I recently bought myself Bluetooth headphones, and decided to write a small instruction on how to connect them to a laptop or a computer on which Windows 10 is installed. In fact, everything is very simple there. And if all is well, then the connection process takes less than a minute. But there are times when something doesn't work out. For example, it is not possible to turn on Bluetooth in Windows 10, the computer does not see the wireless headphones, the connection fails, the sound does not play, etc. Therefore, in this instruction I will show you how to connect Bluetooth headphones to the computer. And if something does not go according to plan, some error appears, or other problems arise, then you describe your case in the comments. I will try to help everyone.
Bluetooth is much better in Windows 10 than in previous versions. The system itself almost always automatically finds and installs the Bluetooth adapter driver, understands which device you have connected to the computer and how to "communicate" with it. After connecting my JBL E45BT headphones to an ASUS laptop via Bluetooth, I realized that at least something in Windows 10 is working stably.
In the settings of playback devices, I set everything up in such a way that after turning off the power to the headphones, the sound automatically goes to the speakers. And after turning on the headphones, literally in a couple of seconds they automatically connect to the laptop and the sound goes to the headphones. That is, once I set up the connection, and then the headphones are connected automatically. I will also write about this at the end of the article. You may find this information useful.
What do you need to connect Bluetooth headphones to a computer or laptop?
There are several nuances:
- If you have a laptop, it probably has a built-in Bluetooth adapter. It is very easy to check by looking at the specifications of your laptop. All you need to do is install the driver on the Bluetooth adapter if Windows 10 hasn't installed it itself. Most often, the driver is installed automatically. In the options, under "Devices", you should have a "Bluetooth and other devices" tab. I wrote about this in more detail in the article: How to enable and configure Bluetooth on a laptop with Windows 10.
- If you have a stationary computer (PC), then most likely there is no Bluetooth on it. Although, if I'm not mistaken, some new motherboards have a built-in adapter. If it is not there, then you will not be able to connect the headphones. But there is a solution, you can buy a USB Bluetooth adapter. How to choose it, I wrote in the article Bluetooth adapter for a computer. How to choose. It connects to the USB port of a computer, a driver is installed on it (automatically, from a disc included, or from the Internet), and you can connect your Bluetooth headphones to a PC. The price for such adapters is low. Like a pack of good chips 🙂 Of course, there are also expensive models.
And of course, we need the headphones themselves, which can be connected via the Bluetooth connection. This is usually written on the packaging, specifications, etc.
Connecting Bluetooth headphones to Windows 10
I think it's best to do everything step by step. This will make it more understandable, and it's easier for me to write instructions.
1First you need to enable Bluetooth on our laptop or PC. If not already enabled. If enabled, there should be a blue icon on the notification bar. And if it is not there, then you can open the notification center and turn it on by clicking on the corresponding button.
But you don't have to do this, but go straight to the parameters and activate it there.
2Open Start and select Settings. There, go to the section called "Devices". See screenshot.
The status should be "Connected", or "Connected voice, music".
After turning on the power of the headphones, they should automatically connect to the computer. This is how it works for me, without any additional settings. But the sound may not automatically go to the headphones. It needs to be switched in the control of playback devices. Now I will tell you how to fix it. Make sure that after turning on the headphones, the sound from the computer is automatically played through them. And after disconnecting - through the speakers, or built-in laptop speakers.
Automatically switch audio to Bluetooth headphones
We go to "Playback devices".
Update. After the next update of Windows 10, the settings have changed slightly. To open the menu shown below, after right-clicking, select "Sounds" and go to the "Playback" tab.
Or select "Open Sound Options" from the menu and set the required device for audio input and output in the options.
It will choose your Bluetooth headphones as an output device, or an input (if you have headphones with a microphone and you need it).
Then right-click on the headphones and select "Use as default".
That's all. When I turn on my headphones, they automatically connect and music starts playing through them. When I turn it off, the speakers sound. Very comfortably.
Possible connection problems
Let's look at a few common problems:
- Problem: in computer settings there is no Bluetooth button and a section in the parameters. Decision: you need to install the driver on the Bluetooth adapter. Check if it is in the device manager. You also need to make sure that your computer has the adapter itself. On stationary computers, they usually do not. You need to use external ones that are connected via USB.
- Problem: the computer cannot find the headphones. Do not connect to a computer.Decision: make sure the headphones are turned on and searchable. The indicator on the headphones should flash blue. Disable them and enable them again. They should also be located near the computer. You can try connecting them to another device. For example, to a smartphone.
- Problem: headphones are connected to the computer, but there is no sound. Do not play sound.Decision: set them to "Use as default" in Windows 10 settings. As I showed above.
In some cases, you may need to install drivers, or a program that can be downloaded from the manufacturer's website for your Bluetooth stereo headset. In my case, there were no problems, everything works like a clock. If something doesn't work out for you, write about it in the comments.
