Bluetooth suddenly stopped working while using my device. Now there is no bluetooth at all.

Question

I was working on my laptop this morning using my bluetooth mouse and headphones. All of a sudden they both disconnected, so I went to bluetooth settings to reconnect. I could not reconnect because the bluetooth on/off switch disappeared, so there is no way for me to turn it back on. I have tried updating my computer through windows update, I have tried updating drivers through devise manager, I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling drivers. Nothing has worked.

Now bluetooth will not even show up in Device Manager, even when I select "show hidden devices". I tried to run the bluetooth troubleshooter and it just tells me "devise does not have bluetooth" which is pretty ridiculous considering I was using my BLUETOOTH mouse and headphones less than an hour ago.

Any insight on how to resolve this would be great.

I am using windows 10 x64. It is up to date, I have run windows update several times through this process.

The computer is a Dell XPS 13

I have tried to download and update drivers from both Microsoft and Dell, neither works.

How do I fix this??

Answer 1

1. In the search box on the taskbar, type Device Manager, select it from the list of results, and then expand Other devices in Device Manager.

There is no "other devices" in Device Manager.

Answer 2

Thanks for your response. If you don't see the Bluetooth device in Device Manager, that means the system is not recognizing it during boot. Conflicts with the Bluetooth modules in BIOS could be the caused of this issue. I would suggest that you try turning off Bluetooth in BIOS, reboot your computer and turn it back on. You may also contact the manufacturer of your device for further assistance on how to change settings in BIOS.

Disclaimer: Modifying BIOS/ complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) settings incorrectly can cause serious problems that may prevent your computer from booting properly. Microsoft cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the configuring of BIOS/CMOS settings can be solved. Modifications of the settings are at your own risk.

If the issue persists, I would suggest that you submit this using the Feedback Hub. You can either vote on an existing submission or submit a new issue. When you submit a feedback item, we gather additional details and information about your issue that will help determine what’s causing it and address it. Feedback items regularly receive Microsoft responses on the submissions in the Feedback app so you can see what we are doing about your feedback. Please revisit frequently to see the status of your feedback items.

In order to submit new feedback, please follow these steps:

1. On a Windows 10 device, search for “Feedback Hub” in Cortana search, then launch the app.
2. Navigate to Feedback in the left menu, then press + Add new feedback.
3. Select the Problem, and share any details you think are relevant, and choose an appropriate category and subcategory.
4. Important: If possible, reproduce the problem(s) after clicking Begin monitoring (or Start capture) near the end of the form; Stop monitoring when you’re done.
5. Once you’ve completed the form and monitoring, click Submit.
6. Click Continue using Feedback Hub.
7. Click My feedback at the top, then find the item you submitted (it may take a while to appear).
8. Open the item you submitted, then click Share.
9. Click Copy link, then paste the link here in your response (it will look like https://aka.ms/<unique link>).

Should you have further queries, feel free to post it.

Answer 3

Hi turbodessel,

Bluetooth might not appear in Device Manager if the existing Bluetooth driver isn’t compatible with Windows 10. Try these steps to find a compatible driver:

1. In the search box on the taskbar, type Device Manager, select it from the list of results, and then expand Other devices in Device Manager.
2. Select the unknown device, press and hold (or right-click) it, and then select Properties.
3. Select the Details tab, and then select Hardware Ids from the Property list.

Look for the hardware ID for the Bluetooth radio. The hardware ID typically looks like this, where { ID} is a series of numbers and/or letters: USB\VID_{ID}&PID_{ID}. 4. Press and hold (or right-click) the hardware ID, and then select Copy. 5. Search on the web for the hardware ID you copied to try finding the name of the Bluetooth radio manufacturer. After that, visit the Bluetooth hardware or your PC manufacturer’s website to download a Bluetooth driver that’s compatible with Windows 10.

If the steps above didn’t help you get Bluetooth working, we’d like to know. To send us feedback, open the Feedback Hub, select Add new feedback, and then explain the problem you’re having. If possible, include the hardware ID from above.

Should you need further assistance, don't hesitate to get back to us.