Windows 7 and Bluetooth Made Easy - Turn On & Fix Common Issues

If you’re using Windows 7 and want to connect your computer with your wireless keyboard, mouse or headset, or to transfer files from your smartphone to your computer through Bluetooth, you need to firstturn on Bluetooth on Windows 7 . This article will show you how to do it. You’ll learn:

How to turn on Bluetooth on Windows 7 easily
What to do if you can’t turn on Bluetooth on Windows 7

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How to turn on Bluetooth on Windows 7 easily

Normally you can turn on Bluetooth on Windows 7 by taking these easy steps:

Click theStart button in the lower-left corner of your screen.
Typebluetooth settings in the search box, then selectChange Bluetooth settings from the results.
Make sure youcheck the boxes as the screenshot shown below, then clickOK .
Click thelittle triangle icon on the bottom-right part of your screen, and you’ll see the Bluetooth icon; it means you’ve turned on Bluetooth in your Windows 7. Congratulations!

But if you don’t see the Bluetooth icon in the system tray, don’t worry, you can try the methods below to solve the problem.

What to do if you can’t turn on Bluetooth on Windows 7

Here are the top 3 ways to fix Bluetooth issues on Windows 7. Just work your way down the list until you find the one that works for you.

Update your Bluetooth driver
Re-enable the Bluetooth driver software in Device Manager
Make sure the Bluetooth Support Service is running

Fix 1: Update your Bluetooth driver

Bluetooth needs the supporting hardware and software to work. When you’re sure your computer is Bluetooth capable but you somehow can’t use it, the most likely cause is a Bluetooth driver problem.

Fortunately, this is also the easiest problem to fix.

There are two ways to update your Bluetooth driver —manually orautomatically .

Update your Bluetooth driver manually — You can update your Bluetooth driver manually by going to the hardware manufacturer’s website, and searching for the latest driver for your Bluetooth. But if you take this approach, be sure to choose the driver that’s compatible with the exact model number of your hardware, and your version of Windows.

Update your Bluetooth driver automatically — If you don’t have the time, patience or skills to update your driver manually, you can, instead, do it automatically with Driver Easy . You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to risk downloading and installing the wrong driver, and you don’t need to worry about making a mistake when installing. Driver Easy handles it all.

Download and install Driver Easy.
Run Driver Easy and click Scan Now . Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
ClickUpdate next to any flagged devices to automatically download the correct version of their drivers, then you can install them manually. Or clickUpdate All to automatically download and install them all automatically. (This requires the Pro version — you’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All. You get full support and a 30-day money back guarantee. )

4. Restart your computer and check if you can turn on Bluetooth now. If you can’t, contact Driver Easy’s support team at**support@drivereasy.com ** for further assistance. They’d be happy to help you. Or you can move on to Fix 2, below.

Fix 2: Re-enable the Bluetooth driver software in Device Manager

Click theStart button, typedevice manager in the search box, and select the matching result.
Expand theBluetooth Radios category. You’ll see the Bluetooth hardware listed there.

If you don’t see the “Bluetooth Radios” category, find your Bluetooth adapter in the “Network adapters” category. It normally contains your network card that you use to connect to wireless or wired networks.

If there is a yellow exclamation mark on the Bluetooth icon, you need to install the proper driver before the Bluetooth will work. SeeHow to install or update the latest Bluetooth driver as mentioned in Fix 1 .

Right-click on your Bluetooth device and select Disable .
Right-click on your device again, then clickEnable .
Click Show hidden icons .

Can you see the Bluetooth icon now? If you do, congratulations. You’ve fixed the problem. But if it’s still not there, try Fix 3, below.

Fix 3: Make sure the Bluetooth Support Service is running

Typeservices in the Start Search, then selectServices to access the Windows Services Manager.
In the list findBluetooth Support Service , right-click on it and selectStart . (If the Start option grayed out, then clickRestart .)
Right-click Bluetooth Support Service again, and this time selectProperties .
Set the startup type toAutomatic . ClickApply , then clickOK .
Now check if you find the Bluetooth icon in the Notification Area.