Bluetooth technology enables you to pair various peripherals with your computer. For instance, mice, speakers, controllers, keyboards, TVs, and much more. Typically it is a seamless process. However, many users have been experiencing the "Try connecting your device" error on their Windows 11 PC.
If you're also one of the unfortunate lot, don't fret over it. Several methods in this guide will help you resolve the problem quickly and easily.
1. Restart Windows
Restarting might seem like an unnecessary method to list here; however, it might have skipped your mind. Many times a driver update could be stuck, or a system service deadlock could be causing the issue, and a simple restart can resolve it.
To restart, head to the Start Menu and click the 'Power' icon. Then, select the 'Restart' option.
You can also press Alt+ F4 from the Desktop, which will bring the 'Shut down window'. Once appears, select the 'Restart' option from the drop-down and hit Enter or click 'OK'.
2. Update Windows
Updating Windows is an astonishingly simple yet powerful fix for many software-related issues. Along with updating Windows, Microsoft, at times, also pushes updates for drivers through Updates.
First, head to the Start Menu and click on the 'Settings' tile.
After that, click on the 'Windows Update' tab from the left sidebar to continue.
Next, click on the 'Download & Install' button to start updating your Windows.
3. Connect External Antennas
Many Bluetooth adapters require an external antenna to connect to peripherals. Though it is very rare, there are still some models out there. For your convenience, we have listed down all the adapters.
- Intel Wireless-AC 9260
- Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
- Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 Desktop Kit
For the above-listed adapters, you should be able to find 2 antennas in the box that came with the adapter/computer. One facilitates WiFi, and the other facilitates Bluetooth along with WiFi. It is recommended that you connect both of them for optimal performance.
4. Run Bluetooth Troubleshooter
If there are any systemic issues, such as a missing configuration file, the in-built troubleshooter can easily fix the issue for you.
First, head to the Start Menu and click on the 'Settings' icon to proceed.
After that, click on the 'System' tab from the left sidebar to continue.
Now, from the right section of the window, click on the 'Troubleshoot' option.
Next, click on the 'Other troubleshooters' tile.
Afterward, locate the 'Bluetooth' tile and click on the 'Run' button to launch the troubleshooter.
Now, the troubleshooter will run operationally and detect problems with your computer in regard to Bluetooth. Once the problem(s) have been detected, Windows will suggest corrective measures.
5. Set Bluetooth Service to Automatic
Just like other system services, Bluetooth services need to be up and running for Bluetooth to work properly on your computer.
First, head to the Start Menu and type Services to perform a search. After that, click on the 'Services' tile from the search results.
Then, locate and right-click on the 'Bluetooth Support Service' and choose the 'Properties' option from the menu. This will open a separate window to your screen.
From the 'Properties' window, click the 'Startup' dropdown and select the 'Automatic' option. Finally, click 'Apply and 'OK' to save the changes.
Once done, restart your PC from the Start Menu and check if it resolved the problem.
6. Update or Roll Back Bluetooth Drivers
There are three ways you can update your Bluetooth drivers. You can do so from the Settings app, Device Manager, or download the drivers from the official website.
To update Bluetooth drivers from the Settings app, head to the Start Menu and click the 'Settings' tile.
After that, click on the 'Windows Update' tab from the left sidebar to continue.
Next, from the right section of the window, click on the 'Advanced options' tile.
Afterward, click on the 'Optional updates' tile to proceed.
Then, click on the 'Driver updates' tile to expand it. Next, from the list of available drivers, locate the 'Bluetooth' driver and click on the checkbox preceding the individual item. Next, click on the 'Download & Install' button at the bottom of the section to commence the installation of the driver.
To update the Bluetooth driver from the Device Manager, head to the Start Menu and type Device Manager to perform a search. After that, click on the 'Device Manager' tile to proceed.
Then, from the Device Manager window, double-click on the 'Bluetooth' category and right-click on the 'Wireless Bluetooth' driver, and select the 'Update driver' option from the overflow menu. This will open a separate window on your screen.
After that, click on the 'Search automatically for drivers' option to let Windows search for the latest driver available on the Microsoft servers. In case you already have a driver update package, click on the 'Browse my computer for drivers' option to proceed.
If, for some reason, you are not able to update the drivers using the above two methods, you can also download the latest driver from the official driver website. To showcase the process, we chose Intel drivers. However, the process largely stays similar for other manufacturers as well.
First, head to www.intel.com/support using your preferred web browser. Then, once the webpage has loaded, scroll down the page and click on the dropdown menu and select the 'Windows 10 and Windows 11' option to view the supported drivers.
Next, from the 'Package Version' column, click on the package mentioned as 'Latest' to download the latest Bluetooth driver on your PC. This will redirect you to another page.
Then, on the next webpage, click on the 'Download' button present under the 'Available Downloads' option to continue. This will open a separate overlay window on your screen.
Now, from the separately opened overlay window, click on the 'I accept terms in the license agreement' to initiate your download.
After that, once downloaded, head to your default downloads directory and double-click on the .EXE file you just downloaded.
Now, a UAC (User Account Control) window will appear on your screen. If you are not logged in with an admin account, enter the credentials for one. Otherwise, click the 'Yes' button to proceed and initiate the installation wizard.
On the setup window, click on 'Next' to proceed.
After that, on the next screen, click on the checkbox preceding the 'I accept the terms in the License Agreement' option to select it. Then, click on the 'Next' button to continue.
