type

Some devices use Bluetooth Low Energy rather than classic Bluetooth, and the two behave differently during pairing. Low-energy devices, such as fitness trackers, sensors, and some newer accessories, are designed to use very little power and may not appear in the PC’s device list in the same way as a headset. Our guide to Bluetooth Low Energy beacons explains how the low-energy variant works and where it is used. If a low-energy device will not pair, check the maker’s instructions first, because some of these devices pair through their own app rather than through Windows Settings.

4. Remove the Device and Pair It Again

If the device appears in the Bluetooth list but will not connect, or connects and then fails, the stored pairing record may be corrupt. Microsoft’s fix for this is to remove the device and add it again, which deletes the pairing record Windows keeps for that one device and starts fresh.

In Windows 11, go to Start, then Settings, then Bluetooth and devices, and find the device in the list. Select More options, the three dots next to the device, then Remove device. In Windows 10, go to Start, then Settings, then Devices, then Bluetooth and other devices, select the device, and choose Remove device. Then select Add device and choose the device from the list, with the device in pairing mode.

Removing and re-pairing is different from uninstalling the Bluetooth adapter, which is a much bigger step covered in section 8. Removing a device only deletes one pairing record. It does not touch drivers, services, or other devices. If you have several devices that will not connect, remove and re-pair them one at a time, testing each one before moving to the next, so you can tell which device was the problem.

If the device will not remove, or reappears in the list immediately after removal, restart the PC and try again. A stuck pairing record usually clears after a restart. If the device pairs successfully after removal but fails again after the next restart, the cause is more likely a power setting or a driver, covered in sections 7 and 8.

5. Run the Windows Bluetooth Troubleshooter

Microsoft puts it first on its not-connecting and keeps-disconnecting pages, and lists it among the fixes on its disappeared-Bluetooth page. Run it before you change any driver or service setting by hand, because it can fix the problem in a minute and it can also tell you what it found.

On a Windows 11 PC, Microsoft directs you to run the automated Bluetooth troubleshooter in the Get Help app. Open the Get Help app and search for the Bluetooth troubleshooter, then follow the steps it gives. On a Windows 10 PC, the same troubleshooter sits under Start, then Settings, then System, then Troubleshoot, then Other troubleshooters, with a Run button next to Bluetooth. Follow the prompts and let it finish before you test the connection again.

The troubleshooter checks the common causes: whether Bluetooth is on, whether the Bluetooth Support Service is running, whether the adapter is working, and whether a driver problem is present. If it reports that it fixed something, test the device straight away. If it reports that it found nothing, or that it could not fix the problem, note what it said and move on to the next sections, because a clean troubleshooter result narrows the fault to the device, the drivers, or the hardware.

Do not skip the troubleshooter because it sounds too simple. Microsoft puts it first on its not-connecting and keeps-disconnecting pages for a reason: it is the only step that checks several parts of the Bluetooth stack at once without changing anything you cannot undo.

6. Restart the Bluetooth Support Service

Bluetooth on Windows depends on background services, and if one of them has stopped, Windows cannot find new devices even though the Bluetooth switch looks fine. Microsoft’s page on Bluetooth that keeps disconnecting gives this as a standalone fix, with exact steps.

Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog, type services.msc, and press Enter or select OK. In the Services window, scroll down to Bluetooth Support Service, right-click it, and select Restart. If the service is stopped rather than running, right-click it and select Start instead. Then try pairing the device again.

While the Services window is open, check the Startup type for the Bluetooth Support Service. Right-click it, select Properties, and look at Startup type on the General tab. If it is set to Disabled, change it to Automatic, select Apply, then select OK. A service set to Disabled will not start when Windows starts, and Bluetooth will fail after every restart until the setting is corrected. Microsoft’s community support staff give the same check for the Bluetooth Audio Gateway Service and the Bluetooth User Support Service, which handle audio devices and pairing support: both should be running, and both should be set to start automatically. If you use Bluetooth headphones or speakers and they pair but produce no sound, a stopped audio gateway service is a common cause.

