- If you’re trying to remove a Bluetooth device in Windows and it doesn’t work, there are a few troubleshooting methods to try.
- You can usually remove Bluetooth devices using the Settings app, but this process won’t work on occasion.
- You can also remove your Bluetooth device from Control Panel, restart some services, and update drivers.
- Visit Insider’s Tech Reference Library for more stories.
Although there is usually no downside to leaving
Bluetooth
devices paired to your computer, sometimes you may want to clean up your Bluetooth settings by removing devices that you no longer use.
It’s usually easy to remove unused Bluetooth devices, but sometimes Windows suffers a problem and removing the device doesn’t work. Here are some common and simple troubleshooting steps you can follow to fix this problem and remove your unwanted devices.
Delete a device using Settings
There are several ways to remove Bluetooth devices from Windows 10 or Windows 11, so start by checking out the most common approach: using Bluetooth settings.
1. Click on To start up then click Settings.
2. Click on Bluetooth and devices in the left pane. (To select Devices under Windows 10.)
3. Find the Bluetooth device you want to remove. You may need to click See more devices.
4. To the right of the device, click the three points then click Remove the device.
Find the device you want to remove, then click Remove Device from its three-dot menu.
david johnson
Disable Bluetooth
If you’re having trouble removing a Bluetooth device, Windows may not be “dropping” the device because it thinks there’s an active Bluetooth connection. To fix this, open Settings in Windows 11 and click Bluetooth and devices. Then deactivate Bluetooth by sliding the button to the left.
If you are unable to remove a Bluetooth device, try disabling Bluetooth first.
david johnson
Remove device using Control Panel
If the settings didn’t work, there are several ways to get rid of the device in Windows, so try using the Control Panel instead.
1. In the Start a reseach box, type “Control Panel” and when you see Control Panel appear in the results, click on it.
2. In the Hardware and sound section, click View devices and printers.
3. Right-click the device you want to remove and choose Remove the device.
Control Panel offers another way to remove a Bluetooth device from Windows.
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Restart the Device Association Service
It’s a little esoteric, but it’s possible that software called the Device Association Service accidentally stopped or otherwise failed. This may prevent you from deleting a Bluetooth device. Here’s what to do:
1. hurry Windows+R on your keyboard to open the Course dialog box.
2. Type services.msc and click Okay.
3. After a while, the Services dialog box will appear.
4. Right click Device association services and choose Restart in the drop-down menu.
5. Come back to Settings and try to remove the Bluetooth device.
The device association service is essential for working with Bluetooth devices.
david johnson
Update your Bluetooth drivers
It’s possible that a glitch in your Bluetooth software is interfering with device removal, so try updating the drivers first.
1. In the Start a reseach box, start typing “device manager” and click Device Manager when you see it appear in the results.
2. Click it The arrow beside Bluetooth to expand the list.
3. Right-click on the Bluetooth adapter and from the drop-down menu choose Update driver.
4. Click on Automatically search for drivers then follow the instructions to install the update.
Check if your Bluetooth adapter needs a software update.
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Run the Bluetooth troubleshooter
Finally, Windows has its own troubleshooter that can discover and fix a problem, allowing you to remove the device.
1. Click on To start up then click Settings.
2. In the Settings in the search box of the window, type “problem”, then click on Solve other problems when you see it in search results.
3. In the Other section, click Course in the Bluetooth box and follow the instructions to run the troubleshooter.
