Bluetooth keeps disconnecting on Windows. The five steps Microsoft lists, in order

These steps follow Microsoft's support page Bluetooth keeps disconnecting in Windows, which covers Windows 11 and Windows 10. This site has no lab and no PC on every build, so none of this was checked on Windows 11 26H2, the current release. Menus move between versions: if a name below does not match your screen, the page is the reference, not this text.

Microsoft attributes these disconnections to three things: power-saving settings, outdated drivers, and a temporary glitch. The five steps cover those three and nothing else.

Step 1: run the Bluetooth troubleshooter

Microsoft's first suggestion is the Bluetooth troubleshooter in the Get Help app. On Windows 11 there is also a path through Settings: Start > Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters, then Run next to Bluetooth. It runs its own checks and applies what it finds. If it reports nothing, go on.

Step 2: turn off Energy Saver

Select the battery icon in the taskbar and check whether Energy Saver is on. On Windows 10 the same feature is called Battery Saver. Turn it off and see whether the device holds its connection. This one mostly matters for laptops running on battery.

Step 3: stop Windows from powering the device off

Open Device Manager and expand the Bluetooth section. Right-click your Bluetooth device, open Properties, then the Power Management tab, and clear the box "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power". Windows then stops switching the radio off to save power, which is the cause Microsoft puts first.

The cost is a little more battery use on a laptop. If the disconnections stop, that was the cause, and you can decide whether the trade is worth it.

Step 4: restart the Bluetooth Support Service

Press the Windows key and R together, type services.msc and press Enter. Find Bluetooth Support Service in the list, right-click it and choose Restart. This clears a temporary glitch without a reboot. It does not change anything permanent, so if the problem returns after the next restart, this step was not the fix.

Step 5: update the driver

In Device Manager, under Bluetooth, right-click the device and choose Update driver. Microsoft also says the latest driver for your model is on the manufacturer's website, which matters because Windows may not find a newer one on its own. Look for the laptop or adapter maker's support page and search by exact model.

If the option is not there

There is no Power Management tab. Some devices do not show it. Microsoft's page does not say what to do in that case, so skip step 3 and try the others. The same goes for a device that lists no checkbox of that name.

There is no Bluetooth section in Device Manager. Then these five steps have nothing to act on: Windows does not see a Bluetooth radio at all, which is a different problem from one that connects and drops. Microsoft has a separate page, Fix Bluetooth problems in Windows, for that.

The troubleshooter is not under Other troubleshooters. Use the Get Help app instead, which is the route Microsoft lists first.

What these steps do not fix

Nothing in the page covers the accessory. A headset with a weak battery, a mouse paired to another computer, or a device that needs its own firmware update can drop out while every setting above is correct. The page also does not cover radio interference or distance. If you have gone through all five steps and the drops continue, test the same accessory on a phone: if it drops there too, the PC was never the problem.

Last updated October 6, 2026