If the service restarts and Bluetooth works, but the service stops again after the next restart, a third-party program may be changing your services. PC cleaning and optimization tools sometimes stop services they consider unnecessary, and some antivirus tools block Bluetooth services. Check any such tool’s settings, or remove it temporarily and test again.

7. Stop Windows From Turning Bluetooth Off to Save Power

Windows tries to save power by switching off hardware it thinks is idle, and Bluetooth is one of the things it switches off. Microsoft lists power saving as a common cause of Bluetooth that connects and then drops, or that works after a restart and fails later. Two settings control this, and both are worth checking.

Turn off Energy Saver while you test

On a laptop, Windows Energy Saver mode reduces power use by limiting background activity, and Microsoft’s disconnecting page lists turning it off as a fix for Bluetooth that keeps dropping. Select the battery icon on the taskbar and check whether Energy Saver is on. If it is, turn it off and test the Bluetooth connection again. If Bluetooth works with Energy Saver off, you have found the cause, and you can decide whether to leave Energy Saver off or to keep it on and accept that Bluetooth may drop when the battery is low.

Stop Windows from switching off the Bluetooth adapter

The more specific setting sits in Device Manager. Select Start, type Device Manager, and select it from the search results. In Device Manager, expand Bluetooth, right-click your Bluetooth adapter, and select Properties. Open the Power Management tab and uncheck the box labelled “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power”, then select OK. Microsoft gives this as a standalone fix on its disconnecting page, and its effect is direct: Windows will no longer suspend the radio to save power, so a connection that dropped when the PC went idle should stay up.

This setting matters most on laptops, which manage power aggressively, and on desktop PCs that go to sleep. If Bluetooth fails after the PC wakes from sleep, and works again after a restart, this setting is the first thing to check. Note that the Power Management tab does not appear for every adapter, and if your adapter has no such tab, the setting does not apply to your hardware and you should move on.

Check the battery saver on the device as well

The device has its own power saving to consider. Some wireless mice and keyboards go to sleep after a few minutes of no use and take a second or two to wake, which can look like a dropped connection. This is normal behavior for the device, not a fault, and moving the mouse or pressing a key wakes it. If a device disconnects every time it sits idle for a few minutes, check the device manual for a power saving setting before assuming the PC is at fault.

8. Check Windows Updates and Firmware

If the quick checks, the troubleshooter, the service restart, and the power settings have not fixed Bluetooth, the fault may be in Windows itself or in the PC firmware. Microsoft lists Windows updates as a fix on its not-connecting page, and optional firmware updates as a fix on its disappeared-Bluetooth page.

Start with Windows Update. Go to Start, then Settings, then Windows Update, and select Check for updates. Let Windows download and install any available updates, then restart the PC and test Bluetooth again. Microsoft’s not-connecting page gives this as its sixth solution, after the device checks and before the final restart, and its reason is practical: updates include fixes for wireless connectivity, and a Bluetooth problem that began after an update can also be fixed by the next update.

Next, check for optional updates from the PC maker. Go to Start, then Settings, then Windows Update, then Advanced options, then Optional updates. If the PC maker has supplied a BIOS or UEFI update, a firmware update, or a driver update through this channel, install it and restart when asked. Microsoft’s disappeared-Bluetooth page lists this as its third solution and notes that firmware problems can cause Bluetooth issues, and that the PC maker may supply optional BIOS or UEFI updates that improve hardware stability and help the system recover from unresponsive Bluetooth devices. If no optional updates are listed, visit the PC maker’s support website and check for newer BIOS, UEFI, or firmware updates for your exact model.

Do not install a BIOS or UEFI update casually. Read the maker’s notes for the update first, and only install it if the notes mention Bluetooth, wireless, or stability fixes for your model. A BIOS update that is interrupted can leave a PC unable to start, so follow the maker’s instructions exactly and do not turn the PC off while it runs.

