How to Turn On Bluetooth in Windows 11

Bluetooth won’t come on? Start at the taskbar: select the battery, network or sound icon beside the clock (or press Windows + A) and select the Bluetooth tile. Highlighted and reading Not connected means the radio is on but nothing paired is connected; Connected or a device name means it works; Off means select it again. No tile, and no switch in Settings either, points to Airplane mode, the adapter or its driver, all covered below.

Applies to: Windows 11 24H2 and later, including 25H2 and 26H2.

Read the Bluetooth tile before you click

The tile in quick settings tells you more than on or off. Use it to decide where to go next.

What the tile shows	What it means	What to do
Not highlighted, label says Off	Bluetooth is switched off	Select the tile once
Highlighted, Not connected	Bluetooth is on; no paired device is connected right now	Turn the device on, or pair it (see the pairing section)
Highlighted, Connected or a device name	Bluetooth is on and in use	Nothing; the problem is with the device or app
No Bluetooth tile at all	The tile was removed, or Windows can’t see an adapter	Add the tile back; if it isn’t offered, check the adapter
Bluetooth off and the Airplane mode tile highlighted	Airplane mode turned the radios off	Turn Airplane mode off, or select the Bluetooth tile

Microsoft’s turn Bluetooth on or off in Windows page describes the same labels.

Four quick ways to switch Bluetooth on

Pick the one that fits the moment. All four flip the same switch.

Quick settings with the mouse

1. Select the network, sound or battery icon at the right end of the taskbar.
2. Select the Bluetooth tile so it’s highlighted.
3. To see or pick devices, select the arrow on the right side of the tile.

Keyboard only

Handy when the Bluetooth mouse is the thing that won’t connect. Press Windows + A to open quick settings, move to the Bluetooth tile with the arrow or Tab keys, and press Space. Press Esc to close the panel.

Settings

1. Select Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices.
2. Switch Bluetooth to On.

Run box shortcut

Press Windows + R, type ms-settings:bluetooth, and press Enter. Microsoft lists this address as the Bluetooth page of Settings, so it lands next to the switch. It’s useful in a desktop shortcut for a PC where you toggle Bluetooth often.

Bring back a missing quick settings tile

If the Settings switch exists but the tile doesn’t, the tile was only removed from the panel.

1. Open quick settings and select Edit quick settings (the pencil icon).
2. Select Add and choose Bluetooth.
3. Select Done.

If Bluetooth isn’t in the Add list, Windows doesn’t see an adapter. Skip the tile and go to the adapter checks below.

Check Airplane mode and the laptop wireless key

Airplane mode switches off wireless radios, Bluetooth included. Turn it off from its quick settings tile. You can also check Settings > Network & internet > Airplane mode, which has its own Bluetooth switch for use while Airplane mode is on. Windows can also remember Bluetooth separately for Airplane mode: if you turn Bluetooth back on while Airplane mode is on, it may stay on the next time you use Airplane mode, which is useful on a flight with wireless earbuds.

Many laptops also have a key that turns all radios off, usually marked with an antenna or a plane and pressed together with Fn, and a few older models have a physical switch on the side. Press the key or flip the switch once, then look at the tile again.

No switch anywhere: work through Microsoft’s repair order

When neither the tile nor the Settings switch appears, Windows can’t use the adapter. Microsoft’s guide to fixing Bluetooth that disappeared starts with the quickest fixes; apart from Airplane mode, covered above, they run in this order.

1. Do a full shutdown. Select Start, hold Shift, and select Power > Shut down. Wait about a minute, then turn the PC on. A normal shutdown with fast startup can leave the hardware in the state it was in.
2. Update the driver from Device Manager. Right-click Start, choose Device Manager, expand Bluetooth, right-click the adapter, and choose Update driver > Search automatically for drivers. There is a fuller walkthrough on how to update the Bluetooth driver on Windows 11.
3. Check optional updates. Go to Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Optional updates and install any Bluetooth or wireless driver listed there.
4. Check the PC maker’s support site. Look up your exact model for a Bluetooth driver and any BIOS, UEFI or firmware update. Use the PC maker or the adapter maker, not a driver download site.
5. Run the troubleshooter. Open Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters and select Run next to Bluetooth, or search for Get Help and type Bluetooth troubleshooter. Both lead to the same automated checks.

It also helps to check whether your drivers are up to date in general, since a stale chipset or Wi-Fi driver can affect a combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth card.

Check the adapter in Device Manager

Device Manager shows whether Windows sees the hardware at all, which separates a software problem from a missing part.

