unknown device bluetooth

Question

When pairing a new bluetooth device, windows identifies many "unknown devices" so it's impossible to determine which device to connect to. How can this be resolved?

Answer 1

Dear Denise Lengyel,

This issue occurs when the Windows Bluetooth stack's device cache becomes corrupted or when the Bluetooth driver fails to properly resolve device names during discovery. To resolve this, you must clear the cached Bluetooth devices and reset the Bluetooth stack.

First, remove all paired and cached devices from the system. Open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Devices and manually remove every listed Bluetooth device by clicking the three-dot menu next to each and selecting Remove device. If there are too many or they are listed as "unknown," proceed to clear the cache via the registry.

Open the Registry Editor (regedit) and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Bluetooth\Devices. Back up this key by right-clicking it and selecting Export. Then, delete the entire Devices folder. Close the registry editor and restart your computer. This forces Windows to rebuild the device cache from scratch.

If the problem persists, reinstall the Bluetooth driver. Open Device Manager, expand Bluetooth, right-click your Bluetooth adapter, and select Uninstall device. Check the box that says "Attempt to remove the driver software for this device" and confirm. Then, restart your computer. Windows will reinstall the driver upon reboot. Alternatively, download the latest Bluetooth driver from your motherboard or laptop manufacturer's website and install it manually.

After these steps, put your target Bluetooth device into pairing mode and attempt to pair again. Windows should now display the correct device name. If multiple "unknown" devices still appear, temporarily disable other nearby Bluetooth devices to reduce interference during pairing.

I hope you've found something useful here. If it helps you get more insight into the issue, it's appreciated to ACCEPT ANSWER then. Should you have more questions, feel free to leave a message. Have a nice day!

VPHAN

Answer 2

Hi PrincessAJ_397,

If that "Bluetooth" folder is missing from your registry, it means you don't have a corrupt user-level cache, so we can stop looking there. Since the Registry path wasn't the issue, the "Unknown Device" flood is likely caused by the Bluetooth Service holding onto old data in its temporary memory, or old "Ghost" drivers hiding in Device Manager. Here are some methods you can try (in order):

Method 1: The "Hidden" Device Manager Cleanup (Most Effective)

Windows often keeps old pairing data hidden. If we don't delete these "ghosts," the new list will keep getting confused: Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager => Click the View menu at the top and select Show hidden devices => Expand the Bluetooth section.

You will likely see many grayed-out icons or devices named "Unknown" or "Low Energy Device."

Right-click and Uninstall every single device that is grayed out.

Optional but recommended: Also uninstall your main Bluetooth Adapter (e.g., Intel Wireless Bluetooth, Realtek Bluetooth) from this list.

Restart your computer. (Windows will automatically reinstall the main adapter fresh when you reboot).

Method 2: Change Discovery to "Advanced" (Windows 11 only)

If you are on Windows 11, there is a specific setting that forces Windows to try harder to identify "Unknown" devices: Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Devices.

Scroll down to Device settings => Look for "Bluetooth devices discovery" =>Change the setting from Default to Advanced.

Wait a few seconds, then try to add your device again.

Method 3: The "Airplane Mode" Reset

Since we can't clear the registry cache, we can force the radio to flush its current temporary list: Open your Settings or click the internet/volume icon on your taskbar =>Turn On Airplane Mode.

Wait 10 seconds =>Turn Off Airplane Mode =>Immediately try to pair your device again.

One final tip: If you still see a list of "Unknown devices," these are often smart home devices (like lightbulbs or TVs) in your neighbors' apartments/houses broadcasting a signal. Bring your device and your laptop/PC to a different room (away from walls shared with neighbors) to see if the correct name pops up faster.

I hope you've found something useful here. If it helps you get more insight into the issue, it's appreciated to ACCEPT ANSWER. Should you have more questions, feel free to leave a message. Have a nice day!

VP