On the next page, you will have to choose the setup type. Click on the 'Complete' option to proceed.
Finally, click on the 'Install' button to commence installation.
Once the installation is completed, restart the computer from the Start Menu to let the changes apply.
7. Reconfigure Bluetooth Support Services
In case updating the drivers or setting the service to automatic did not help, you can reconfigure the log on settings for Bluetooth Support services.
First, head to the Start Menu and type Services. After that, click on the 'Services' tile.
Next, locate 'Bluetooth Support services' and right-click on it. Then, select the 'Properties' option.
After that, head to the 'Log On' tab and click on 'Browse'. This will open a separate window on your screen.
From the separately opened window, click on the 'Advanced' button. This will again open a separate window on your screen.
From the other window, click on 'Find Now' to continue. Once the list populates, select the 'Local Service' option.
Now, from the main window, click 'Apply' and 'OK' to apply the changes.
Once done, on the 'Services' window, right-click 'Bluetooth Support Service' and select the 'Restart' option.
Now, try reconnecting with your Bluetooth peripherals. It should work now. In case you are still not able to connect, restart your PC once, and that should do it.
8. Reinstall Bluetooth Drivers
In case updating the drivers or reconfiguring the Bluetooth support services did not work out, uninstalling and reinstalling the Bluetooth drivers might fix the issue for you.
First, head to the Start Menu and type Device Manager to perform a search for it. Then, from the search results, click on the 'Device Manager' tile to continue.
After that, on the Device Manager window, double-click on the 'Bluetooth' category to expand it. Then, right-click on the 'Bluetooth Wireless' option and select the 'Uninstall device' option to proceed. This will open a separate window on your screen.
Next, from the separately opened window, click the checkbox preceding the 'Attempt to remove the driver for this device' option. Then, check the 'Attempt to remove the driver for this device' option and click the 'Uninstall' button.
Once successfully removed, restart your PC from the Start Menu. After restarting your PC, open the Settings app.
Then, click the 'Windows update' option in the left sidebar.
From the right section of the window, click the 'Advanced options' tile.
Then, click on the 'Optional updates' option under the 'Additional options' section.
Now, click on the 'Drivers' tile to expand the section. Then, locate the Bluetooth driver in the list. Once you find it, click the checkbox preceding the option to select the driver. Then, click the 'Download & install' button to install the driver.
9. Roll Back to a System Restore Point
If you have a reason to believe that a recent software upgrade or a third-party software installation might be the culprit, you can roll back to a system restore point if you have one.
Head to the Start Menu and type Control to perform a search. Then, from the search results, click on the 'Control Panel' tile to proceed.
After that, locate and click on the 'Recovery' tile from the grid of icons.
Next, click on the 'Open System Restore' option from the list. This will open a separate window on your screen.
From the separately opened window, click on the 'Next' button.
All created system restore points will be listed on the screen. Click to select the desired one and then click on the 'Next' button to initiate the rolling back process.
Next, a list of drives impacted by the rollback will be displayed, along with the timestamp of the restore point created. You can also check the programs that will be affected; click on the 'Scan for the affected programs' button. A new window will appear on the screen.
On the new window, you can view the programs that will be deleted and the ones that will be restored (since no programs will be affected on the test PC, the list in the screenshot below is empty). Click on the 'Close' button to navigate to the previous window.
Finally, click the 'Finish' button to initiate the rollback process.
10. Reset Windows to Factory Settings
If none of the things worked for you, it is time to bring out the big guns. Resetting your PC reinstalls the complete Windows whilst keeping your personal files and folders intact.
To reset your PC, head to the Settings app from the Start Menu.
After that, make sure you have selected the 'System' tab from the left sidebar present on the Settings window.
Next, from the right section of the window, scroll down to locate and click on the 'Recovery' tile to continue.
Now, locate the 'Reset this PC' tile present under the 'Recovery options' section and click on the 'Reset PC' button situated on the far right edge of the tile. This will open a separate 'Reset this PC' window on your screen.
On the separate 'Reset this PC' window that appears, you will have two options. Choose the 'Keep my files' by clicking on it to roll the system settings and apps to a fresh start whilst keeping your personal files and folders intact.
On the next screen, you will need to choose a method for reinstalling the operating system on your machine. Since there could be an issue with the copy already present on your system, it is recommended that you click on the 'Cloud download' option.
Note: 'Cloud download' will require an active internet connection and will consume upwards of 4 GB of data.
After that, Windows will list the settings that you have chosen. If you wish to change any of it, click the 'Change settings' option to continue.
If you change the settings, you can configure the following settings on the next screen. You can choose not to restore the apps and settings by clicking on the toggle switch under the 'Restore preinstalled apps?' option and bringing it to the 'No' position. You can even switch from the Cloud download to the local installation by clicking on the toggle switch under the 'Download Windows?' option to change the installation method. once adjusted according to your preference, click the 'Confirm' button to proceed.
Then, click the 'Next' button at the bottom of the window to continue.
It might take a while for Windows to load the next screen.
On the next screen, Windows will list the impact of resetting your PC. Read them carefully and click and click on the 'Reset' button to start the resetting process.
Your machine may restart several times, which is completely normal while resetting. Resetting may take several minutes, depending on your computer and the settings for resetting the PC.
Not being able to connect Bluetooth peripherals to your computer can be annoying and haphazard to your productivity. Fortunately, using the above-mentioned methods, you will be able to fix the issue in no time.
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