Bluetooth is a wireless connection technology that has given us an easy way to connect our devices to other electronics such as speakers and headsets. It is a must for most of our modern devices and is a great feature to know how to use on a daily level.
But not all devices support Bluetooth. If you are using an HP laptop, you may be wondering: does it also have Bluetooth? The quick answer is:
Yes, most HP laptops come with Bluetooth. There are some extremely old models that don’t have Bluetooth (which is very unlikely that you’re using one). Turning on Bluetooth on HP laptops is also simple and only takes a few steps.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at Bluetooth on HP laptops, including how to turn it on — step by step. Let’s get started.
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Do HP Laptops Have Bluetooth?
Like we said in the introduction, not all computers are equipped with Bluetooth technology. Some old and low-level PCs don’t. But most modern laptops should come with Bluetooth, including HP — which is one of the top laptop brands on the planet.
How to Know If My HP Laptop Has Bluetooth?
According to this HP article, the quick way to tell is:
“If you see a Bluetooth icon when looking at the lower right tool tray on your computer screen or in the top tool bar, your computer likely supports it.”
You can also manually check by right-clicking on the Windows icon on the bottom left corner, then selecting Device Manager, and scroll down the devices on the list to see if you can find Bluetooth.
If yes, your HP laptop has it. If no, then you don’t.
If you are using an old model that doesn’t have Bluetooth, you can purchase a Bluetooth adapter.
How to Turn on Bluetooth on HP Laptops
The first step to utilizing any Bluetooth-enabled devices is to make sure they are equipped with wireless technology and that this feature is turned on. If the Bluetooth on any device you are trying to use or sync up with is not turned on, it will not connect.
Your HP laptop is equipped with Bluetooth technology but in order to use this function, you first need to make sure that it is turned on.
To turn on the Bluetooth feature on your HP laptop follow these easy steps:
- Click Start
- Click on Control Panel
- Click on HP Wireless Assistant
- Find Bluetooth from the list of wireless connections and click on it
- From the Bluetooth menu, make sure that the feature is turned on
The steps above will make sure that the Bluetooth feature on your HP laptop computer is turned on.
There are a few other steps you need to know about in order to connect any other device to your HP laptop via Bluetooth.
If you are trying to connect a phone to your laptop, for instance, you need to also make sure that the Bluetooth function on your phone is also turned on and set to discoverable.
Discoverable means that your phone and/or computer will be searching for any possible Bluetooth connections that are within range.
Modern Bluetooth technologies allow for a decent distance of coverage in the range of 20 to 30 feet. I would recommend initially pairing your devices at a closer range than that limit as it is sometimes easier to establish a connection at a shorter range.
Depending on what other devices you have, the steps to turn the Bluetooth on may be a bit different but it should be pretty easy to figure out. Generally, you access this from a settings folder or button on any device.
How to Pair an External Device to HP Laptop
Once you have turned on the Bluetooth feature of your HP laptop and the device you want to pair it with, you can easily connect the two devices by following the steps below.
- Navigate to the Bluetooth and other devices window on your HP laptop. This can be done by following steps 1-4 in the instructions above or by conducting a search on your desktop for Bluetooth and other devices.
- Click on Add Bluetooth or other device.
- The computer will now search for other devices within range that have Bluetooth enabled.
- Locate the Bluetooth device you want to connect with (phone, speaker, another computer, etc.)
- Select the device and click Connect.
- The other device you are attempting to pair with will most likely show a confirmation message asking to allow the connection. Go ahead and allow Bluetooth pairing from this device.
- Your HP laptop is now paired with another Bluetooth device.
What is Bluetooth?
In short, Bluetooth is a wireless technology that was designed to send and transfer data from different devices without the need for cables. The technology works by sending short-wave radio frequencies between fixed or mobile devices.
This technology was invented and developed in the early 1990s with the first commercial version available to the public coming into existence in 1999. It has since evolved into a common feature on most electronic devices today.
Common uses for Bluetooth include sending audio signals or turning your mobile device into a hotspot. If you have a Bluetooth speaker, you know how you might use your phone for its streaming audio and then signal to the speaker actually to hear the music via Bluetooth connection.