If Bluetooth stopped working immediately after a Windows update, and the steps above do not fix it, check whether the update itself is the cause. Look in Windows Update history for the date the problem started, and search the PC maker’s support site for a note about that update and your model. Rolling back an update is a last resort and is covered in the driver guide linked in the next section, not here, because it touches drivers and system files together.

9. Drivers: One Short Section, Then the Companion Guide

Drivers are the most common cause of Bluetooth that will not turn on at all, and they are also the most likely place for a fix to go wrong, so this section is deliberately short. The full driver guide is separate.

The quick driver check

If the Bluetooth toggle is missing, or Device Manager shows the Bluetooth adapter with a warning icon, the driver is the likely cause. Right-click Start, select Device Manager, expand Bluetooth, and look at the adapter entry. If the adapter is listed with a warning icon, right-click it and select Update driver, then Search automatically for drivers, and follow the on-screen instructions. If Windows finds a newer driver, install it and restart the PC when asked. Microsoft’s disappeared-Bluetooth page gives exactly this sequence as its second solution, and its disconnecting page gives the same step as its fifth.

If Windows says the best driver is already installed, but Bluetooth still does not work, do not download a driver from a random website. Get the driver from the PC maker’s support site, for your exact model, or from the maker of the Bluetooth chip, such as Intel, Qualcomm, or Realtek. A wrong driver can make Bluetooth worse, and a driver from an untrusted site can carry malware. If the PC maker’s site lists a Bluetooth driver newer than the one Windows installed, download it from there and install it following the maker’s instructions.

When the driver itself reports an error

If Device Manager shows an error on the Bluetooth adapter, or the adapter entry is named “Bluetooth Radio” with an error code, the problem is the specific driver error our companion guide covers. Our guide to fixing the Bluetooth radio driver error walks through that error in full: what the error codes mean, how to remove and reinstall the driver cleanly, and when the fault is the driver rather than the hardware. That guide is a Wave 113 sibling article, so confirm it is live before relying on the link at build time. Do not try to follow both guides at once: finish the steps in this article first, then work through the driver guide if the error points that way.

What not to do with drivers

Do not uninstall the Bluetooth adapter in Device Manager unless a guide for your exact error tells you to. Uninstalling the adapter removes the driver, and if Windows cannot reinstall it automatically on restart, Bluetooth will be gone entirely rather than merely broken. Do not use a third-party driver updater tool. These tools install drivers from their own databases, which may not match your hardware, and Microsoft’s own guidance is to get drivers from Windows Update or the PC maker. If you have already used a driver updater and Bluetooth broke afterwards, undo its changes if the tool offers that option, then install the driver from the PC maker’s site.

10. Hardware Checks: Does the PC Have Bluetooth, and Is It Working?

If no software step has fixed Bluetooth, check the hardware itself. Some PCs have no Bluetooth hardware at all, and no setting or driver will create it.

Check whether the PC has Bluetooth

In Device Manager, look for a Bluetooth category. If there is no Bluetooth category at all, the PC may have no Bluetooth hardware, or the hardware may be disabled. Microsoft’s guidance is direct: some devices do not have Bluetooth, and the product specifications are the check. Look up the PC or motherboard model on the maker’s website and check the specifications for Bluetooth. Many desktop PCs, especially cheaper models and custom builds, ship without Bluetooth, and some laptops have a Wi-Fi card without a Bluetooth radio. If the specifications say the PC has no Bluetooth, the fix is a USB Bluetooth adapter, covered below.

Also check the BIOS or UEFI settings. Some PCs let you disable Bluetooth in the BIOS, and if it is disabled there, Windows will not see it at all. Restart the PC, enter the BIOS or UEFI setup using the key shown on the startup screen, and look for a Bluetooth or wireless setting. If Bluetooth is disabled, enable it, save, and start Windows again. The exact menu differs by maker, so check the PC manual if you cannot find it.

