You might have come across a situation where you are trying to connect a Bluetooth device to your PC, but you can’t use it because the Bluetooth icon missing in settings. The Bluetooth is not working problem arises because of this issue and very annoying to users. There are several reasons for Bluetooth missing in settings and can be solved by performing some tasks. This guide will explain to you How to fix Windows 10 Bluetooth missing in settings problem in various ways in a very readable manner.
- 1) Reasons for missing Bluetooth in settings/device manager
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10 Ways to fix Windows 10 Bluetooth missing in settings problem
- 3) Solution 1 – Enable Bluetooth support service
- 4) Solution 2 – Set Recovery method of Bluetooth Support services
- 5) Solution 3 – Re-enable Bluetooth Drivers in the device manager
- 6) Solution 4 – Update the Bluetooth Drivers.
- 7) Solution 5 – Install the Bluetooth Drivers from External Sources
- 8) Solution 6 – Run Windows troubleshooter to fix the Bluetooth issue
- 9) Solution 7 – Remove Uncertain software
- 10) Solution 8 – Perform System Restore
- 11) Solution 9 – Connect a USB Bluetooth Adaptor to a PC
- 12) Solution 10 – Go to Service center to repair Bluetooth Hardware.
Reasons for missing Bluetooth in settings/device manager
Your laptop’s Bluetooth might stop working for various reasons. Some of these reasons are
- Freshly installed Windows – Windows installed from scratch may have disabled the support services, and you can’t use Bluetooth unless it is manually started.
- Bluetooth Support Service is disabled – If Bluetooth support service is disabled by any means, you may face Bluetooth missing in settings error.
- After installing some questionable software – Installing a certain software or program that changes the Bluetooth settings or corrupt drivers may stop working the Bluetooth.
- After installing Windows update – Windows update may change the windows settings significantly or may corrupt drivers of Bluetooth. So any harm to drivers may cause windows 1o missing Bluetooth icon to arise.
- If you changed/modify some settings by mistake – Changing some settings unknowingly may stop the Bluetooth from working correctly.
- Bluetooth Drivers get corrupted – Corrupted Bluetooth drivers may cause missing Bluetooth in settings.
10 Ways to fix Windows 10 Bluetooth missing in settings problem
Let’s check some ways to fix this issue. These solutions are performed by us verified. You can start from solution one and head over to the next solution until the Bluetooth icon appears in settings. Also, always perform a system reboot after you perform a solution.
Solution 1 – Enable Bluetooth support service
Bluetooth hardware needs their support services to work correctly on the PC. If the Bluetooth support services are accidentally disabled, the Bluetooth icon missing problem may occur. These services must be manually turned ON to get back the Bluetooth option in the settings.
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- Hold Windows key + R to open the “Run” window.
- Type “services.msc” and hit enter.
- From the shown list of services, locate “Bluetooth support service” and double click on it.
- Now select startup type to “Automatic” from a drop-down list to set the service to run automatically when required.
- Click on the start button to start the service now, and then click OK to close the window.
Now check your settings to see if the Bluetooth icon is showing. If still not showing, go-to solution 2.
Solution 2 – Set Recovery method of Bluetooth Support services
If the Bluetooth Support system fails to start with some errors, it won’t start next time. We need to set the settings such that after being unable to start, support service should start automatically next time once requested. This can be done in the recovery option from the services window.
- Open the Run Window by pressing Windows + R and typing “services.msc.”
- Locate the Bluetooth support service and double-click on it. Here, Go to the recovery tab.
- Now select “Restart the service“ from the drop-down menu for all three options – first failure, second failure, and subsequent failure. Click OK to save changes and close the window.
Once again, go to settings and check whether the Bluetooth option is showing. If Still, Windows 10 Bluetooth Missing in settings exists, follow the next solution.
Solution 3 – Re-enable Bluetooth Drivers in the device manager
Windows 10 Bluetooth icon missing problem may persist if Bluetooth drivers are not installed correctly or didn’t start correctly. You can disable the drivers and re-enable them to fix the missing Bluetooth icon problem.
- Open the “Run” Window by pressing Windows + R and typing “devmgmt.msc” to open the device manager.
- Locate the Bluetooth option and right-click on the driver’s name. Here, click on “disable the device.”
- Now again, right-click on the driver and select “enable device.”
Now Reboot the PC once and go to settings. Your Bluetooth icon missing problem should be fixed. If the problem persists, follow the next solution.
Solution 4 – Update the Bluetooth Drivers.
