Let me start with the fact that almost every laptop has a built-in Bluetooth module. Not even on the newest models. This means that Bluetooth on a laptop should work without installing additional devices. I will introduce the USB adapters that are needed for desktop computers. Since there simply is no built-in module. Although, on some motherboards There is already built-in Bluetooth.
In this article I will try to show in detail how to enable Bluetooth on a laptop. How to do it in operating system Windows 10, Windows 8 (8.1) and Windows 7. I’ll also show you how to configure wireless module and connect to laptop different devices. I have a mouse connected to my laptop via Bluetooth and wireless headphones. Very comfortably. You can also connect, for example, wireless speaker, keyboard, mobile phone etc.
Everything you need for Bluetooth operation on a laptop is installed driver. The driver must be downloaded and installed from the official website of the laptop manufacturer. For your model and installed system Windows. But don’t rush to go to the manufacturer’s website and download drivers. It is quite possible that you already have everything installed and working. Especially if you have Windows 10 installed. As a rule, it installs itself necessary drivers. Then you just need to turn on Bluetooth in the laptop settings and you can use it.
Where to find Bluetooth on a laptop and how to turn it on?
Most likely, you already have everything turned on and everything is working. Regardless installed Windows, if the Bluetooth driver is installed, there will be a blue “Bluetooth Devices” icon in the notification panel. This means it is turned on and ready to go. Check on your laptop. In rare cases, this icon may be disabled in Settings.
By clicking on this icon, you can perform various operations: add a device, show connected devices, receive/send a file, configure the adapter itself, etc.
If you don’t have such an icon, then there are three options:
- Bluetooth is disabled on the laptop and needs to be turned on.
- Removed the BT icon itself from the notification panel.
- Or the required driver is not installed.
Let's try to turn it on.
BT on Windows 10
The easiest way is to open the notification center and click on the appropriate button.
Or go to the settings, then to the "Devices" section, and on the "Bluetooth and other devices" tab, turn on the module with the slider.
I wrote a separate article on Windows 10: . After this, an icon should appear in the notification panel, as I showed above.
How to connect the device?
Click on "Add Bluetooth or other device" and select the appropriate item in the next window.
Turn on Bluetooth on a laptop with Windows 8 and 8.1
Opening the side panel (can be a combination Win keys dows + C) and select "Options". Next, click on “Change computer settings.” Go to the "Bluetooth" section and turn on the module with the switch.
Windows will begin searching for available devices to connect to.
An icon should appear on the notification panel through which you can manage connections.
How to activate Bluetooth in Windows 7?
If there is no blue icon on the notification panel, then go to Network and Sharing Center shared access" – "Changing adapter settings" and see if the "Network" adapter is there bluetooth connection". If not, then install the driver for your laptop model, or check for the adapter in the device manager (more on this later in the article). And if there is, then see if it is turned on. It may need to be enabled on the laptop.
How to connect the device?
Click on the "Bluetooth" icon and select "Add a device..."
A new window will open, in which connect your device following the instructions.
Or go to the "Control Panel", in the "Devices and Printers" section. And click on the "Add device" button. You can also open the properties of "Bluetooth Adapter" and enable the display of the icon in the notification area. This will make it easier to connect and manage devices.
How to check and enable Bluetooth in Device Manager on a laptop?
If you cannot find Bluetooth on your laptop, there are no settings, adapter, buttons, icons, etc., then most likely the necessary drivers are not installed. You need to go to device manager and check this. Or maybe you just need to use a BT adapter.
Open Device Manager. You can right-click on My Computer and select Properties. In the new window, go to "Device Manager". Or press the keyboard shortcut Win+R and run the command devmgmt.msc.
There you should see a "Bluetooth" section (may be called differently in Windows 7), which will contain the module itself (the name may also be different). This is what I have on my laptop:
If it exists, but with an "arrow" (icon next to the adapter), then just right-click on it and select “Engage”.
Perhaps you don’t have anything similar to Blues in your device manager. In this case, you need to download and install the driver.
Go to the official website of your laptop manufacturer. Through the search (or menu), find your model, and in the “Support”, “Downloads”, etc. section, download the driver to Bluetooth module. Install it, restart your laptop and after that everything should work.
Dear friends!
Sometimes there is a need connecting your smartphone or tablet to personal computer(PC), for example, for sharing files, resetting photos or videos, saving some important data, etc.
One of the most simple ways connecting your device to a PC or laptop is connection via USB cable. As another alternative method, you can use the well-known Bluetooth technology. But alas, this method is less popular and in this article we will only consider the method with a USB cable.
We take a standard USB cable and connect it.
1. After connecting the cable, the computer should hear a standard connection sound " New device" and a window should appear with the text "Connecting a new device" or " Installing drivers».
