[IT] - Bluetooth stopped working and disappeared in Windows 11
Martijn | Developer
Recently I noticed that my bluetooth headset wouldn't connect. Pretty odd, since no settings were changed recently. It should work like it always does.
When going to the settings I could see the device, but wasn't able to reconnect. Looking at the taskbar, all bluetooth-related icons and buttons disappeared as well.
Okay, maybe the bluetooth record is still showing normally under Device Manager? Unfortunately not, but it should. So what is going on?
It was hidden and only visible using menu item 'View' > 'Show hidden devices'. Besides, Device Manager was stating there were problems with it.
Was the responsible motherboard component dead? Did I need to upgrade the motherboard's firmware? As it turns out, there is a very simple fix that might work for you since it did for me and others.
I stumbled upon this Microsoft topic. Turning off the Windows 11 machine, completely removing the power and wait for a while can solve the issue. To drain any residual power left in the capacitors, you can push the power button after unplugging your device.
Personally I left the device unplugged overnight and bluetooth was working the next day. You can see if 10 minutes work (as the original post mentions) and try longer intervals if required.
Hope this helped! 🫸🫷