How to turn on Bluetooth on Windows 10 and pair your devices

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Updated 2021-08-13T15:32:55Z JUMP TO Section Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.
  • How to turn on Bluetooth on Windows 10
  • Troubleshooting your Bluetooth connection
  • How to pair a Bluetooth device on Windows 10
    • You can turn on Bluetooth on Windows 10 in the Settings app or Action Center.
    • To pair a Bluetooth device to Windows 10, it must be in range and in pairing mode.
    • If your Bluetooth isn't working, try updating your drivers or resetting the device.

    Bluetooth allows for you to wirelessly connect your computers or phones to other devices, such as earbuds, keyboards, speakers, cars, and more.

    For example, you may want to use Bluetooth on Windows 10 to listen to music through headphones, connect a keyboard and mouse, or send files between computers.

    Here's how you can turn on Bluetooth on Windows 10, troubleshoot your connection, and pair your devices.

    How to turn on Bluetooth on Windows 10

    1. Click the Windows Start button at the bottom left of your screen.

    2. Select Settings.

    3. Click Devices.

    Use Windows 10 Settings to find the "Devices" page. Kyle Wilson

    4. Click Bluetooth & other devices. Turn on the Bluetooth switch.

    The toggle button will turn blue when Bluetooth is turned on. Kyle Wilson

    Alternatively, Bluetooth can be very quickly toggled on or off in the Windows 10 Action Center.

    1. Open the Action Center. The Action Center icon is the speech bubble located on the bottom right of your screen, next to the clock.

    2. If you don't see an array of action tiles, click Expand.

    3. Click on the Bluetooth tile to toggle it on or off. When it has a blue background, it is on.

    The background color of the Bluetooth tile changes to show if Bluetooth is on or off. Kyle Wilson

    Troubleshooting your Bluetooth connection

    It can be frustrating if Bluetooth isn't working on your computer. However, there are some common ways to fix the issue: 

  • Make sure that your devices are compatible. You can check if your computer is Bluetooth compatible by looking in the Action Center or in Settings (see above); if the Bluetooth option is not listed, it most likely is not compatible or the drivers are not installed.
  • Make sure that Bluetooth is turned on. This can be accomplished through checking in Settings (see above) or in the Action Center to ensure Bluetooth is enabled.
  • Toggle Bluetooth on and off again in Settings or the Action Center. Sometimes a quick reset is all that it needs.
  • Reset the Bluetooth device you're trying to pair. Turn off your Bluetooth device you are attempting to connect, wait a few seconds, then turn it on again.
  • Ensure that your Bluetooth device is in range. While Bluetooth can normally connect over distances of up to 30 feet, obstacles and weather can reduce the effective distance.
  • Be careful of USB devices. If your Bluetooth enabled device is unresponsive or sluggish, make sure it isn't close to any other plugged in USB device. This can cause problems since USB devices that aren't shielded can interfere with Bluetooth signals and connections.
  • Remove and re-add the Bluetooth device. Sometimes Bluetooth devices can lose connection due to signal interference. This is because the radio frequencies most Bluetooth devices operate at are commonly used by other devices and appliances, including microwaves and garage-door openers.

    • Quick tip: If Bluetooth still isn't working, you may need to fix a Bluetooth driver. For more information, read our article on how to update drivers in Windows 10. 

    How to pair a Bluetooth device on Windows 10

    1. Turn on your Bluetooth device and make sure it is discoverable. How you make the device discoverable varies between devices. As such, please check the device instructions to learn how.

    2. On your computer, click the Start button.

    3. Click Settings.

    4. Click Devices.

    5. Click Bluetooth & other devices.

    6. Click Add Bluetooth or other device.

    The "Add Bluetooth" button is in the Devices section of Windows 10 Settings. Kyle Wilson

    7. Click Bluetooth in the popup window that appears.

    Select "Bluetooth" from the pop-up list. Kyle Wilson

    8. Choose the device and follow any additional instructions should they appear.

    9. Click Done.

    When your device has successfully paired, click "Done." Kyle Wilson

    Starting with Windows 10 version 1803 and later, Swift Pair is also an option to connect Bluetooth devices to your Windows 10 computer. Swift Pair makes it so that you no longer have to navigate through the Settings App in order to connect devices. 

    When the Bluetooth device is in range, Windows will automatically prompt you in the bottom right of your screen asking if you wish to connect the device. All you have to do is press connect and your device should pair. 

    Quick tip: Make sure that the Swift Pair checkbox in Bluetooth & other devices is checked in order to enable Swift pairing.

    spanKyle Wilson is an editor for the Reference team, based in British Columbia, Canada. Outside of Insider, his work has also appeared in publications like The Verge, VICE, Kotaku, and more. He periodically guest co-hosts the Saturday tech show "Tech Talk" on the iHeartRadio station C-FAX 1070./span spanFeel free to reach out to him on Twitter, where he can be found most of the time, a href="https://twitter.com/KWilsonMG"@KWilsonMG/a./span Kyle Wilson Kyle Wilson is an editor for the Reference team, based in British Columbia, Canada. Outside of Insider, his work has also appeared in publications like The Verge, VICE, Kotaku, and more. He periodically guest co-hosts the Saturday tech show "Tech Talk" on the iHeartRadio station C-FAX 1070. Feel free to reach out to him on Twitter, where he can be found most of the time, @KWilsonMG. Read more Read less

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