Windows 10

Configuring Your Bluetooth Adapter

If you plan to share a single Internet account among several computers or Bluetooth devices, you should install your first Bluetooth USB adapter in the computer that connects directly to the router. That will give other Bluetooth devices that you add later easy access to the Internet through that computer's Internet connection.

After you've installed a Bluetooth adapter, or if your device is itself a Bluetooth device, you'll find a new icon named Bluetooth in the Settings applet. You also can view Bluetooth information in the Device Manager.

To view the Devices list, choose Settings, click Devices. The Bluetooth menu option that appears in Settings when a Bluetooth device is attached or built into the computer.

To see how the same device looks in Device Manager, show the desktop and press Windows+X. Choose Device Manager and expand the Bluetooth list. Your list may be different from the one shown here, but the important point is that you can view and manage the Bluetooth device in this list as well as in the Devices app.

You will have a Bluetooth icon (which looks very similar to the letter B) in the notification area of the Windows desktop taskbar. The Bluetooth Settings screen is your central point for installing Bluetooth. To open that screen, click Settings from the Start menu, or doubleclick the Bluetooth Devices notification area icon. Initially, the Devices list is empty. If you don't see a Bluetooth Devices icon in the notification area, make sure to select the Show the Bluetooth Icon in the Notification Area check box.

As you install devices and join devices to a Bluetooth PAN, you see the names of those devices listed on that screen.

The shortcut icon that appears when you right-click the notification area provides options for adding a Bluetooth device, sending and receiving files, and joining a PAN.

Adding Bluetooth-Enabled Devices

Many types of Bluetooth devices are available on the market. Most have some means of making the device discoverable (visible) to other devices. Whether you have to make your PC discoverable to install a device depends on the type of installation you're about to perform. As always, you need to read the documentation that came with your device for specifics.

On the shortcut menu for the Bluetooth Devices notification icon, clicking the Add a Bluetooth Device option opens the Settings window with the Devices option showing. Windows attempts to locate any devices available. The sections that follow show you how easily you can connect Bluetooth devices to your laptop or computer. This example shows you how to connect a smartphone to your computer. We then walk you through the process of transferring files to and from that device.

Connecting a smartphone

To add a smartphone to your computer using Bluetooth, you must have a device that supports Bluetooth. Also, your computer or laptop must have built-in Bluetooth or a Bluetooth adapter plugged into it.

Use the following steps to connect the device to your Windows computer:

On the Windows 10 desktop, click the Bluetooth icon on the notification bar.
Click Add a Bluetooth Device. The Devices screen appears.
Turn on the Bluetooth feature on the device. In the example shown, we're going to add an iPhone. How you do that depends on the version of your device and the model of phone. The device listed uses the Settings menu in the iPhone. From there, you can turn on the Bluetooth feature and then use the Bluetooth settings item to make the phone discoverable. Windows searches for all Bluetooth devices that are nearby, including the phone.
When the computer and phone find each other. Click the item you want to connect with in Windows.
Click the Pair button.
A message appears on both your phone and in Windows. A passcode should appear that is identical on both devices. If they are, click Pair on your phone (at least in the case of an Apple iPhone 6 or above; your message may vary depending on the smartphone you use) and Yes in Windows to set up the Bluetooth connection.
Windows sets up a connection between the two devices.

Note:
On some devices, you may need to type in the passcode that appears on the Windows screen. If so, be aware that you have a short amount of time to enter the code (approximately 60 seconds) before Windows and your device decide that you don't want a connection at this time. If the passcode screen disappears, restart the connection process to get the two devices to "see" each other again.

Joining a personal area network

After your two devices are connected, you can join them as a PAN so you can transfer files between them using the Bluetooth connection. To do so, follow these steps:

Click the Bluetooth icon on the desktop notification bar.
Click the Join a Personal Area Network option. The Devices and Printers window appears.
Click the device you want to join to the PAN, which in our case is a printer.
Click Connect Using ➪ Access Point. Once connected to the PAN, the command choices change to Disconnect from Device Network. Your device will say something like Connected to PAN or similar.

Now that your devices are joined to a PAN, you can transfer files between them, print to a Bluetooth printer, and so on. Read the following two sections to find out how to do this.

Receiving files from a Bluetooth device

You can't do much when you connect a smartphone to a computer via Bluetooth. One feature that is handy, however, is the feature to send files from your phone to Windows.

You can, for example, send picture or video files from your phone to your computer. To do this, follow these steps:

Click the Bluetooth icon on the desktop notification bar.
Click Receive a File. The Bluetooth File Transfer window appears. Windows 10 now waits until files from your phone begin transmitting to your computer.
On your phone, locate the feature that enables you to send files to a remote location or a media-sharing app. Some Android-based phones include an app called Media Share. With this app, you can share media files (pictures, videos, and audio) with devices on a Bluetooth connection.
On your phone, select the file you want to transfer to Windows and transfer it.
In Windows, the Bluetooth File Transfer window shows device information, file information, and progress of the file transfer.

Sending files to a Bluetooth device

Not only does Windows 10 make receiving files from a Bluetooth device, such as an Androidbased smartphone, easy; it also simplifies sending them to the device. Follow these steps:

Click the Bluetooth icon on the desktop notification bar.
Click Send a File.
Select the Bluetooth device to which you want to send the file.
Click Next.
Specify the path and name of the file you want to share. Use the Browse button to locate the file(s) to send. If you choose multiple files, they're separated by a semicolon.
Click Next. The Bluetooth File Transfer window appears showing the progress of the file being sent. Make sure your other device is turned on. You may need to confirm the file transfer on your other device.

Windows sends the file(s) from your computer to your other device. Depending on the size of the files, the transfer process may take several minutes.