2. In just a couple of seconds, a message will appear in the notification bar on your mobile device. USB icon" in the form of a trident. By opening the notification shade and clicking on the USB line, we will see the connection settings. As a rule, it is enough to leave the bird in the " position Connected as a multimedia device (MTP)." In this mode, all files are visible. If you need to reset only pictures, you can use the second mode. But only pictures will be visible in it.
3. On your computer, in the secondary pop-up window, select “Open device to view files.” On the PC, a new device appears in the list of drives ( Portable player). By clicking on it, we see internal storage smartphone (memory card) and, if available, external storage (external SD memory card).
In the second mode (Connect as a camera):
The same on the tablet:
One important note . If your PC does not want to see your mobile phone or tablet, check the “USB debugging” setting. If it is turned off, then you will not be able to connect your device to the PC. To do this, go to " Settings" => "Developer Options" => "USB Debugging" and put a tick here.
Good luck to you, see you again on the pages of the site.
To keep up to date with new products on the site, I recommend subscribing to the periodic weekly mailing “Tales of the Old User” on the Subscribe.ru portal.
Among possible reasons- incorrect connection actions, outdated or incorrectly configured software, malfunctions of USB cables, ports or devices themselves.
Follow the tips listed below, they can save you from many connection problems.
How to properly connect Android devices to your computer via USB
If you have Windows, ignore this paragraph. If you're using macOS, install Android File Transfer.
Make sure that mobile device turned on and connect it to your computer. Then lower the notification panel on the gadget - you will see a special switch. Click on it and select the “File Transfer” mode in the menu that appears. Mode names may differ depending on Android versions and device model.
After these steps, the computer should see the mobile device. On Windows it will appear in Explorer, on macOS it will appear in the Android File Transfer window. But in the case of a Mac, you will need OS X 10.5 and Android 3.0 or later versions of these OSes, otherwise it will not work.
How to properly connect iOS devices to your computer via USB
Make sure your mobile device is turned on and unlocked, then connect it to your computer. The first time, iOS will ask for permission to access media files and you will need to give it.
In the case of a Windows PC, the connected iPhone or iPad will appear in Explorer in the media devices section. They will appear like regular digital cameras - you can view and copy photos and videos. To access other data, you will have to use iTunes, which can be downloaded from the Apple website. The registration procedure will not cause any difficulties; you just need to follow the prompts of the setup wizard.
On Mac things are a little simpler. iTunes is already included with macOS, so it will launch automatically when you connect your iPhone or iPad. Interaction with content is carried out through a media harvester, but iTunes is not needed to access media files. It will help to view and import them standard application“Photos”, which also launches automatically when iOS devices are connected.
What to do if the computer does not see the USB device
1. Disconnect unnecessary USB devices from your computer.
2. Try connecting through a different cable or port.
3. Restart your computer and mobile device.
4. If you have Windows, update the driver required to recognize the USB device.
Run command line (Windows keys+ R), paste into it devmgmt.msc and press Enter. When Device Manager opens, find the connected gadget in the list of equipment.
Right-click on the device and select “Update driver” → “Search for drivers on this computer” → “Select a driver from the list of available drivers on your computer.”
In the list of drivers, check " USB MTP device» and click next to reinstall.
5. If your device doesn't show up in iTunes, please use Apple's guide to resolve the issue.
6. Update the operating systems on your computer and mobile device to current versions. If you are using Windows Vista or XP, first try installing the MTP protocol by downloading it from the Microsoft website.
7. Check the functionality of the port in the gadget by connecting it to another computer. If the problem persists, contact the manufacturer's support team.
What to do if the computer does not see the device connected via Bluetooth
If you encounter visibility problems when connecting via Bluetooth, try the following measures. Do these steps one at a time and maybe one of them will help you.
1. Make sure that Bluetooth is turned on on both devices, and that visibility mode for all other devices is activated in the settings on each of them. On iOS, these settings are included in the AirDrop service, available in Control Center.
2. Place your tablet or smartphone closer to your computer.
3. Restart your computer and mobile device.
4. If the devices successfully connected to each other before, delete the saved pair in the Bluetooth settings and try to reconnect.
5. Update Bluetooth drivers on your computer.
6. Update your device operating systems to the latest versions.
Alternative connection methods
You always have a backup option - services with which you can transfer files between a computer and a mobile device via the Internet. These are AirDroid, Pushbullet, and also cloud storage like Google Drive, OneDrive and Dropbox. They will allow you to do without Bluetooth and USB if these options do not work or are not suitable.
class="eliadunit">
The reasons for connecting to a single local network, be it home or corporate, are varied:
Purchasing new equipment (TV with WiFi connections, print server, new smartphone etc.);
Providing guest access to the local network for visitors and partners;
- “transfer” of data between existing and used devices;
Creation of “hot spots” in public places (cafes, train stations, squares, etc.);
For games in network games, holding tournaments within one location.
