Bluetooth pairing problems, solved

1. Make sure the device is actually in pairing mode. Most headphones and speakers need a long press on the power button, often with an LED that flashes a specific colour when ready to pair.
2. Check the device is charged. Low battery is one of the most common causes of failed pairing and random disconnects.
3. Turn Bluetooth off and back on on the computer or phone. This resets the radio and clears a surprising number of one-off glitches.
4. Move the device within a metre or two of your computer for the initial pairing, then walls, other electronics and even microwaves can weaken the signal once connected.
5. Turn off other Bluetooth devices nearby that you're not using, some cheaper accessories get confused when several devices try to pair at once.

If a device connects but then instantly disconnects, or pairs but doesn't work properly (audio cutting out, only one earbud working, keyboard typing wrong characters), the saved pairing profile is often corrupted. Removing it and starting fresh fixes this more often than any other single step.

• Some accessories can only be paired to one device at a time and need to be manually put back into pairing mode if they were last connected elsewhere. Check the manual for the exact button combination.
• If the device has an app (many headphones, speakers and trackers do), install it: some accessories only enter discoverable mode through the app rather than a physical button.
• On a desktop PC without built-in Bluetooth, check that a USB Bluetooth adapter is actually plugged in and recognized. It will show up in Device Manager on Windows under Bluetooth.
• Run our Connected Devices check to confirm what your browser and system can currently see plugged in or paired.

Once basic pairing works, ongoing dropouts and stutter usually come down to interference or driver issues rather than the accessory itself.

• Wi-Fi routers and Bluetooth both use the 2.4GHz band. If your router is on 2.4GHz and sits close to your computer, switching the router to 5GHz (where supported) can reduce interference.
• Update Bluetooth drivers on Windows: Device Manager > Bluetooth > right-click the adapter > Update driver.
• Disable battery-saving features that throttle background Bluetooth activity, this is common on Android under Settings > Battery > Battery optimization.
• For audio specifically, run our Speaker Test and Microphone Test to confirm the issue is really the Bluetooth link and not the audio device itself.

Most laptops and phones can maintain several Bluetooth connections simultaneously, but audio quality often suffers when more than two or three active devices share the radio. If your headphones cut out only when your mouse or keyboard is also connected, try disconnecting one to confirm interference between devices on the same machine.

• If the accessory pairs fine with a different phone or computer but never with yours, the fault is likely your computer's Bluetooth radio or antenna, not the accessory.
• If nothing pairs with your computer at all, including devices that work everywhere else, check for a physical Bluetooth switch or airplane mode toggle, then consider that the internal Bluetooth module may have failed, which is common after liquid damage or a drop.
• An accessory that won't hold a charge, powers off mid-use, or has a battery indicator stuck at one level usually has a failing battery rather than a pairing problem, no software fix will resolve that.
• If a USB Bluetooth adapter isn't recognized in Device Manager at all even after trying different USB ports, the adapter itself has likely failed.