A popular and somewhat strange question that is often asked to search engines and me in the comments to other articles on this topic. How to make Bluetooth on a computer? It seems to me that many people think that Bluetooth support can be added by changing some settings, or by installing some kind of program. This is partly true, but not always. In this article, I will try to explain what is needed for Bluetooth to work. How to add the ability to connect Bluetooth devices to your computer and how it works.
Now there are many different devices that have the ability to wirelessly connect to a computer via Bluetooth. Among the most popular are mice, keyboards, headphones, speakers, headsets, gamepads, etc. Even a phone or tablet can be connected to a computer over the air. But what if your computer doesn't have Bluetooth? There are no these icons in the tray, buttons and sections in the system parameters, there is no adapter in the device manager, etc. How to add Bluetooth support to Windows?
To be able to connect Bluetooth devices on a stationary computer or laptop, we need:
- The presence of the Bluetooth module (transmitter) in the laptop / PC. In laptops it is built-in, but in stationary computers it is usually not.
- Software (drivers). The driver "tells" the operating system how to work with the device (Bluetooth adapter in our case).
Since I don't know what kind of computer you have (I mean a stationary (system unit), or a laptop), then we will further divide the article into two parts. So it will be easier for me to explain, and for you to understand what needs to be done to enable Bluetooth support.
Bluetooth on laptop
As we already found out, Bluetooth is built-in in laptops. Typically, this is one module (small board) that is connected to the laptop's motherboard. It adds Wi-Fi and BT support. It looks something like this:
There is such a thing in every laptop. And all that is needed for Bluetooth to work is to install the correct driver. Or just turn on this adapter.
I will not tell you how to do this, as this information is in the following articles:
- How do I turn on Bluetooth on my laptop?
- How to enable and configure Bluetooth on a Windows 10 laptop
The required driver can be downloaded without any problems from the laptop manufacturer's website.
Bluetooth on a stationary computer (PC)
Things are a little more complicated here. For the reason that PCs (system units) usually do not have a built-in Bluetooth module (like Wi-Fi). But it's not always the case. Now I looked, there are already many motherboards with built-in Bluetooth / Wi-Fi receiver. Typically, these are not cheap, gaming motherboards. In most cases, if there is Wi-Fi support, then there should be Bluetooth support. For example, in an online store, I found 65 motherboards with built-in Wi-Fi and only 4 of them lacked Bluetooth support.
If you have a new, and especially a gaming motherboard, be sure to check its specifications. The board itself should also have connectors for antennas (or the antennas themselves, which are simply screwed on).
In this case, it is enough to download the necessary driver from the motherboard manufacturer's website and install it.
If you have a motherboard without a built-in Bluetooth / Wi-Fi module, you will have to buy a USB Bluetooth adapter. There are PCIs (which are installed inside the system unit), but there are very few of them and they immediately support Wi-Fi (for example, Asus PCE-AC55BT, PCE-AC55BT).
But there are a lot of Bluetooth adapters that connect to the USB port and that can be used both on PCs and on laptops (if necessary). I have an adapter like this:
We connect it to a PC, install the driver (if the system does not install itself) and get Bluetooth support.
In more detail about the choice of a Bluetooth adapter and how to connect and configure it, I do not talk only for the reason that I did it in separate articles:
- How to choose a Bluetooth adapter for your computer
- Setting up Bluetooth on a computer (PC). Bluetooth adapter connection and driver installation
After setting up, you can connect Bluetooth headphones, speakers, a mouse and even AirPods to your computer with Windows. And the technology from Apple is not very friendly with devices from other manufacturers.
Conclusions: making Bluetooth is not difficult, but one cannot do with programs and settings. You need the module (device) itself. Many are mistaken in this, thinking that this is some kind of program, after the installation of which everything will magically work.
