If anyone comes across Windows 11 Bluetooth, not working issues, people usually think about driver problems. But apart from that, there may be some other causes. Let’s first understand the cause of this issue:
Reasons for Bluetooth ‘not‘ working in Windows 11:
- Bluetooth is disabled or not connected correctly: This problem can be quickly resolved from the Windows settings menu.
- Version incompatibility: Though Bluetooth is universally supported, those devices that need some dissimilar versions of the Bluetooth standard can create this problem.
- Drivers are incompatible or not updated: Incompatible settings associated with your Bluetooth drivers or poor updates can prevent Bluetooth from working in Windows 11.
Here are the various methods which you can follow to resolve this issue:
Method-1: Make sure Bluetooth is turned on:
To begin with, make sure that the Bluetooth on your Windows 11 device is turned on. Several times it happens that Bluetooth is not turned on, and still, people try to connect the device to the PC but get failure.
Follow these steps:
- Press Windows + I key to open the ‘Settings.’
- Go to ‘Bluetooth & devices‘ from the left sidebar and click on ‘Devices‘ under Bluetooth. Now check whether the Bluetooth shows the ‘On‘ button. If it is off, turn it on.
Method-2: Confirm that the Bluetooth Support Service is running:
If the Bluetooth Support Service is disabled or stopped, it may lead to a situation in which already installed Bluetooth devices fail to operate. If you make sure it is working normally, then it will let new devices be discovered.
- From the taskbar, click the ‘Search‘ icon. In the search box, type ‘services‘ and open the app from the results being displayed.
- Now find out the ‘Bluetooth Support Service‘ section and double-click on it.
- From the pop-up window, expand the Startup type menu and choose ‘Automatic’
- Now click on ‘Apply‘ and then on ‘OK’
Method-3: Remove and add the device again:
In this method, firstly, turn off the airplane mode from the action center. (You can toggle Airplane mode using Windows key +A.)
But if this does not work, you must try to remove the Bluetooth device and add it again. For that, follow these steps:
- Open the start menu and search for ‘Bluetooth & other devices, and open it. It will open the Bluetooth settings.
- Now select the particular device which you want to remove. After that, click on ‘remove device.’
- Once the device is removed, you have to click on ‘add a device‘ for pairing the device. During this process, make sure the Bluetooth device is set in pairing mode.
Method-4: Discovering Bluetooth Device:
Follow these steps:
- Press Windows + I key to open the ‘Settings.’
- Go to ‘Bluetooth & devices‘ from the left sidebar and click on ‘Devices‘ under Bluetooth.
- Navigate a little, and you will get the ‘More Bluetooth settings‘ option. Click on this option.
- Make sure the ‘Allow Bluetooth devices to find this PC‘ option is selected from the pop-up window. Moreover, make sure below that option, notifications are turned on.
- Click on the ‘Apply‘ button to save the changes.
- Now again, connect your Bluetooth device with Windows 11 PC and find out whether the connectivity issue is still present or not.
Method-5: Update the Bluetooth drivers:
The right set of drivers are necessary to connect various hardware devices like graphics cards, headphones, etc., with the software components such as Windows OS. They allow the software to function correctly. The Bluetooth drivers may contain bugs, or they may be outdated.
The reason for Bluetooth not working in Windows 11 can be that the Bluetooth driver is not updated on your PC. You can try to update the Bluetooth driver and find out whether it functions or not.
Here are the steps to update the Bluetooth drivers:
- From the start menu, open the ‘device manager.’ It will show all the hardware on your PC.
- Double will -click on Bluetooth to enlarge the list of ‘Bluetooth devices.’
- Now right-click on the ‘Bluetooth devices‘ and click on ‘update driver.’ (This needs to be done separately for all the Bluetooth devices.)
- Now restart your PC, and then you can use Bluetooth on your Windows 11 device.
An alternative method to updating the Bluetooth driver:
- From the taskbar, click the ‘Search’ icon.
- Type ‘device manager’ in the search bar and choose the app from the results.
- Now expand the ‘Bluetooth‘ section and right-click on any particular driver.
- Now select ‘Update Driver.’
- Select the option ‘Search automatically for drivers’.
- If the system cannot find a new driver, click on ‘Search for updated drivers in Windows Update’
- In this step, click on the ‘Check for updates’ button; if any updates remain, the system will download and install them.
The ‘Check for updates’ is the most useful because it can automatically update drivers to make sure Bluetooth connects appropriately. Moreover, this method is essential and must be continuously performed on every driver to keep the PC running correctly.
Method-6: Reinstall the Bluetooth driver:
Even after updating the Bluetooth driver, the issue is still unsolved; you can try to reinstall the Bluetooth driver. Follow these steps:
- Open ‘device manager‘ from the start menu.
- Double-click on the Bluetooth option. It will enlarge the list of the Bluetooth devices already installed on your PC.
- Now right click on the Bluetooth device and click on ‘uninstall device.’ (You need to do this separately for all the Bluetooth devices.)
- Now restart your computer to implement the changes.
While your Windows boot up, the drivers get installed automatically. But if the drivers are not installed, open the ‘device manager‘ and click on the ‘action‘ tab. Now click on ‘scan for hardware changes’ to re-install the Bluetooth drivers.
Also, you can use the ‘Roll Back Driver‘ option to uninstall the latest updates that may be creating audio lags. This option will be greyed out if there are no updates available for uninstallation. Now reboot your PC to reinstall the driver automatically.
Method-7: Run Windows 11 Bluetooth troubleshooter:
If you didn’t succeed with any of the above methods, you could try running the Bluetooth troubleshooter. A Bluetooth troubleshooter can solve all Bluetooth-related issues. Here are the steps:
- Open the start menu and open Settings.
- From the settings, open the ‘Update & security’ section.
- Now click on the ‘troubleshoot’ option available on the left sidebar.
- Now click on the ‘Additional troubleshooter‘ option.
- Now under ‘Find and fix other problems, choose the ‘Bluetooth‘ option.
Selecting the ‘Bluetooth‘ option will make sure your OS would automatically execute the recommended troubleshooter. Wait for the process to complete. Once completed, Windows will inform you either the problem is solved or not.
Concluding Note:
If none of the discussed methods works, you need to visit the device manufacturer’s website, perhaps. From there, you can find the precise and updated model that will certainly solve this issue.