How to Troubleshoot Bluetooth Issues on Windows

When you are working on a PC, system issues are pretty obvious. It is a machine, after all! With most PCs working on Windows operating systems, we can never have enough troubleshooting techniques for dealing with its issues. Windows is the most popular operating system in the entire world. we can see it just about everywhere! And it has been the most popular one since its launch. The great OS from Microsoft has a great user interface and is very smooth and easy to use, adding up to the benefits of using it. However, when something technological is so popular, the possibilities of technical issues only increases. And users around the globe complain about Bluetooth issues on Windows. Bluetooth helps people to share data wirelessly. However, it has distance restrictions between the sender and the receiver devices. Despite that, Bluetooth has been the only wireless method of transferring data for many years. Hence, it is still a preferable choice for many people for sharing data. It is not the most reliable data sharing method in today’s date, but people still prefer it due to its availability and simplicity. It is not uncommon to face issues with Bluetooth while working on Windows. But now that we are here, we would tell you of all the ways to troubleshoot Bluetooth issues on Windows!

What are the most common Bluetooth troubleshooting techniques?

While Bluetooth issues might trouble you a lot, most of these issues can be solved using pretty simple troubleshooting methods. Most of the time, the problems are simple eyewashes that you might have missed. The simple techniques mentioned in this section must be able to solve most of your Bluetooth issues on Windows.

Is your Bluetooth on at all?

As stupid and naive as it might sound, many users have reported that they simply forgot to turn on the Bluetooth of their device and realised much later that it was the cause of their Bluetooth issues! Hence, before you start worrying, make sure your Bluetooth is turned on. For Windows 10, you can check the state of your device’s Bluetooth by going to the notification icon on the right corner of your taskbar. If you do not see the Bluetooth tile here, click on Expand. Now check the colour of the Bluetooth tile. If it is grey, your Bluetooth is turned off. If the tile is blue, Bluetooth is on. If the Bluetooth is turned off, simply click on the tile and it will turn on, giving the Bluetooth tile a blue colour. Otherwise, you can also go to Settings>Devices>Bluetooth and Other Devices. Here you can turn on the Bluetooth by sliding the switch till it’s blue in colour.

Try restarting your Bluetooth

Sometimes, there are some underlying issues with Bluetooth that can easily be solved by restarting your Bluetooth. For this, go to the Bluetooth tile in the notification section on your taskbar. Click on the tile to turn it off. Click again to turn it on. It is highly probable that your Bluetooth would work fine now.

The battery?

Frequently the problem is with the battery remaining in your Bluetooth device. Make sure that your Bluetooth device is charged enough. And your Bluetooth issues might get solved.

Bluetooth interference and device distance

Bluetooth is a data-sharing technique based on radio waves. Radio waves are known to get hampered by physical blockages like thick walls. Microwaves can also disrupt the transmission of radio waves. Hence, try to keep your PC as close to your Bluetooth device as possible. Try to avoid any physical barriers between your PC and your Bluetooth device. Remember, the larger the distance and the more the number of barriers between your PC and Bluetooth device, the weaker would be the Bluetooth connection. Additionally, you can also use third-party applications such as Bennett Bluetooth Monitor to monitor the strength of Bluetooth connectivity between your PC and Bluetooth device. The above simple troubleshooting methods do the magic for most users. Most of the Bluetooth issues in Windows can be solved using those techniques. However, if the problems still persist, try one of the following techniques. They are a little more complex than the above ones, but are perfectly doable by everyone. Just follow the steps and you should be good to go!

Bluetooth Device Drivers

It can also be the Bluetooth device drivers on your PC that are causing you the Bluetooth issues you are facing. Most device drivers are downloaded and updated directly by Windows, thanks to the Windows Update Service. These updates usually contain all the updated device drivers that your Bluetooth devices might need. Also, most Bluetooth devices work just fine when connected to your PC, especially devices like keyboards and mice. Some of them, however, might not! This might happen due to the unavailability of the appropriate device driver to support your Bluetooth device. In such a case, the first thing you can do is go to the website of your Bluetooth device’s manufacturer. If the Bluetooth device needs a special device driver to work, the manufacturer usually lists the driver on its website for you to download and install. Upon installing the driver from the site, try connecting your Bluetooth device to your PC again. It should work well now. This can also be the case with your PC, in fact. Sometimes, the drivers for your Bluetooth chipset in the PC are not installed automatically. In such a case, download and install the driver from the PC manufacturer’s site. If you built the PC, you can visit your motherboard’s manufacturer’s website and download and install the driver from there.

Re-pair the Bluetooth Device

Re-pairing the Bluetooth device to your PC might also work wonders. For this, you can simply re-pair the device from the Bluetooth settings on your PC. If you have the Bluetooth icon on the taskbar, right-click on the icon and then click on Open Settings. Alternatively, you can go to the Bluetooth settings from the Start menu. Locate the Start menu on the left corner of your taskbar and right-click on it. From the menu that appears, click on Settings. Now go to Devices. Head over to Bluetooth and Other Devices. All the Bluetooth devices that your PC knows of would be listed now. Locate the one that you are facing issues with and click on Remove Device. Now click on Yes to confirm the unpairing of the problematic Bluetooth device. Your device is now unpaired from your pc. You can now restart your PC to save the changes. Once your PC restarts, head over to the Bluetooth settings again. Opt to add a new device and locate the Bluetooth device unpaired earlier, from the list of all available Bluetooth devices. You might need a pin on both devices to pair your Bluetooth device with your PC. Once you are done with that, try using the Bluetooth device again.

Windows 10 Troubleshooter

When you fail to detect and solve the Bluetooth issues in Windows on your own, it’s better to leave the fixing to the professionals! And by professional, we are talking about the Windows 10 troubleshooter. It checks all the device settings and Bluetooth radio sequentially to detect any and every issue that might be hampering your experience. If and when it detects a case, it either fixes it or shows you how to fix it. To run the troubleshooter offered by Windows 10, you can follow the following steps:

1. Locate the Start menu on the left corner of your taskbar and right-click on it.
2. From the menu, select Settings by clicking on it.
3. Head over to Update and Security.
4. Go to Troubleshoot.
5. Go to Bluetooth.
6. Now click on “Run the Troubleshooter”.

Now sit back and wait for the troubleshooter to get back to you with the issue and a way to fix it. When the troubleshooter finds out the topic with the Bluetooth configuration of your PC or the Bluetooth device, it will ask you if it should fix the problem itself. Alternatively, you can follow the guide provided to you by the troubleshooter to fix the problem yourself. Running the troubleshooter is definitely the easiest and fastest method of finding out the cause of your Bluetooth issues in Windows. However, if the troubleshooter cannot locate or fix the Bluetooth issues, the problem might be more significant than you think. It is likely to be an issue with the hardware instead of the software of your PC and your Bluetooth device. In such cases, we recommend contacting the manufacturers of your devices for further support and guidance.

Final words

The Bluetooth issues in Windows are as common as they can get. But don’t panic, most of these issues are easily resolvable. We recommend keeping your device drivers updated and regularly check for new updates by Microsoft. This would help you to avoid most inconveniences due to Bluetooth issues while using your PC and Bluetooth device. However, if the above tips don’t work do contact the manufacturers of your devices for help.