The full shutdown that is not a restart

Microsoft’s first fix for Bluetooth that has disappeared is not a restart. It is a full shutdown done in a specific way. Hold the Shift key, select Start, then Power, then Shut down, while still holding Shift. Once the PC turns off, wait one minute, then turn it back on and check whether Bluetooth is back. Microsoft’s note on this step matters: select Shut down, not Restart, because only a full shutdown completely powers off the PC and the Bluetooth hardware. A normal restart leaves some hardware powered, and a Bluetooth radio that has locked up can stay locked up through a restart. This step is free, takes two minutes, and fixes a surprising share of missing-Bluetooth cases, so try it before you spend money on an adapter.

Antennas and USB adapters

Desktop PCs with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth often have an antenna that screws into the back of the case. If the antenna is missing, loose, or not attached, Bluetooth range can drop to almost nothing, and the PC may fail to find any device. Check that the antenna is attached firmly, and that it is positioned upright rather than lying flat behind the case. If the PC came with an antenna and it is lost, the maker sells replacements, and a replacement antenna costs far less than a new adapter.

If the PC has no Bluetooth hardware, or the built-in adapter has failed, a USB Bluetooth adapter is the practical fix. Buy one from a known maker, plug it into a USB port, and let Windows install its driver. Prefer a USB port on the front of the PC or on a short extension cable, away from USB 3.0 ports and other wireless devices, for the interference reasons given in section 3. Once the adapter is installed, the PC treats it as its Bluetooth radio, and the pairing steps in this guide apply to it in the same way. If the adapter works and the built-in Bluetooth does not, the built-in hardware has likely failed, and the adapter is a reasonable permanent fix rather than a repair.

11. Still Not Working

If you have worked through the sections above and Bluetooth still fails, gather the facts before contacting support, because support will ask for them. Note the PC maker and exact model, the Windows version, whether Bluetooth ever worked on this PC, the exact symptom and any error message word for word, and which steps you have already tried. Note whether the problem affects every Bluetooth device or only one, and whether it started after a change such as a Windows update or a move.

Contact the PC maker’s support service through its own support website, because Microsoft’s guidance for missing Bluetooth is explicit on this point: Bluetooth hardware errors are typically caused by problems with the drivers or firmware supplied by the PC maker, and the maker may have troubleshooting steps specific to your model. If the PC is still under warranty and the Bluetooth hardware has failed, the maker should repair or replace it. Do not pay any third-party service that offers to fix Bluetooth remotely. Microsoft’s own troubleshooting is free, and no remote service can do more than the steps in this guide plus the checks only the PC maker can run.

FAQ

Why is Bluetooth missing from Settings entirely?

A missing Bluetooth toggle usually means Windows cannot see the Bluetooth hardware. The most likely causes are a driver problem, a firmware problem, or Bluetooth disabled in the BIOS. Work through section 10 in order: do the Shift and Shut down full shutdown first, then check Device Manager for the adapter, then check for driver and firmware updates, then check the BIOS setting. If the PC never had Bluetooth, check the specifications on the maker’s website, because some desktop PCs ship without a Bluetooth radio and need a USB adapter.

Why does my PC see the device but fail to pair?

The usual causes, in order, are that the device is not in pairing mode, it is already connected to another device such as a phone, its battery is low, or the stored pairing record is corrupt. Put the device in pairing mode using the step in its manual, turn off Bluetooth on other nearby devices, charge the device fully, and then remove the device from the PC’s Bluetooth list and pair it again. If it still fails, run the Windows Bluetooth troubleshooter and restart the Bluetooth Support Service.

Why does Bluetooth keep disconnecting?

