Unable to connect new pair of Bluetooth headphones without a PIN

Question

Okay this one is a bit of a dozey.

I've gotten a new pair of bluetooth headphones, very nice ones even but I'm having trouble connecting them with my PC. Me and my roommate already tried everything to make it work and here's our progress and problems:

-> The PC does find the headphones but then asked for a PIN. I tried 0000, 1234, 1111, and also entering in pretty much any number on the device or packaging. Nothing works.

-> After a while we figured out a method to pair them without a PIN using the "Add to Personal Area Network" method. Now the headphones appear to be paired, however when I try to connect them, it shows them as "Connected" and then immediately goes back to "Paired", no error message, nothing. I can tell it's doing something though, since my headphones are making a disconnect sound.

-> I also discovered that if I try troubleshooting my Bluetooth in the Settings now, I get a little popup window to add the headphones as a device and that it wants me to put in a PIN again. Still don't have that though and once the troubleshoot is over it also sees no problems.

-> Tried updating any drivers I could. I couldn't update any Bluetooth drivers unfortunately since I'm using a Bluetooth adapter and I couldn't find any drivers for that online.

-> Pairing the Headphones with my phone or my roommate's pc worked without any issues. So I don't believe it's their fault.

My last idea here would be to get a new bluetooth adapter but other than that I'm truly at a loss here. Any and all help is appreciated!

Sorry if any words are off here, I don't have English as the system language.

• Eva

Answer 1

Hello, Eva Weber

Welcome to the Microsoft Community.

Hello, thank you for your feedback on your issue here, it sounds like you're having quite a bit of trouble trying to get your new Bluetooth headset to connect to your computer.

I will provide you with some basic troubleshooting steps for you to try first:

1. Remove all paired devices: Sometimes multiple paired devices can cause conflicts. Please remove all previously paired Bluetooth devices from your computer and try pairing the headset again.
2. Check Bluetooth services: Make sure the necessary Bluetooth services are running. You can do this:

Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.

In the Services window, find and make sure the following services are running and set to Automatic:

Bluetooth Support Service

Bluetooth Handsfree Service

Bluetooth Audio Gateway Service

3. Edit registry: Sometimes, editing the registry can solve the PIN problem:

Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter.

Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BTHPORT\Parameters\Devices.

Find your device and delete its entry. This will force Windows to reinitialize the pairing process.

Disclaimer: Generally, modifying registry subkeys or work group is intended for advanced users, administrators, and IT Professionals. It can help fix some problems, however, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For further protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click How to back up and restore the registry in Windows - Microsoft Support to view the article.

4. Bluetooth adapter driver: Even if you can't find an online driver, try using Windows Update to search for any available Bluetooth adapter updates. Sometimes Windows can find drivers that are not listed on the manufacturer's website.
5. Reset Bluetooth headset: Restore the headset to factory settings. This usually resolves pairing issues. Check the manual for reset instructions.
6. Replace the Bluetooth adapter: It may indeed be a good idea to replace the Bluetooth adapter with a new one, especially one that is known to be compatible with Windows 10.

It is also recommended that you also contact the headset manufacturer's support team for further assistance. They may have specific troubleshooting steps or firmware updates that can fix the problem

Best regards

Bobhe | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 2

Hello Bobhe!

In the end getting a new adapter did fix the problem, I suppose mine had been pretty old by now. Nonetheless thank you for the detailed advice! :)