Bluetooth not working error may occur if Bluetooth drivers are outdated. One method to fix windows 10 Bluetooth missing in settings is to update the Bluetooth drivers with “driver update wizard.”
- Press Windows + R key to open the Run wizard on the computer.
- Type “devmgmt.msc” and hit enter to open a device manager.
- Locate the Bluetooth option and Right-click on the Bluetooth driver.
- Select update driver and choose “Search automatically for updated driver software.”
- Windows now search for a newer version of Bluetooth drivers and, if available, automatically install them.
Now reboot the PC and check the Bluetooth is shown in settings. Still not working? No worries, we have more solutions. 😀
Solution 5 – Install the Bluetooth Drivers from External Sources
If the driver update wizard (in solution 4) shows you “no drivers” or driver is already updated,” then you can try to install drivers manually by downloading them externally.
You can download Drivers from Computer Manufacturer’s website by going to their website and selecting your Computer model. If you can’t find the proper driver or driver is not available on the manufacturer’s website, you have to download them by third-party software.
To download drivers externally, you can use the software that scans all drivers on a PC and updates them automatically by downloading from the internet. One of the great tools to do this is the Driver Pack Solution.
You can install their software by going to https://drp.su/en. Once the software is installed, download the Bluetooth Driver and update it.
Now restart your PC and check whether the problem of the missing Bluetooth icon has been fixed. If not, check the next solution.
Solution 6 – Run Windows troubleshooter to fix the Bluetooth issue
![[Solved] 10 ways to fix Windows 10 Bluetooth Missing in Settings problem 6 way to fix bluetooth missing in settings problem](https://saygeeks.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/bluetooth-troubleshooting-wizard.png)
One of the solutions to the Windows 10 Bluetooth not working problem is to run a troubleshooting wizard. Windows has integrated troubleshoot wizard to correct some common errors related to devices and features. This wizard can fix the Bluetooth missing in the settings problem. You just have to open a troubleshooter from the control panel and launch it for Bluetooth.
- Go to Settings and select update and security; from here, select the troubleshooting option from the left menu. For Windows 7, go to the control panel – select ‘View By‘ to large icons, and click on troubleshooting.
- Now from the various features shown in the list, locate the Bluetooth service and click on it.
- Now click run the troubleshoot wizard and wait for it to finish.
- The wizard may ask you some questions during the troubleshooting process and narrow down the possible cause and fix it faster. Just select the appropriate options and go ahead.
Once all the process is completed, check for the Bluetooth icon to have started displaying. Not lucky this time also? No worries, head over to the next solution; you may get lucky :).
Solution 7 – Remove Uncertain software
Sometimes Installing new software may change some system settings without informing. This can be one of the issues that cause Bluetooth missing in settings. If Bluetooth stops showing right after installing some software, you can try removing it to fix the problem.
Head over to the Control Panel –> Settings and select Programs /Apps, and select the recently installed software from the list. Choose to uninstall it and if asked, remove the stored settings of the software as well.
Solution 8 – Perform System Restore
Bluetooth may go missing if you change some settings unknowingly or by mistake. Restoring the system to the previous backup point can revert the missing Bluetooth icon in settings.
- Head over to the main menu by clicking the windows icon at the bottom left.
- Type and search “System Restore” and open it.
- Select the restore point where the Bluetooth was working.
- Click on the Restore button.
- The system will reboot itself and take some time to restore it to the previous state.
Once done, restart the PC and check the Bluetooth icon appearing in the settings.
Solution 9 – Connect a USB Bluetooth Adaptor to a PC
![[Solved] 10 ways to fix Windows 10 Bluetooth Missing in Settings problem 7 way to fix bluetooth missing in settings problem](https://saygeeks.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Bluetooth-Adaptor-to-fix-bluetooth-missing-problem-300x200.png)
If none of the above solutions works for you, there is the possible possibility that your inbuilt Bluetooth Device is stopped working permanently.
An alternate solution for missing Bluetooth in settings is to add a USB Bluetooth dongle to a computer. This device acts as the hardware for Bluetooth. Don’t forget to install the Bluetooth drivers for that particular modem. Driver installation disk usually comes with the dongle box itself.
Solution 10 – Go to Service center to repair Bluetooth Hardware.
The final step is to replace the hardware of the Bluetooth device if none of the solutions works for you and you don’t want to add a Bluetooth dongle. You can go to the service center if under warranty to repair it.
Bluetooth not working problem may occur due to missing Bluetooth icon in settings. I hope this article helped you fix the problem, and the Bluetooth icon is now appearing in settings. If you have trouble using any of the solutions, you can comment on your issues in the comment section below.