How to set up Bluetooth in your Window 7 PC

By Gizbot Bureau

| Published: Saturday, February 9, 2019, 11:03 [IST]

Devices attached to your PC can be connected through wires, but after a certain number, this just means clutter. But with the help of Bluetooth, you can connect supported phones, mice, headsets, printers, keyboards, tablets, and many other devices to your computer as long as it supports Bluetooth. It is fairly easy to use Bluetooth but it can prove confusing to new users. In order for two devices to be connected, one (or both) of the devices must be made “discoverable.” And this initial Bluetooth connection process is called as “pairing.” Everything you need to know about setting up Bluetooth in Windows 7 has been listed below:

Turn on the Bluetooth on your computer and device

The first thing that you need to make sure is that Bluetooth has been enabled on your computer. Many laptops come with Bluetooth support but it is possible that it has been disabled by default. You can often find a button on your laptop's keyboard that toggles Bluetooth.

If your device does not have Bluetooth support (many desktops don't), you can buy a cheap Bluetooth adapter. An adapter is a USB dongle that provides Bluetooth access on any machine. The next thing that you will need to do is make sure that Bluetooth is enabled on the device that you want to pair with your computer. Although Bluetooth is enabled by default on Bluetooth mice and headsets, it will be disabled on smartphone and tablets.

Swiping down from the top of the screen to access quick settings and checking whether Bluetooth has been enabled is what you can do in Android devices. iOS users can open Control Center by swiping up from the bottom of the screen (iPhone 8 or earlier) or swiping down from the top-right corner of the screen (iPhone X or later). Tap on the Bluetooth icon in order to enable it.

Make sure the PC and Devices are discoverable

The Bluetooth of both your PC and your device might be discoverable, but that does not mean they can automatically see each other. For a Bluetooth device to see another one, you need to make sure that they are discoverable. This is usually disabled by default for security purposes, this needs to be enabled if you want to connect two devices.

Although you only need to make one of the devices discoverable, it doesn't hurt to do it for both.

To make your Windows 7 PC discoverable, click on the Start button and select Devices and Printers on the right side of the Start menu. Then right-click your computer name (or Bluetooth adapter name) in the list of devices and select Bluetooth settings.

Pair the device

If you have made your PC discoverable, you can select your PC from the list of available devices that show up on your phone or tablet and initiate the pairing process.

You can also find the device through your PC, as long as the device is discoverable. First, click on ‘Add a device' in the Devices and Printers section of Windows 7. If you want to pair a Bluetooth printer, click Add a printer instead.

Windows will search for discoverable Bluetooth devices and present them in the list. Select one and click Next to add it.