Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Listening to music via Bluetooth isn’t as simple as plugging in a pair of headphones and playing audio from your device. However, Bluetooth headphones and earbuds provide a more convenient and ultimately more comfortable wireless connection. In addition, an increasing number of devices today lack analog audio outputs and only support Bluetooth.
If you have a pair of Bluetooth headphones or earbuds and want to connect them to your Windows 11 PC (the steps are mostly identical to Windows 10), here’s what you need to do to connect.
Get your headphones in pairing mode
When you connect your Bluetooth headphones or earbuds to your computer for the first time, make sure they are in pairing mode. The process varies from device to device, so you may need to refer to your product manual for specific instructions.
Generally, you’ll have to long press the pairing button somewhere on the headphones or the earbuds’ charging case. In some cases, this may require holding down the power button for a few seconds or opening the case.
When your device is in pairing mode, it will usually indicate this with a fast flashing light or audio note.
Method 1: Quick settings panel
Turn on Bluetooth
You’ll need to make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your computer. The quickest and easiest way to do this is to tap the quick settings shortcut located in the corner of the screen (between the date/time and the arrow). This will pull up a menu containing different toggle settings.
Look for the box with the Bluetooth icon (it may also say “Disconnected”). If it’s gray or says “Off,” Bluetooth is disabled. If it is highlighted in blue, Bluetooth is enabled.
Pair your headphones
From the same quick settings menu, click the arrow in the Bluetooth panel. A window will appear displaying available Bluetooth devices.
If your headphones or earbuds are still in pairing mode, they should appear in this list. Click on your device and wait for your computer to establish a connection, which should only take a few seconds.
If your device doesn’t appear, double-check that it’s still in pairing mode. Bluetooth headphones and earbuds often time out pairing if they don’t connect immediately.
If this process doesn’t work for you, refer to the troubleshooting section at the end of this article or try the second method below, which may sometimes be more reliable.
Method 2: Windows Settings menus
Enable Bluetooth
You can also activate Bluetooth by pressing the button Windows key, to move to Settingsto choose Bluetooth and devices in the left bar menu, then make sure the Bluetooth toggle is set to On.
Pair your headphones
From this list you can choose Add device. This will bring up a new menu asking if you want to pair a Bluetooth device, wireless display, dock, or something else. He chooses Bluetooth.
This will bring up a new menu showing the different devices available for pairing. When your headphones are in pairing mode, they should appear in this list, identified by the headphone icon next to their name. Click on it and wait for your computer to establish a connection. Once connected, you should be ready to rock.
If this doesn’t work, scroll down for another option.
Troubleshooting
Bluetooth is convenient, but it can be annoying. Things can go very wrong if the stars don’t align perfectly in this process. Based on years of troubleshooting experience, here are some helpful tips if something doesn’t work right.
Headphones do not appear
Double check that your device is still in pairing mode. Sometimes, headphones will time out if they have been in pairing mode for a while and no connection is made.
Headphones found, but Windows won’t connect
Start the discovery process again to ensure that the headphones are active in pairing mode. It will sometimes appear but won’t pair unless it’s updated.
Next, even if the device name is correct, make sure that the icon next to it is a pair of headphones. I’ve encountered several audio devices displaying a different icon, including a Bluetooth signal that is not used to establish an audio connection.
Finally, check to make sure your headphones or earbuds aren’t already connected to your phone, speaker, or another computer. If there is a stable connection elsewhere, you may need to disconnect your headphones or earbuds first before connecting them to your Windows computer.
Windows says “connect” but then fails
Sometimes, Windows may fail to connect to your headphones or earbuds without explanation. I often try different ways to establish a connection, including turning Bluetooth on and off again.
Called once, but won’t call again
In general, you can easily connect to Bluetooth headphones after they are initially paired with your computer. Windows often automatically reconnects when you turn on your headphones.
However, some headphones can only store a limited number of paired devices in their memory. If you connect it to another device after pairing it with your computer, you may need to repeat the pairing process.
Paired and connected, but no sound playing
If everything looks correct but you’re not getting any sound, first make sure your computer volume is turned up.
If your headphones support Bluetooth Multipoint (simultaneous connections to multiple devices), a different device may take priority. Again, make sure all other devices are disconnected.
If you’ve done all of the above and sound still isn’t coming through your headphones, you’ll need to check your computer’s audio settings to make sure your Bluetooth headphones are set as the output device.
You can check this by clicking on the quick settings panel. To the right of the volume slider is an icon for audio output devices. Make sure your headphones are in the list and selected.
If all else fails
Sometimes, communications fail. You have paired headphones that Windows does not register as an audio device or connect to it properly. Unplugging, forgetting and re-pairing can often work, as can turning Bluetooth on and off again.
If your headphones and computer have wired audio jacks, a trusty audio cable may be the simplest way to connect, even if you leave Bluetooth out of the picture entirely.