Bluetooth Headphones Keep Disconnecting on Windows 11? 10 Fixes That Work
Quick fix: if your Bluetooth headphones keep disconnecting on Windows 11, the most common causes are Windows switching the Bluetooth adapter off to save power, an outdated Bluetooth driver, or interference from Wi-Fi and USB devices. Work through the fixes below in order; most people are sorted by fix 3 or 4. They work for earbuds, over-ear headphones and headsets from any brand, including AirPods, Sony, Bose, Jabra and JLab.
First, spot the pattern
When the drop happens tells you where to look, and saves trying every fix:
| When it disconnects | Most likely cause | Start with |
|---|---|---|
| After a few minutes of silence or when the PC is idle | Power saving on the Bluetooth adapter or USB ports | Fix 3 and fix 4 |
| When you join a call or open an app that uses the mic | Windows switching the headset to call (hands-free) mode | Fix 7 |
| Randomly, with crackles before it drops | Interference or distance | Fix 5 |
| Right after waking from sleep or a restart | Driver or power settings | Fix 3 and fix 6 |
| It jumps to your phone | Multipoint connection | Fix 8 |
Fix 1: Turn Bluetooth off and on, and charge the headphones
Open Quick Settings (Windows key + A), turn Bluetooth off, wait ten seconds and turn it on again. Then make sure your headphones are above 20 percent battery: many models drop the connection or behave oddly when the battery is low.
Fix 2: Remove the headphones and pair them again
- Open Settings, then Bluetooth and devices, then Devices.
- Find your headphones, click the three-dot menu next to them and choose Remove device.
- Put the headphones into pairing mode (check the manual, or see how to reset Bluetooth headphones).
- In Bluetooth and devices, click Add device, then Bluetooth, and choose your headphones.
A fresh pairing clears corrupted connection records, which are a common cause of connect-then-drop loops.
Fix 3: Stop Windows turning off the Bluetooth adapter
Windows can switch off the Bluetooth radio to save power, which cuts your audio when the PC thinks nothing is happening.
- Right-click Start and open Device Manager.
- Expand Bluetooth, right-click your Bluetooth adapter (often listed as Intel, Realtek, MediaTek or Qualcomm Wireless Bluetooth) and choose Properties.
- Open the Power Management tab and untick Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.
- Click OK and restart the PC.
If your adapter has no Power Management tab, move on to fix 4.
Fix 4: Turn off USB selective suspend
On many laptops and desktops the Bluetooth radio sits on an internal USB connection, so USB power saving can cut it too. This matters even more if you use a plug-in USB Bluetooth dongle.
- Search for Edit power plan in the Start menu and open it.
- Click Change advanced power settings.
- Expand USB settings, then USB selective suspend setting, and set it to Disabled (for both battery and plugged in on a laptop).
- Click Apply, then OK.
In Device Manager you can also open each USB Root Hub under Universal Serial Bus controllers and untick the same power-saving option on its Power Management tab.
Fix 5: Reduce interference and distance
- Keep the headphones within a few metres of the PC with nothing metal or thick in between.
- Bluetooth shares the 2.4 GHz band with many Wi-Fi networks. If your router supports 5 GHz, connect the PC to that band instead.
- USB 3 ports, hubs and some external drives can interfere with nearby 2.4 GHz signals. Move a Bluetooth dongle to a different port or onto a short USB extension cable, away from them.
- Disconnect Bluetooth devices you are not using, such as an old speaker that keeps trying to reconnect.
Check your Bluetooth version while you are in Device Manager
Older Bluetooth radios drop connections more often with modern headphones. To see what your PC has, open Device Manager, expand Bluetooth, open your adapter’s Properties and look on the Advanced tab for the LMP version (it may be on the Details tab on some PCs).
| LMP version | Bluetooth version |
|---|---|
| 7 | 4.1 |
| 8 | 4.2 |
| 9 | 5.0 |
| 10 | 5.1 |
| 11 | 5.2 |
| 12 | 5.3 |
| 13 | 5.4 |
Anything below LMP 9 (Bluetooth 5.0) is worth replacing with an inexpensive USB Bluetooth 5.x adapter if the fixes here do not help, especially if you use the headphones for long calls.
Fix 6: Update the Bluetooth driver
- Open Settings, then Windows Update, then Advanced options, then Optional updates, and install any Bluetooth or wireless driver updates listed.
- If nothing appears, download the latest Bluetooth driver for your exact model from your PC or laptop maker’s support site, or from the adapter maker (Intel, Realtek or MediaTek).
- Restart after installing.
