Fixing Bluetooth in Windows 8

We recently published an article about turning on Bluetooth in Windows 8. This article spread like wildfire across the Internet for one simple reason: for many users, upgrading to Windows 8 made Bluetooth stop working! The comments section of our previous article is filled with users with dozens of models of laptops, notebooks and netbooks who can’t get Bluetooth working under Windows 8.

Here, then, is our definitive guide for getting Bluetooth working again in Windows 8.

Is Bluetooth not working in Windows 8? We can help.

ALL LAPTOP MODELS

Download the Latest Drivers

The first and best approach is to go to your laptop manufacturer’s website and grab the latest Bluetooth drivers from there. Many of them have Windows 8 specific Bluetooth drivers that are designed to get Bluetooth working again. Often, the very latest Windows 7 drivers will work too. Be sure and grab the specific driver for your type of Windows (32-bit or 64-bit). Once you install the latest drivers and reboot, you should see Bluetooth appear in your wireless settings.

You can also determine your Bluetooth hardware manufacturer and try downloading drivers directly from that company’s site. This works well if you have a Broadcom adapter. To determine your system’s Bluetooth manufacturer, try Googling your PC’s model number (written on the front or underneath your laptop), or go to your Control Panel in Windows, open Device Manager and look under Bluetooth.

Uninstall Conflicting Bluetooth Software

Sometimes your laptop will ship with a wireless manager that will interfere with Windows’s own wireless management. Uninstall the application that comes with your PC and manage your wireless directly in Windows 8.

Turn On your Hardware Wireless Switch

Though wireless switches have fallen out of favor on recent laptops, machines that are a few years old still have them. I have a Sony laptop with a single switch for both wireless and Bluetooth, and when I close the lid, it tends to cause the wireless switch to turn off. When this switch is off, Bluetooth will not even appear in Windows, so make sure it’s in the On position before trying to activate Bluetooth in software.

Try Driver Reviver

Driver Reviver is excellent at tracking down the latest wireless drivers for your laptop. If you’re having trouble locating the specific Bluetooth driver update you need for Windows 8, Driver Reviver will do the trick.

SPECIFIC LAPTOP MODELS

ASUS

If you have an ASUS K55A, grab the most recent drivers from this page on ASUS’s site.

The ASUS Republic of Gamers G74SX has a forum thread dedicated to it with multiple solutions. Check it out.

Those with an ASUS Vivobook S200E or X202 can get the latest drivers on ASUS’s site as well.

And those with a Vivibook S400CA can also get drivers from ASUS’s site.

Dell

If you have a Dell Inspiron N5010, you need to get the most recent Bluetooth driver for your machine on Dell’s site. It may say Windows 7, but proceed anyway. Download it to your desktop or Downloads folder, then extract the file. You’ll get an error message about the program not being compatible with Windows 8. Close this message.

You’ll then need to navigate to the driver’s location (usually c:\dell\drivers\drivername\Win64 or Win32).
Then, you’ll need to install the Setup file in Compatibility Mode to make Windows run it as if it were in Windows 7:

1. Right-click on the Setup file
2. Click Properties
3. Click the Compatibilitytab
4. Select Run This Program in Compatibility Mode For
5. Choose Windows 7from the menu
6. Select Run This Program as an Administrator
7. Click OK

Running driver setup in Compatibility Mode can help in Windows 8.Run the setup file, and the driver should work fine in Windows 8 after that.

The Dell Inspiron 15R and some other Dell models can just get the Bluetooth driver from this location on Dell’s site and it should work fine. Try the Compatibility Mode method above if not.

HP / Compaq

This covers the HP Pavilion G6 2313AX and other models. Here’s a link to the Bluetooth driver you will need on HP’s website.

Bluetooth in the HP 620 worked fine in Windows 7, but not in Windows 8. Try this driver first on HP’s site. If it doesn’t work, try installing it using the Compatibility Mode method.

If you have a Compaq CQ58 or other Compaq models, try this driver on HP’s site.

Lenovo

Instead of going to Lenovo’s site, for the Lenovo B320 and other Lenovo models, go directly to Broadcom’s site (the driver manufacturer) and get the driver from there.

Medion

Medion laptops, such as the Medion Akoya P6635, use Intel Centrino integrated Wireless-N with Bluetooth 4.0. Get the most recent driver from Intel’s site, as Medion offers no support at all from their site.

Sony

Sony has been slow to release Windows 8 drivers for some of their older laptops, and may not be doing so at all. If you have a Sony SVE15113en, try this latest Windows 7 driver from Sony’s site. You may need to install the driver in Compatibility Mode. See the instructions above under Dell for doing so.

Older Sony laptops (like the VPC-CW290X) often use Broadcom Bluetooth adapters. Try the this driver on Sony’s site.

Toshiba

The Toshiba Satellite Core i5 P855-S5312 and other Toshiba models can use this recent Bluetooth driver from Toshiba’s site to get it working.

Leave a Comment

Is your particular manufacturer and model number not listed? Did the listed solution not work for you? Leave a comment with your PC’s model number and other details and we’ll help you fix it!