How to Connect AirPods to Windows Laptop
How to Connect AirPods to Windows Laptop — Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Click Start on your Windows laptop — it looks like a blue, square window at the bottom of the screen. This will open a pop-up window with commonly used apps and a search bar.
Step 2: In the search bar at the top of the pop-up screen, start typing the word “Bluetooth.” This will quickly show the Bluetooth and other devices settings option.
Step 3: Click on “Bluetooth and other devices settings” at the left of the pop-up screen to open the Bluetooth settings menu. Meanwhile, check that your AirPods are charged up and switched on. Hold the “Setup” button on the back of the AirPods charging unit to put them in pairing mode.
Step 4: Click “Add device.” This opens another pop-up window asking what type of device you would like to add to this laptop.
Step 5: Click the first option, “Bluetooth,” to start adding your AirPods as a connected device to this laptop. This will prompt the laptop to search for available Bluetooth devices. You should see a list that includes your AirPods.
Step 6: Click on the device labeled AirPods and wait a few seconds until you see a message that says, “Your device is ready to go!”
Step 7: Click “Done” to return to the Bluetooth settings screen where you should now see your AirPods as a connected Bluetooth audio device. Play some audio on your laptop to confirm that your AirPods are working.
Bonus Tips: Disconnecting Your AirPods and Troubleshooting
Now that you know how to connect AirPods to Windows laptop devices, you can listen to music, podcasts, videos, and more while in Bluetooth range of your laptop. If you decide you no longer want to use the connection, it’s easy to disconnect your AirPods:
- You can simply switch the AirPods off which will disconnect any connection between them and the laptop.
- However, when you switch them back on, they may automatically reconnect to the Windows machine.
- To prevent this, return to the Bluetooth settings menu on your laptop using the above steps.
- Click the three dots visible to the right of your AirPods in the Bluetooth settings screen.
- Click “Remove device” to prevent automatic reconnection.
- If you want to re-connect your AirPods to the laptop at any point, simply work through the steps in this guide again.
If your AirPods won’t connect, try switching them off and on again. Double-check that they have plenty of charge. If you’re not sure, leave them on charge for 30 minutes then try again.
Make sure the Bluetooth connection is on in the Bluetooth settings menu of your laptop. This is the very top option on the Bluetooth settings screen and should show a blue toggle button slid to the right. If it’s grey or slid to the left, just left-click with the mouse once to repair this.
As an avid gamer, I’ve run into my fair share of error codes and weird faults that have forced me to find fixes to problems I never anticipated. That gave me a passion for sharing those fixes with others so we can all game without feeling like our hardware is rebelling against us.