Repeated disconnections are usually caused by power saving settings, interference, or a driver problem. Uncheck “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power” on the Bluetooth adapter in Device Manager, turn off Energy Saver while you test, and move the device closer to the PC with a clear path between them. If the disconnections happen only when the PC wakes from sleep, the power setting is the likely cause. If they happen at all times and at close range, check for driver updates.

Why did Bluetooth stop working after a Windows update?

A Windows update can replace a working Bluetooth driver with a version that does not suit your hardware, or it can change a service or power setting. Check for a newer update first, because Microsoft often follows a faulty update with a fix. Then check the PC maker’s support site for a Bluetooth driver for your exact model, and install it over the Windows-supplied version. If the problem began on the day of the update and nothing else changed, the update is the likely cause, and the driver guide linked in section 9 covers the reinstall steps in full.

Does my PC have Bluetooth?

Open Device Manager and look for a Bluetooth category. If it is there, the PC has Bluetooth hardware. If it is not there, check the PC or motherboard specifications on the maker’s website. Laptops sold in the last ten years almost always have Bluetooth, but many desktop PCs do not, and a custom-built PC only has Bluetooth if the motherboard or Wi-Fi card includes it. If the PC has no Bluetooth, a USB Bluetooth adapter adds it for the price of a small accessory.

Should I buy a USB Bluetooth adapter?

Buy one if the PC has no Bluetooth hardware, or if the built-in adapter has failed and the PC is out of warranty. Choose an adapter from a known maker, and check that it supports the Bluetooth version your devices need. A USB adapter is also a useful test: if Bluetooth works through the adapter but not through the built-in hardware, the built-in hardware is the fault, and the adapter is a reasonable permanent fix. Do not buy an adapter before you have tried the Shift and Shut down step in section 10, because a locked-up radio can look exactly like a failed one.

Why does Bluetooth work for my mouse but not my headphones?

Different Bluetooth devices use different parts of the standard, and a fault can affect one type and not another. A mouse uses a simple connection, while headphones use an audio connection that depends on the Bluetooth Audio Gateway Service as well as the main Bluetooth service. If the mouse works and the headphones do not, restart the Bluetooth Support Service and check that the audio gateway service is running, as described in section 6. If only one device fails while others work, test that device on a phone: if it fails there too, the device itself is the fault.

Sources & references

• Microsoft Support, "Troubleshoot Bluetooth not connecting in Windows", support.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/hardware/bluetooth/troubleshoot-bluetooth-not-connecting-in-windows. Seven solutions: the Get Help troubleshooter, turning on Bluetooth and checking pairing mode and range, removing and re-adding the device, checking the battery, toggling Bluetooth off for 10 seconds, Windows Update, and restarting the PC. Read 12 November 2026.
• Microsoft Support, "Fix Bluetooth disappeared in Windows", support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/bluetooth/fix-bluetooth-disappeared-in-windows. Missing or grayed-out toggle means a hardware error; Shift and Shut down with a one-minute wait, driver update through Device Manager, optional firmware and BIOS or UEFI updates, airplane mode check through Quick Settings, and the Get Help troubleshooter. Read 12 November 2026.
• Microsoft Support, "Bluetooth keeps disconnecting in Windows", support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/hardware/bluetooth/bluetooth-keeps-disconnecting-in-windows. Power saving, outdated drivers, and temporary glitches as causes; turning off Energy Saver, unchecking "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" in Device Manager, restarting the Bluetooth Support Service through services.msc, and updating the driver. Read 12 November 2026.
• Bluetooth Special Interest Group, Bluetooth Core Specification, Radio Specification, bluetooth.com/wp-content/uploads/Files/Specification/HTML/Core-54/out/en/br-edr-controller/radio-specification.html. Bluetooth operates in the unlicensed 2.4 GHz ISM band, 2400 MHz to 2483.5 MHz, with frequency hopping to combat interference and fading; device power classes of up to 100 milliwatts, 2.5 milliwatts, and 1 milliwatt. Read 12 November 2026.