HP laptop Bluetooth connection problems are nothing new.
If you’ve owned an HP laptop, then eventually a Bluetooth connection issue will rear its ugly head and you’ll have to trawl the support forums trying to get it to work again.
Here are some solutions to the typical Bluetooth connection issues you may experience with both Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Check that Bluetooth is turned on by right-clicking the notification area of your taskbar. Then select “Open action center”. Left-click the Bluetooth tab to switch it on. Check your Bluetooth device in the settings menu to see that it is switched on and that the battery is fully charged.
Access the settings menu by left-clicking on the start button and then clicking the settings icon. You’ll see all the Bluetooth devices that are registered on your laptop listed on the right side of the screen. You will also see whether your Bluetooth is at the top of the list.
If your Bluetooth is switched off, the slider will be to the left and it will be labeled “Off”. Clicking on the slider will turn Bluetooth on. You can confirm this by the change of color. The slider moves to the right and it is labeled “On”.
You can then select your Bluetooth device from the menu on the left and adjust its settings. If the device you wish to connect to is not visible, click the “+” tab at the top of the page to add the Bluetooth device you want.
Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on June 20, 2022.
Troubleshoot HP Laptop Bluetooth Not Connecting
There are a variety of reasons for your Bluetooth device not connecting. To troubleshoot the cause, follow these simple steps.
Open the start menu and type “services”. Click the services app option and look for the Bluetooth services listed on the next screen. Double-click each instance and, under Startup Type, click the drop-down menu and select “Automatic”. Check the service status and if it is not running, click “start”.
Don’t forget to hit “Apply” and then “OK” before moving on to the next instance.
You can now try to use your Bluetooth device and see whether it works correctly. If it does not, reboot your laptop and try the device again.
If you can still not connect to your Bluetooth device then click the Start button and type in “troubleshoot”. The best match option, “Troubleshoot” should appear at the top, above system settings. Left-click on it and a troubleshooting window will open.
Scroll down until you reach the option to “Find and fix other problems”. Left-click the Bluetooth option in the menu and then click on the button marked “Run the troubleshooter”. A window will appear as Windows is detecting problems. The progress bar will indicate how far the program is in testing and checking various known Bluetooth connection issues, services, and settings.
Once it has finished troubleshooting, a window will reveal possible problems and the solution. You can click next for the program to run any additional checks. Once it has completed the tasks, it will bring up a message letting you know that the process is complete.
If it is not able to sort out a problem, it will give you a summary of the issue and have a yellow triangle with an exclamation point next to it.
The troubleshooter can walk you through the process of connecting to your Bluetooth device so long as there is nothing physically wrong with the device. If you continue to experience problems connecting your device, then it is a good idea to try connecting it to another laptop or having a technician check it out to see that it is functioning correctly.
You can restart your laptop after completing all the steps to see that it is working correctly.
HP Laptop Won’t Connect to Bluetooth Headphones
One of the benefits of having a Bluetooth-enabled laptop is the ability to wirelessly connect to headphones.
With the prevalence of working from home, in coffee shops, and in co-working spaces, the ability to block out surrounding noise through the use of noise-canceling headphones, is a real boost to productivity.
If your HP laptop won’t connect to Bluetooth headphones, you may see a “Hardware not Found” error. Click the Windows key and type “device manager”. Click the “Device Manager” option above the Control Panel. Double-click the Bluetooth option and select the Driver tab. Click “Update Driver”.
You’ll have the option to allow Windows to search automatically for drivers and, when it finds them, to install them on your device.
Windows may indicate that the best driver is already installed. If it does, and your Bluetooth headphones are still not working, select the option to search for updates on the latest Windows Update.
You will be given the option to check for the latest Windows updates. This process may take a few minutes. After it is finished, you can continue updating the Bluetooth driver.
You can also select to download any additional updates. Select the option to download optional updates and wait for Windows to present you with a list of drivers that it thinks can help restore functionality to your laptop.
Tick the boxes next to the drivers that are relevant to your Bluetooth headphones and download and install them.
Depending on how long it has been since you last downloaded Windows updates, the process could take several minutes to over an hour. The updates window will show you the progress of each of the downloads you initiated.
You can let the drivers and updates continue in the background while you continue with other work. Just minimize the window and a message will appear to inform you that the downloads are complete and that the drivers have been installed.
Reboot your laptop and test to see if your headphones work.
HP Laptop Won’t Connect to Bluetooth Speaker
Setting up speakers for your laptop can be a pain, especially if you’re short of plug points.
And if you want to play music in another room, then running cables and positioning the speakers can just be too much hassle.
Bluetooth speakers can solve the problems of connecting conventional speakers to your laptop, but they can sometimes refuse to connect.
If your HP laptop won’t connect to a Bluetooth speaker, click the sound icon so that you can select your preferred playback device. Set the default audio device to the Bluetooth speaker. You may also reinstall the laptop Bluetooth driver. You can do this under Windows device manager settings.
To reinstall your Bluetooth driver in Windows 10, click the start button and type “Device Manager”. Select the device manager option above the Control Panel and click on the Bluetooth adapter.
You can right-click on the Bluetooth driver and then select the option to “Uninstall Device”. A window will pop up with the option to delete the driver software as well. Tick this box too and then click the uninstall button.
If you have Windows updates enabled, the service will download the latest driver update and install the Bluetooth driver for you.
If it is not enabled, you can navigate to the Settings app and select the Updates & Security option. There you have the option to select the latest Windows update. After downloading and installing the driver, you can restart the laptop and your problem should be solved.
HP Laptop Bluetooth Connected But No Sound
Once the Bluetooth drivers are installed and working correctly on your laptop, you should have no problem connecting to your audio devices.
If a laptop’s Bluetooth device is connected but there’s no sound, then the solution is to check that the sound is turned up on the Bluetooth speaker. Click the speaker icon on the taskbar and select the playback device. Select the sound settings and move the slider right to increase the volume.
If the sound still doesn’t play, try reinstalling or updating the Bluetooth driver.
You can do this by accessing the Device Manager from the taskbar. Click on the Bluetooth device driver and then right-click and select “update driver”. You then have the option to automatically search for the latest updated driver software.
If Windows cannot find an update, go back, and select the Driver to uninstall it. Once the drivers are uninstalled, switch off your laptop and then reboot it.
Windows will install generic drivers for your Bluetooth devices, after which you can pair your speaker with the laptop again and see if your speaker is working properly.
HP Laptop Bluetooth Keeps Disconnecting
While Bluetooth connectivity is very convenient, it can be very annoying when it doesn’t work properly.
When HP laptop’s Bluetooth keeps disconnecting from your mouse, keyboard, or headphones, re-install or update your Bluetooth drivers. Make sure that you turn the energy-saving option off for each of the Bluetooth devices. You can also re-pair the devices, and set the Bluetooth services to automatic.
You may find that uploading a previous Bluetooth device driver solves the problem of it continually disconnecting.
If that does not work, then you can access the service menu options by typing “services” after clicking the Windows start button. Double-click each of the Bluetooth options and set the “Startup type” to automatic.
If the service is not running, then click the start button, click “apply” and then “OK”.
Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on June 20, 2022.
If all else fails, you can update your BIOS. This is best done by someone who knows what they are doing as changing the wrong setting can cause your laptop to become non-functional.
Related Articles
HP Laptop Freezes/Crashes After/During Update
HP Laptop Bluetooth Not Working
HP Laptop HDMI Not Working (How to Troubleshoot)
ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on June 20, 2022.