The most optimal solution in terms of deployment speed and cost is to build a wireless local network using WiFi technology. Let's look at options for organizing network access via Wi-Fi using the example of devices running the Windows operating system.
WiFi router is the heart of the local network
Another major advantage WiFi networks is the complete absence of wires connecting the router and gadgets connected to the network. A patch cord will only be needed for the initial configuration of the router.
class="eliadunit">
Setting up the router
Typically, the manufacturers of most routers flash the IP address in the factory settings - 192.168.1.0 and includes the distribution of IP addresses to connected devices in automatic mode. Follow these steps to set up your router:
- V " Control panels", in category " Network and Internet" and categories " Network connections "Locate your Ethernet adapter and right-click on it. Select "Properties", then the section labeled TCP/IPv4 and click on the "Properties" button again. Make sure that it is configured to automatically obtain IP addresses and DNS addresses, as it shown on the picture:
- starting from what was received IP addresses and having checked according to the instructions for using the router (or on the label of the router itself) its factory-set IP address, enter it in the address bar of your existing browser;
- The result of a successful connection will be a window asking you to log in to enter the router settings section. Most devices have the same login and password - admin. For some manufacturers, it is enough to specify the user name (login admin) and leave the password field empty. In any case, if you purchased a new router, the instructions supplied with it indicate the access details. If you got a used device, then to access it it’s easier to reset it to factory default settings, following tips from the Internet. Don’t forget to download the instructions in advance from the manufacturer’s website for this model;
- Having successfully completed authorization, go to the section containing the name " WiFi", "Wireless network" or " Wireless"if the device is not Russified. B this section we are only interested in two actions: specifying a unique SSID name and an encryption algorithm. The first function is used to identify your wireless network among most others, when you or your guests, colleagues ask: what is the name of your network? The second option is a security option, which ensures that no one else can illegally connect to your network. We recommend choosing the most reliable protection algorithm - WPA2/PSK or WPA/PSK and come up with a complex password containing lower and upper case English alphabetic characters, numbers and symbols. Recommendations for creating strong passwords can also be found on the Internet or use resources that offer services for automatically generating complex passwords;
- After completing the steps described above, confirm the actions by pressing the " button Apply" or " Apply", wait about a minute until the router reboots and the new settings are applied. Now disconnect the patch cord from network card computer.
Setting up a Windows computer
The next step is to activate the built-in WiFi adapter. Check him active status you can also in the "Control Panel". If the adapter is active, then in the system tray in the clock area, click on the symbol wireless connection. In the window that opens, find your network according to the one you specified earlier SSID name. You will be prompted to enter your password (we hope you remember it?).
Check the box " Connect automatically", so as not to enter a password every time you try to log into the network in the future, and click the " button Connect". Congratulations - you are online!
Carry out the same steps with all Windows devices that require connection to your WiFi network.
To connect a new device, open the menu with a list of equipment that your computer already works with. To do this, run the command Start > Control Panel. In the window that opens, select a category Equipment and Sound and point Devices and Printers- a window will appear with equipment that is already connected and ready for use.
Review and, if necessary, edit the settings for each device. To do this, right-click on its icon and select the item in the menu that appears Properties.
Make sure that the device you want to connect is not in the list of installed equipment. It happens that several users are working on a computer and required device already installed.
After reviewing the list of equipment used, proceed to connect a new device to your computer.
- Make sure the device cable is securely connected to the correct connector on the system unit. If your device has an on/off button, set it to on mode.
- In the window with a list of equipment, click the Add device button, which is located under the main menu, and a window of the same name will open.
- Immediately after opening this window, the system will notify you about searching for new equipment. A list of devices that are connected but not yet ready for use will then be displayed.
- Click the icon of the device you want to connect and click Further.
- Follow the system instructions. Your steps will be pretty much the same no matter what device you're installing (although some quirks may apply). Their algorithm is simple and understandable, especially since during installation the system produces not only relevant messages, but also hints.
How to remove a device from your computer
If you no longer intend to use the device, remove it. To do this, you need to not only disconnect the cable, but also uninstall the driver so that it does not take up unnecessary disk space.
Sometimes this is necessary for its subsequent reinstallation: some software or hardware failures are successfully corrected in this way. The driver must also be removed if it conflicts with other installed software. There may be other reasons for uninstallation - much is determined by how they work on the computer, what tasks they solve and what software are used.
To remove the driver, follow these steps:
- Open a window with a list of equipment.
- Right-click the icon of the device whose driver you want to uninstall.
- Select a team Remove devices context menu.
Removal will begin immediately after an affirmative response to the additional confirmation request issued by the operating system.