Why Are My Bluetooth Headphones Not Connecting?

A lot of people have trouble pairing their headphones with their devices. If yours are not connecting, read on, we’ve got some tips on how to fix it!

Woman holding Bluetooth headphones and smartphone

So, you decided to get rid of the wires and got yourself Bluetooth headphones. Unfortunately, you cannot understand why are your Bluetooth headphones not connecting? My goal is to give you some solutions to your problem, hopefully, you’ll be back to enjoying your headphones in no time.

We’ll go over the usual suspects: Bluetooth visibility, Wi-Fi interference, and low-battery problems. In my experience, most Bluetooth pairing problems are caused by these three factors. I’ll make sure to provide some solutions for Windows and Mac users as well.

Well, folks, let’s see how we can fix your problems.

Check If Bluetooth Is Visible To Other Devices

This is a common issue among iPhone and Android users that can be easily fixed. Open Bluetooth on your device, and look for a “make device visible to others” box, usually located in “Advanced Settings”. Make sure that option is turned on and you should be good to go.

Why Are My Bluetooth Headphones Not Connecting

Stick around if this isn’t why your Bluetooth headphones are not connecting.

Check If The Wi-Fi Is Interfering With The Bluetooth

Now, this problem usually appears when you try to connect your headphones while close to a Wi-Fi router, and when there is heavy Wi-Fi traffic while you are you’re using the headphones.

Locating the issue requires almost no effort. While connecting the headphones make sure you are far away from the Wi-Fi router, if this was the cause of the problem, the headphones will connect right away.

For the second problem, stop any streams or downloads that you have going on, and see if the Bluetooth headphones will work smoothly.

That’s it, keep reading if your headphones still won’t connect.

Check the battery status

One important thing to know if you are new to headphones that use Bluetooth, a low battery will make your headphones practically useless. That’s why it’s always best to use your headphones fully charged.

If you’re using a laptop with a low battery, that could also be the root of your problem. Make sure both devices are fully charged, then check if your headphones will connect.

These were the usual problems that Bluetooth headphones users encounter, let’s see if there is something wrong with your PC that is preventing your headphones from connecting.

Usual problems with Windows and Mac PCs

Now, your headphones may be just fine but your PC’s settings prevent them from working. We’ll go over the usual problems, assuming your headphones are in good shape.

Check if your sound output is set for your headphones

For some reason, your PC may be changing the sound output for your speakers and not the headphones by default.

Open the sound settings on your PC, and make sure the sound output has your headphones as the selected option. This works both for Windows and Mac.

Of course, this isn’t the required solution for everyone, so keep reading.

Related article – How To Change Language On A Bluetooth Headset

Check if your PC has Bluetooth Network Connection

Some PCs have an integrated Bluetooth device, while others need a Bluetooth adapter, usually called a Bluetooth dongle.

Open the Network settings on your PC and check if your PC has a Bluetooth Network available. If Bluetooth isn’t available, that means you need the dongle I mentioned above.

Okay, folks, we’re near the end, let’s see the last solution.

Check if your Bluetooth devices are up-to-date

Sometimes, you’ll experience Bluetooth pairing problems because your software is not up-to-date or you didn’t install a driver for the dongle.

Make sure you’ve installed all the updates for your software, and the latest driver for the Bluetooth dongle. Once you’ve done this, you should be able to connect the headphones.

Well, that’s it, hopefully, this helped you with the problems you’ve been having. If you still haven’t fixed the problem, your headphones may have a hardware issue or the manufacturer made a mistake.

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