Windows · low · Hardware, drivers & peripherals

Bluetooth has disappeared or will not pair

The radio has been switched off in software, the support service is stopped, or the driver has been unloaded after a sleep cycle.

What you see

The Bluetooth toggle vanishes from Settings entirely, or devices pair and then will not reconnect.

What is actually wrong

Airplane mode and the Fn key both switch the radio off in a way that outlives a reboot. The Bluetooth Support Service being stopped removes the UI altogether. Beyond that, USB selective suspend on the internal Bluetooth radio is the usual cause of a device that pairs but will not reconnect.

Codes and articles

Bluetooth missingbthportDriver Error bluetooth0x8007048FEvent 17 BTHUSB

Fixes (3)

Restore the support services

Elevated PowerShell10 minuteslow riskreversible

The whole section has gone from Settings.

Check the three services involved.

PowerShell

Get-Service bthserv,BTAGService,BluetoothUserService* | Format-Table Name,DisplayName,Status,StartType

Start them and set the main one to automatic.
PowerShell
```
Set-Service bthserv -StartupType AutomaticStart-Service bthservStart-Service BTAGService -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
```
The Settings page is drawn from bthserv. With it stopped, Windows does not show a broken Bluetooth section — it shows no Bluetooth section, which reads as missing hardware.

Check the radio is present as a device.

PowerShell

Get-PnpDevice -Class Bluetooth | Format-Table Status,FriendlyName,InstanceId

Confirm it workedThe Bluetooth section returns to Settings and the toggle works.

If you need to undo itSet-Service bthserv -StartupType Manual returns the previous configuration.

Turn the radio back on at every level

Settings and the keyboard10 minuteslow riskreversible

The toggle is present but will not stay on.

Check airplane mode, which overrides the individual toggles.
PowerShell
```
Start-Process ms-settings:network-airplanemode
```
Check the hardware radio switch or Fn key — usually Fn plus F2, F5 or a key with an aeroplane on it.

Check the radio state directly.

PowerShell

Get-CimInstance -Namespace root\wmi -ClassName BthRadio -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Format-List InstanceName,RadioState

Restart the radio management service if the toggle is stuck.
PowerShell
```
Restart-Service RmSvc -Force
```

Confirm it workedThe toggle turns on and stays on across a restart.

If you need to undo itNothing persistent was changed.

Stop the radio being suspended, and re-pair cleanly

Device Manager and Settings20 minuteslow riskreversible

Devices pair once and never reconnect, or reconnect only after a restart.

Remove the device from Settings entirely rather than trying to reconnect it. A half-broken pairing record is not repairable in place.
In Device Manager, open the Bluetooth radio's Properties → Power Management and clear "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power".
Command Prompt
```
devmgmt.msc
```
A suspended radio wakes when Windows asks it to, but not when a headset tries to reconnect to it. That produces the exact pattern of a device that works when you initiate and not when it does.
Put the accessory into pairing mode properly — most need a button held for several seconds, not a short press — and pair again.
For audio devices that connect but produce no sound, check both the Hands-Free and Stereo endpoints in the sound control panel; Windows creates two and picks the wrong one regularly.
Command Prompt
```
control mmsys.cpl sounds
```

Confirm it workedThe device reconnects automatically after being switched off and on.

If you need to undo itThe power management checkbox can be ticked back.

Where this stops. This write-up was written and checked by hand. It says what each step changes, how to confirm it worked and how to reverse it, and anything destructive is flagged before you reach it. If it does not match what your machine is doing, search the Support Centre for the exact code or message — and when something needs a person, get in touch.