• Adapter has a down-arrow icon: it’s disabled. Right-click it and choose Enable device.
• Adapter has a yellow warning icon: the driver failed. Right-click it, choose Uninstall device, shut down, turn the PC on, then use Action > Scan for hardware changes so Windows reinstalls it. The steps to reinstall the Bluetooth driver go through this in detail.
• No Bluetooth category: select View > Show hidden devices and look under Other devices for an unknown device. That usually means a missing driver from the PC maker.
• Bluetooth broke right after an update: open the adapter’s Properties > Driver tab and select Roll Back Driver if it’s available.

Two more settings are widely suggested but not part of Microsoft’s own steps, so treat them as extra checks. In Services (press Windows + R and type services.msc), the Bluetooth Support Service should be running. And if Bluetooth vanishes after sleep, the adapter’s Power Management tab, where it exists, may have Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power selected; clearing it is a common fix.

Some PCs can also switch wireless or Bluetooth off in firmware. Go to Settings > System > Recovery, select Restart now next to Advanced startup, then Troubleshoot > Advanced options > UEFI Firmware Settings. Option names vary by maker, so look for Wireless, Onboard devices or Bluetooth.

Desktop without Bluetooth: add an adapter

Most laptops have Bluetooth built in, but many desktops don’t. Check the model’s specifications, or the Bluetooth category in Device Manager after showing hidden devices. If there’s nothing, a USB Bluetooth adapter adds it: plug it in, let Windows install the driver, and the tile and switch appear. On a desktop that has a Wi-Fi card, make sure its antennas are attached, since Bluetooth often shares that card. To confirm Windows picked up a new adapter, see how to see connected USB devices on Windows 11.

After it’s on: pair a device

1. Put the device in pairing mode (its manual says how).
2. Select the arrow on the Bluetooth tile, then Manage Bluetooth devices, and pick the device under New devices. Or use Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Add device > Bluetooth.
3. Follow any prompt, such as confirming a PIN, then select Done.

Microsoft’s pair a Bluetooth device in Windows page adds a few details worth knowing:

• Swift Pair. Supported mice, keyboards and headphones trigger a notification when they’re in pairing mode nearby; select Connect.
• Device not listed. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Devices > Device settings and set Bluetooth devices discovery to Advanced.
• Printers and scanners pair from Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners > Add device instead.
• A device that used to work. Remove it (select its More options menu, then Remove device), and pair it again.
• Dropouts near USB ports. Unshielded USB 3.0 devices and cables can interfere with Bluetooth, so move the receiver or device away from them.

Device-specific steps are in the guides to connecting AirPods to a Windows 11 PC and pairing Beats with Windows 11, which use their own pairing buttons.

Headphones and LE Audio: the switch that may not appear

LE Audio is a newer Bluetooth audio standard built for good sound at lower power on supported earbuds. Windows 11 22H2 and later can use it, but only when the PC’s Bluetooth hardware and driver support it. To check, open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Devices > Device settings and look for Use LE Audio when available. If it’s there, turn it on. If it’s missing, the PC doesn’t support LE Audio right now, either because of its hardware or its driver; a later driver update from the PC maker may add it, as Microsoft explains in its LE Audio support check. Classic Bluetooth headphones still work normally either way; for the full setup, see how to connect Bluetooth headphones to a Windows 11 laptop.

Confirm it works, and turn it off again

• Confirm: the tile shows Connected or your device name, and Settings > Bluetooth & devices lists the device as connected. For a mouse or keyboard, you can also check the wireless mouse battery on the same page.
• Turn off: select the tile again so it’s no longer highlighted, or switch Bluetooth off in Settings. Paired devices stay saved and reconnect the next time Bluetooth is on and they’re in range.

As a worked example, Priya’s office desktop shows no Bluetooth tile and no Settings switch. Device Manager has no Bluetooth category even with hidden devices shown, so the PC has no adapter. A USB adapter brings the tile back, and her headset pairs from the tile’s arrow.

Bluetooth questions the steps do not answer

Why does Bluetooth keep turning itself off after sleep?

Power saving on the adapter is the usual suspect. Check the Power Management tab in Device Manager, and install the PC maker’s latest Bluetooth driver.

Where do I pair a Bluetooth printer?

Under Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners, with Add device, not the general Add device list.

Can a USB adapter replace a broken built-in one?

Usually, yes. Windows uses one Bluetooth adapter at a time, so if both show up and cause trouble, disabling the faulty internal one in Device Manager is a common fix. Check with your PC maker first if the PC is under warranty.

Do I need Bluetooth on for passkeys?

Yes, when the passkey lives on your phone. Signing in on the PC means scanning a QR code with the phone, and both devices need Bluetooth on so Windows can check that the phone is nearby. A passkey saved on the PC itself (with Windows Hello) doesn’t need Bluetooth. The setup is covered in how to use passkeys in Windows 11.

Still on an older PC? The Windows 10 steps are different enough to have their own page: turn on Bluetooth in Windows 10, though that version no longer receives security updates.