Bluetooth - Turn On or Off in Windows 8

How to Turn On or Off Bluetooth in Windows 8 and 8.1​

   Information

There are many different types of Bluetooth enabled devices you can add to your PC, such as mobile phones, wireless headsets, and wireless mouse devices and keyboards.

You must have Bluetooth wireless technology installed on your computer to have Bluetooth available.

For more information about Bluetooth in Windows, see: General Bluetooth Support in Windows

This tutorial will show you how to only turn on or off Bluetooth connectivity for the PC in Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows 8.1, and Windows RT 8.1.

This has no affect on Wi-Fi or cellular mobile broadband wireless devices like Airplane mode would.

   Note

If you turn on Bluetooth, then Airplane mode will also be automatically turned off.

OPTION ONE

Turn On or Off Bluetooth in Wireless PC settings in Windows 8

​

1. Open PC settings, and click/tap on Wireless in the left pane. (see screenshot below)​

​

2. In the right pane under Wireless devices, move the Bluetooth slider to turn on (right) or off (left) for what you want.​

​

3. When finished, you can close PC settings if you like.​

​

​

OPTION TWO

Turn On or Off Bluetooth in PC and devices PC settings in Windows 8.1

​

1. Open PC settings, and click/tap on PC and devices in the left pane. (see screenshot below)​

​

​

​

2. Click/tap on Bluetooth in the left pane of PC and devices. (see screenshots below)​

​

3. In the right pane under Manage Bluetooth devices, move the Bluetooth slider to turn on (right) or off (left) for what you want.​

​

4. When finished, you can close PC settings if you like.​

​

​

​

​

OPTION THREE

Turn On or Off Bluetooth in Network PC settings in Windows 8.1

​

1. Open PC settings, and click/tap on Network in the left pane. (see screenshot below)​

​

​

​

2. Click/tap on Airplane mode in the left pane of Network. (see screenshot below)​

​

3. In the right pane under Wireless devices, move the Bluetooth slider to turn on (right) or off (left) for what you want.​

​

4. When finished, you can close PC settings if you like.​

​

​

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Turn Airplane Mode On or Off in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Turn On or Off Wi-Fi in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Turn On or Off Cellular Data Connection in Windows Phone 8
• How to Pair Your Windows Phone 8 with a Bluetooth Windows 8.1 PC
• How to Create a "Bluetooth Devices" Shortcut in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Create a "Bluetooth Settings" Shortcut in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8
• How to Create a "Bluetooth File Transfer" Shortcut in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8
• How to Turn On or Off Bluetooth Notification Area Icon in Windows

 

[bicycle]

I don't understand Microsofts reasoning on this. If I'm listening to music through my Iphone to a bluetooth speaker, then Windows will also connect to the bluetooth speaker which I don't want. Bluetooth never has worked well in Windows 8. Did fine in Windows 7. I have lost bluetooth connections constantly and have had to remove and pair the device again.

 

[aucdiver]

Shortcut to the Bluetooth toggle switch

Hi,

Apologies if this is being posted in the wrong section, but when I go to PC and Devices > Bluetooth, there is no switch for turning Bluetooth on and off.

I am using Windows 8.1; the latest version.

Someone in the UK posted a fix for this. I'm amazed that I can't find this fix anywhere else.

** link removed **

In summary:
I always toggle my BT off when I’m not using a connected device to preserve battery life, it makes sense, so having to:

swipe for charms->select settings->change PC settings->PC & devices->Bluetooth->BT on/off​

is about 5 steps too many in my book. There is however a relative easy way to implement this missing functionality.You can create a desktop shortcut that points directly to the Bluetooth settings section of the Metro settings. Firstly hold down a finger on the desktop until the menu pops up, then select New-> Shortcut. Then paste the following in the destination box:

%windir%\explorer.exe%localappdata%\Packages\windows.immersivecontrolpanel_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\Indexed\Settings\en-US\AAA_SettingsPagePCSystemBluetooth.settingcontent-ms

The part in bold should tie in directly with which language you selected when you set up your Windows 8.1 device. You can check the language by swiping charms->settings->keyboard, since most commonly you would have chosen a keyboard layout in line with the language settings on the device. Most likely it will be either UK or US, and if the shortcut you make with one doesn’t work, try the other.Once you have made the shortcut, you can simply pin it to Start, and it will appear as a live tile that you can tap to take you to the settings page and turn BT on/off. Okay, it’s still a two step process but that’s a heck of a lot quicker.

 

[Brink]

Hi,

Apologies if this is being posted in the wrong section, but when I go to PC and Devices > Bluetooth, there is no switch for turning Bluetooth on and off.

I am using Windows 8.1; the latest version.

Someone in the UK posted a fix for this. I'm amazed that I can't find this fix anywhere else.

** link removed **

In summary:
I always toggle my BT off when I’m not using a connected device to preserve battery life, it makes sense, so having to:

swipe for charms->select settings->change PC settings->PC & devices->Bluetooth->BT on/off​

is about 5 steps too many in my book. There is however a relative easy way to implement this missing functionality.You can create a desktop shortcut that points directly to the Bluetooth settings section of the Metro settings. Firstly hold down a finger on the desktop until the menu pops up, then select New-> Shortcut. Then paste the following in the destination box:

%windir%\explorer.exe%localappdata%\Packages\windows.immersivecontrolpanel_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\Indexed\Settings\en-US\AAA_SettingsPagePCSystemBluetooth.settingcontent-ms

The part in bold should tie in directly with which language you selected when you set up your Windows 8.1 device. You can check the language by swiping charms->settings->keyboard, since most commonly you would have chosen a keyboard layout in line with the language settings on the device. Most likely it will be either UK or US, and if the shortcut you make with one doesn’t work, try the other.Once you have made the shortcut, you can simply pin it to Start, and it will appear as a live tile that you can tap to take you to the settings page and turn BT on/off. Okay, it’s still a two step process but that’s a heck of a lot quicker.

We already had it here about a year before there.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/36102-bluetooth-devices-shortcut-create-windows-8-a.html