How To Find a Missing Bluetooth Button on a Windows PC

If you frequently use your laptop’s Bluetooth to connect to other devices, you might have experienced issues with the Bluetooth button missing in the Action Center at an inopportune time. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean Bluetooth doesn’t work, and getting the button back is relatively straightforward.

This article explains why the Bluetooth button is off and offers a few reliable solutions.

Reasons Your Bluetooth Button Is Missing

Windows PCs have a built-in Bluetooth On/Off button in the Action Center area. Sometimes you may encounter an issue where this button doesn’t appear in the Action Center. Many reasons could trigger this problem, including:

• An outdated Bluetooth driver. In some cases, the driver is up-to-date but has corrupted.
• The Bluetooth Support Service is off.
• Perhaps you recently updated your Windows.
• Maybe your computer has a system error.

How to Solve the Bluetooth Button Is Missing Problem

Below are possible solutions and the series of steps you might do in each:

Editing the Quick Actions Menu in the Action Center

A PC’s Action Center has two sections. One is at the top, showing all notifications from the system and installed apps. The one at the bottom is called the Quick Action menu. It contains shortcuts to crucial settings. Bluetooth might not be one of the shortcuts your system considers crucial and might’ve left it out from the menu.

However, the Action Center usually shows the four most frequently used shortcuts and hides the rest. You can click on “Expand” to show the full list.

The Bluetooth On/Off button could be absent from the list because you accidentally disabled it. Here’s how to restore it:

1. Open the “Action Center” by pressing the “Win + A” keys or the message icon at the bottom right on the toolbar.
   
2. Click on “Manage notifications.”
   
3. Choose “Edit your quick actions” from the Settings dialog.
   
4. You can reorder icons by dragging and dropping. The top row is what will show up when you enter Action Center.
   
5. If Bluetooth is missing from the list of icons, select “Add” on the bottom.
   
6. Choose “Bluetooth” from the list.
   
7. (Optional) Reorder the icons so Bluetooth shows up in the first row for quicker access.
   

Evaluate the Bluetooth Settings

It is possible that “Bluetooth Settings” have a problem. You can assess them this way:

1. Press the Windows button to show the “Start” menu.
   
2. Select the cog icon and choose “Devices.”
   
3. Select “Bluetooth & other devices.”
   
4. Move to “Related Settings” and select “More Bluetooth Options.”
   
5. Choose “Options” to enable “Show the Bluetooth icon in the notification area.”
   
6. Select “Apply” and then “OK” to finish.
   

Run the Bluetooth Troubleshooter

Learn why the Bluetooth button is missing by running the troubleshooter. Here is what to do:

1. Click the “Windows” icon on the taskbar to access the “Start” menu.
   
2. Press the “Settings” gear icon.
   
3. Scroll down and choose “Update & Security.”
   
4. Choose the “Troubleshoot.”
   
5. Under the “Recommended Troubleshooting,” tap “Additional troubleshooters.”
   
6. Scroll down to “Find and fix other problems.” Beneath it, click “Bluetooth.”
   
7. Now press the “Run the troubleshooter” button and wait for it to detect issues.
   
8. Check the “Problem Found” status and close it if you’re satisfied.
   

Open the Hardware and Bluetooth Troubleshooter

 If the Bluetooth Troubleshooter fails, try using the Command Prompt approach to run the Hardware and Bluetooth Troubleshooter:

1. On the taskbar’s search bar, type “cmd” and eight-click on the Command Prompt.
   
2. Select “Run as administrator.”
   
3. Type “msdt.exe –id DeviceDiagnostic” and hit “Enter.”
   
4. Hit the “Enter” key to run the troubleshooter.
   
5. Press “Next” to start scanning.
   

Switch on the Bluetooth Support Service

Bluetooth Support Service is the background program that maintains and diagnoses Bluetooth connectivity. If it shuts down, the Bluetooth service will stop and icons and buttons may go missing. You can restore it this way:

1. Go to the “Start” search bar. Type “Services” and press “Open.”
   
2. Click the “Bluetooth Support Service” option twice. A “Properties” window will appear.
   
3. Scroll to the bottom and check the “Service status.” If active, only the “Stop” action will be clickable. So, reset by clicking “Stop” and then “Start.”
   
4. If not running, click “Startup Type” and choose “Automatic.”
   
5. Then, hit the “Apply” button.
   

Confirm Bluetooth Support

Perhaps you’re looking for a Bluetooth button in a PC that doesn’t have it. Additionally, your machine could be using outdated Bluetooth drivers. To find out, do the following steps:

1. Press “Win + 1” to access “Settings.” Alternatively, click the Windows icon on the taskbar and tap the “Settings” gear icon.
   
2. Chose “Devices” to see the “Bluetooth & other devices” window.
   
3. If you fail to see it, go back to the “Start” menu search box. Enter “device manager” and choose “Best match.”
   
4. See if you will view the “Bluetooth” menu in the devices list.
   

If the Bluetooth icon is not on the “Devices” list, add it to your PC with a compatible Bluetooth adapter. You can update Bluetooth drive in this manner:

1. Go to the “Start” search bar and enter “Device Manager.”
   
2. Click “Open” to view the “Device Manager” programs.
   
3. Choose the “Bluetooth” option and click to expand it.
   
4. Right-click “Bluetooth driver” and select “Update driver.”
   
5. Restart your Windows PC to allow these changes to take effect.

Disable Fast Startup

The Fast Startup accelerates the boot times of your machine. Nevertheless, the Fast Startup can interrupt some programs. You can disable it this way:

1. Access the “Start” menu and click “Settings.”
   
2. Choose “System” and tap “Power & Sleep.”
   
3. Hit “Additional Power Settings” to see “Choose what the power button does.”
   
4. Now click “Change settings that are currently unavailable.”
   
5. Click to uncheck the “Turn on fast startup (recommended)” option.
   
6. Press the “Save changes” button.
   

FAQs

Can I miss the Bluetooth button because of switching to a newer Windows version?

You can stop viewing some buttons if you recently moved from an older Windows version to a newer one. One of these is your Bluetooth On/Off button. You can repair this by uninstalling Bluetooth. Then, reboot the PC and install Bluetooth drivers that go well with your newer Windows version.

Can VM hide my Bluetooth button?

The Virtual Machine programs can make the Bluetooth connection invisible when using a USB Bluetooth adapter. You should disable the Bluetooth connection from the Virtual Machine. This might fix the problem.

Turn the Bluetooth Toggle Back On

If you cannot view the Bluetooth button on Windows 10 or 11, you should reactivate it. Mostly, you will troubleshoot your Bluetooth app to see what has failed. Sometimes the PC has incompatible Bluetooth drivers. Other times the Windows notifications can hide the Bluetooth button if many.

Are you still looking for your Bluetooth button? Have you tried the tips and tricks in this guide? Let us know in the comments section below.