How to activate & turn on Bluetooth on Windows

Need to know how to turn on Bluetooth on Windows? We tell you how to activate it and connect devices wirelessly with your PC easily.

With the help of Bluetooth, you can pair your computer to various devices like a keyboard, mouse, smartphone, headphones, earbuds, and even a gaming controller. The best part of this wireless connectivity protocol is that you can easily pair and use multiple devices with one PC and use them simultaneously.

Bluetooth is actually named after a king in Norway. It was originally going to be named RadioWire or Personal Area Network (PAN), but neither could be trademarked in time. The logo is made up of runes spelling the king’s name.

It’s now used as one of the most common connectivity protocols on the planet. Though activating or turning on Bluetooth is relatively straightforward on Windows, its icon could be buried under the settings, which could be tricky to locate.

How to turn on Bluetooth

Anyway, enough history, let’s get back to the present. If you have a modern laptop, or a motherboard with it installed, your PC will show off a little Bluetooth logo in the settings on the taskbar.

If the logo isn’t in the small pop-up menu, to the very far right of the screen, you might have it turned off.

Head into Window’s settings via the taskbar and in the search bar in the upper left, you can tap in Bluetooth to be taken to the right settings page immediately.

In Bluetooth & devices, you’ll be able to turn Bluetooth on.

To pair your desired device, you can go back to the quick settings menu on the taskbar, press the arrow next to it, and follow the onscreen instructions.

Best adapter for Windows

If you don’t have a Bluetooth-enabled PC, which some of us who built our own might not, you can always grab a dongle to add it on without cracking open the PC.

Here are our recommended dongles:

• TP-Link USB Bluetooth Adapter 4.0
• EDUP long-range Bluetooth 5.1 adapter
• ZEXMTE USB Bluetooth 5.0 adapter

Also, make sure to check out our other guides:

Best Bluetooth earbuds for phones & gaming consoles | The best PS5 controllers | The best mobile games to play in 2023 | Best gaming keyboards | Best CPU for gaming | The best CPU for gaming in 2023 | Best budget gaming desk | Best power bank for steam deck | Best 1440p Monitor for PS5 | Best gamecube controller for Switch and PC

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