How to Check if Your Computer Has Bluetooth

by 
This minHour teaches you how to determine whether or not your computer has built-in Bluetooth capabilities. While the majority of Windows computers and virtually all Macs have built-in Bluetooth cards, some desktop computers and older models do not.

Using a Windows PC

Open Start

Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen.

  • You can also right-click Start to bring up the advanced settings pop-up menu.

Open Device Manager.

Type in device manager, then click in the Start menu. The Device Manager window will open.

  • If you right-clicked the Start icon, just click Device Manager in the pop-up menu that appears.

Look for the “Bluetooth” heading.

If you find a “Bluetooth” heading near the top of the window (e.g., in the “B” section), your computer has built-in Bluetooth capabilities.

  • If you don’t see the “Bluetooth” heading, your computer does not have built-in Bluetooth capabilities.

Using a Mac

Open the Apple menu

Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.

Click About This Mac.

This is in the drop-down menu. A pop-up window will appear.

Click System Report….

It’s at the bottom of the About This Mac window. Doing so opens a new window.

  • On older versions of macOS, you’ll click More Info… here.

Expand the “Hardware” section.

Click the right-facing triangle to the left of the “Hardware” heading to do so. You should see a list of indented subcategories appear below the “Hardware” heading.

  • If the triangle next to “Hardware” is facing downward, this list is already expanded.

Look for the “Bluetooth” heading.

Beneath the “Hardware” heading, look for a “Bluetooth” sub-heading. It should be near the top of the list of hardware options.

  • If you don’t see a “Bluetooth” heading here, your Mac does not have built-in Bluetooth.

Confirm that your Mac has Bluetooth.

If you see the “Bluetooth” sub-heading, click once the heading to select it. If clicking the heading displays Bluetooth information in the right-hand side of the window, your Mac has Bluetooth capabilities; if not, your Mac doesn’t allow Bluetooth use.

Using a Linux PC

Open the Terminal.

Click or double-click the Terminal app icon, which resembles a black box with a white “>_” on it.

  • You can also just press to open Terminal in most versions of Linux.

Enter the Bluetooth search command.

Type in the following command, then press ↵ Enter:sudo lsusb |grep Bluetooth

Enter your password.

When prompted, type in the password you use to log into your computer, then press ↵ Enter.

Review the results.

If the next line in Terminal shows the name and manufacturer of a Bluetooth item, your computer has Bluetooth installed.

  • If you see a blank line appear, Bluetooth isn’t installed in your computer.
  • Keep in mind that some versions of Linux don’t support built-in Bluetooth adapters.

Tips

  • You can add a USB Bluetooth dongle to your computer in order to use Bluetooth if your computer doesn’t have a built-in adapter.

Warnings

  • Linux won’t always recognize Bluetooth adapters or dongles, especially if your computer is an older model.

Leave a Comment