If you have ever used your phone as a mobile hotspot for internet connectivity, you are using Bluetooth to connect any other device to your phone.
Bluetooth connection technology has evolved over the last few decades to improve reliability and function. Modern Bluetooth is a feature that most of us use on a daily level and it has become almost as well-known and important as other tech terms such as WiFi.
Bluetooth technology has really revolutionized how our devices are able to connect and interact with one another and paved the way for wireless tech in modern times.
Final Thoughts
Bluetooth technology is very useful and can be applied in any number of everyday situations. It is good to know how to use and operate this feature on any device you have.
Your HP laptop computer is fully equipped with Bluetooth capabilities and now that you know how to easily turn this feature on and pair it with another device, you can begin to enjoy the benefits of Bluetooth.
Remember that you need to have all devices you wish to pair set up with their Bluetooth features turned on and that they should be within close range of each other for pairing.
Another good tip to remember is that if you are having trouble pairing devices, there may be another Bluetooth device turned on within range. This can cause your computer to automatically connect to that device so it should be turned off while pairing another device.
Do you use Bluetooth on your HP laptop? What do you use the technology for most frequently? Let us know in the comments below.
A. Nonymous
Bluetooth is a myth, a lie, a fable. I have a pos HP laptop, and typing in Bluetooth finds NOTHING. Researching online for a good hour, I must have a 1 off, because not a damned step written by any of these morons is remotely near what appears when I follow instructions. amazing. Oh, so I plugged in some headphones…that works, a cable works
James Botha
Very helpfull, thanks. How can I set the Bluetooth “time-out” to say 10min or more to allow me to have a break and not need to reconnect each time as I can’t find such setting?
Victor Settler
I have a 2014 or 2015 hp envy audio eats. Intel core 17.nvidia GeForce. And wondering if it is Bluetooth capable. I know nothing about computer and bought Bluetooth headphones for $150 but can’t seem to activate Bluetooth. Can you help me please or this computer doesn’t support Bluetooth
M
I am not able to locate bluetooth on my HP Pavilion Windows 10 laptop. It seems like a pretty simple task but has become quite frustrating. Every instructional support that I have googled has not worked. Any suggestions?
Thanks
Adil
I want to install Bluetooth on my HP ENVY laptop but i don’t have the drivers, could you please support to get the driver.
Geddes Jennings
Tuesday July 7, 2020n 8:44am
This specific Bluetooth problem with my HP Pavilion x360 Convertible 11m-ap0013dx is an intermittent statics one, the sound is garbled and unrecognizable, although the problem lasts for a few seconds; which can be up to a minute at times, it is frequent and very annoying.
I’ve had the laptop for about three months and this problem started three days ago.
I’m a person with a “hearing” impediment, and I depend on Bluetooth technology 100%. Any assistance with regard to helping me solve this problem therefore, will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance.
Richard
My windows 10 turned off bluetooth with a message that there was a problem with it. So i uninstalled the driver and restarted the laptop.. Then i went to Hp and got new driver for it. But when i try to install the driver a message says to turn on bluetooth in settings… but there is no way to turn on bluetooth in settings… i click ok on the installation for it to continue.. and then i get message bluetooth was not intstalled… Now my pc is without bluetooth and refusing the installation. i dont know what to do now to get the Hp laptop to accept installation of the new driver.
helen
I cant find the blue tooth feature on my HP Laptop. i followed your steps on how to locate it yet no success
Manish kumar
Sir i want bluetooth on my laptop how can install please suggest me thank you.
HP Tech Support
I really didn’t know that the best technique to resolve this type of Bluetooth issue is to use a driver detector to scan and resolve related driver issues. I want to say thanks for sharing this type relevant information with us.
Hotmail Support
The Bluetooth problem on an HP Pavilion is quite a common factor. When I Bought this, I also faced this problem on my laptop. Nor the Bluetooth could be connected with the other devices nor it could be paired with the others. But as I read this article, it solves all the problems on Bluetooth connectivity and now it is working smoothly.