If the problem started right after a driver update, open the adapter in Device Manager, go to the Driver tab and choose Roll Back Driver if it is available.
Fix 7: Stop the switch to call mode when you use the mic
Bluetooth headphones use one mode for high-quality listening and a separate hands-free mode for calls. When an app opens the microphone, Windows switches modes, which can sound like a disconnect and makes audio thin and muffled. You have two options:
- Use the PC’s built-in microphone or a USB microphone for calls, and set it as the input device in Settings, System, Sound. Your headphones then stay in high-quality mode.
- If you never use the headset mic on this PC, open Settings, Bluetooth and devices, Devices, choose More devices and printer settings, right-click your headphones, choose Properties, open the Services tab and untick Handsfree Telephony. Tick it again if you later want to use the headset mic.
Need a better mic for calls? See our best USB microphones for Zoom calls.
Fix 8: Check multipoint and other devices
Many headphones connect to two devices at once. If your phone is nearby, the headphones may jump to it when a notification arrives. Turn off multipoint in the headphone maker’s app, or switch off Bluetooth on the phone while you work.
Fix 9: Run the Bluetooth troubleshooter and restart the service
- Open Settings, then System, then Troubleshoot, then Other troubleshooters, and run the Bluetooth troubleshooter.
- Search for Services in the Start menu and open the Services app.
- Find Bluetooth Support Service, right-click it and choose Restart. Then open its Properties and set Startup type to Automatic.
Fix 10: Update the headphones’ firmware
Headphone makers fix connection bugs in firmware updates delivered through their phone apps, such as Sony Sound Connect, Bose, Jabra or Soundcore. Install the app, connect the headphones to your phone and apply any update, then pair with the PC again.
Quick reference: which fix for which symptom
| What you notice | Most likely cause | Start with |
|---|---|---|
| Drops after the PC wakes from sleep | Windows power saving | Fix 3 and fix 4 |
| Drops or sounds terrible when a call starts | The switch to the hands-free call profile | Fix 7 |
| Drops when you move away from the desk | Range or interference | Fix 5 |
| Started after a Windows update | A changed or generic driver | Fix 6 |
| Drops when your phone is nearby | Multipoint switching | Fix 8 |
| Only one pair of headphones drops | Headphone firmware | Fix 10 |
| Every Bluetooth device drops | The adapter or the Bluetooth service | Fix 6 and fix 9 |
How to stop it coming back
- Keep the adapter away from USB 3 ports and cables. USB 3 devices can create radio noise in the same 2.4 GHz band that Bluetooth uses. If you use a USB Bluetooth dongle, a short USB extension cable that moves it away from the PC case and other USB 3 devices often helps.
- Plug the dongle straight into the computer. Avoid unpowered USB hubs where you can.
- Check optional driver updates after big Windows updates. Go to Settings, then Windows Update, then Advanced options, then Optional updates, and look under Driver updates.
- Keep the headphones charged. Some headphones become less stable as the battery runs low, and the connection can drop just before they shut down.
- Remove headphones you no longer use. Forgetting old pairings makes troubleshooting simpler and stops Windows trying to reconnect to devices that are not there.
Still dropping? Try this
- Test the headphones with another PC or phone. If they drop everywhere, the headphones are the problem; if not, it is the PC.
- Test another Bluetooth device with your PC. If that drops too, a USB Bluetooth 5.x adapter can replace a weak or buggy built-in radio.
- If it only happens right after switching the PC on, try turning off Fast Startup in Control Panel, Power Options, Choose what the power buttons do.
- For calls where reliability matters most, a wired or USB headset avoids Bluetooth entirely; see our best headsets for working from home.
Frequently asked questions
Why do my Bluetooth headphones disconnect when I join a Teams or Zoom call?
Joining a call opens the headset’s microphone, so Windows switches the headphones into hands-free call mode. Use a separate microphone or follow fix 7.
Why do my headphones disconnect when my PC is idle?
Usually power saving. Turn off the Bluetooth adapter’s power-saving option (fix 3) and USB selective suspend (fix 4).
Do AirPods work properly with Windows 11?
Yes, for listening. They pair like any Bluetooth headphones, but features such as automatic switching and Spatial Audio head tracking are for Apple devices. If they keep dropping, pair them again and see how to reset AirPods.
Will a new Bluetooth adapter fix disconnections?
It can, if your PC’s built-in radio is old or its driver is buggy. Try the free fixes first, then test a Bluetooth 5.x USB adapter.
Why does my headset sound muffled before it disconnects?
That is the switch to call mode. Sound quality drops while the headset mic is active. See fix 7.
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