These days, we all use Bluetooth devices at one time or another. This could be anything like wireless headphones, speakers, smartwatches, and several other devices operating on Bluetooth. For such devices to work efficiently on Windows, you must update the related drivers from time to time. If not, you may encounter different issues including “Remove Bluetooth device failed”.
Apart from outdated Bluetooth drivers, this could also be the result of a few services not running in the background. Whatever the reason in your case, we will discuss six solutions that might help to overcome such issues on Windows 11. Without any further ado, let’s explore the reasons behind it and the relevant fixes.
What to do if Bluetooth device removal failed?
There are three main reasons that can cause a Bluetooth device removal a failed task and they are as follows –
- The Bluetooth device has been outdated – Remove the Bluetooth device via Device manager first. If the problem persists even after this, you may check for driver updates, and install them on your Windows PC.
- Bluetooth Services not running in the background – Go and check if the required services are running in the background. Make sure to change their Startup type to Automatic.
Ways to Solve Remove Bluetooth Device Failed
Before you apply any fix, make sure to perform a few preliminary checks on your computer and they are as follows –
- Disconnect all wireless devices – The Bluetooth device removal might fail when there are some interferences from other wireless devices. So, we recommend removing all wireless devices from your system, and checking if you can remove the Bluetooth device now.
- Try a different Bluetooth Adapter – The Bluetooth device that you would like to remove must be paired with your system. If not, it can cause problems removing the device. Use the original Bluetooth adapter to identify your Bluetooth device and try again to remove it from Windows.
If you are still facing problems removing a Bluetooth device on your Windows 11 PC, here are a few suggestions that might help you to overcome this issue.
1] Remove the Bluetooth device
If you failed to remove a Bluetooth device on Windows 11, remove all peripheral devices from your system, and follow these steps –
- Right-click on the Windows icon and select Device Manager.
- Click the “>” icon next to Bluetooth and look for the device that is not being removed.
- If you didn’t find the device here, go to the View tab, and hit Show hidden devices.
- Right-click on your Bluetooth device and select the Uninstall device option.
Wait for the system to successfully remove the selected Bluetooth. Now that you have removed the Bluetooth device, it won’t result in an error message stating “Remove Bluetooth Device” failed.
Note: In case you would like to reinstall the removed driver, all you require is to reconnect your Bluetooth device to Windows and the removed driver will reinstall automatically.
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2] Update the Bluetooth Driver
On Windows, every peripheral device has its own separate driver that helps to make end-to-end connections. As you are facing trouble removing a Bluetooth device, there is a possibility that the external Bluetooth device driver has corrupted somehow.
Go to Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options, and check if some optional updates are available under the Additional options. If you do find some updates here, enter the optional updates section, mark all the checkboxes, and hit Download and Install.
Windows users may search for driver updates via Device Manager as well. However, you will be redirected to the same page as outlined above. This is why we are suggesting following the Windows Update section directly.
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3] Download and Install Pending updates
Many a time, Bluetooth problems could easily be resolved by upgrading your Windows PC to its latest Build version. If you haven’t updated your system for a long time, consider updating your device. For this, you need to follow these easy steps –
- Open Settings by pressing keys – Windows and I.
- Select Windows Update from the left pane.
- Head over to the right wing, and hit Check for updates.
The system will check for pending updates via Microsoft Servers online. If there are updates available for your device, the same will be installed automatically on your computer.
Note: At times, when you are searching for pending updates, the system reports some optional updates. These updates could be of anything including Bluetooth, some other device driver, firmware, etc. Click on this link, mark all the checkboxes, and hit “Download and Install“.
After the installation completes, you will see a prompt suggesting you restart your PC. Do so and check if the Bluetooth problem resolves afterward.
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4] Configure the Bluetooth Support Service to Automatic
The Bluetooth services must be running in the background for a Bluetooth device to function properly. If that’s not the case, you might encounter problems removing a Bluetooth device from your system.
Go and check the current status of the Bluetooth service on your device and if found disabled, re-enable it by following these easy steps –
- Use the Win and S hotkey to launch the Windows Search.
- Type “Services” without quotes on it and click on the top result.
- When the Services window launches, scroll down to the Bluetooth Support Service.
- Right-click on this service and select Properties from the context menu.
- Use the Startup type drop-down menu and change it to Automatic.
- After you have successfully changed its startup type, click Apply > OK.
- If this service is stopped, you better hit the Start button. Else, click Stop first and then hit the Start button.
Close the services window, and restart your PC. When Windows 11 reloads, check if you can now remove the Bluetooth device from your system.
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5] Troubleshoot Bluetooth
Bluetooth issues may occur if the fault is its driver. The troubleshooter is an in-build utility program that identifies this problem and rectifies it if found. Here is the process-
- Press Win & X and select Settings from the list.
- Go to System > Troubleshoot, and click Other troubleshooters.
- Scroll down to the Other section, and hit the Run button available beside Bluetooth.
- The Bluetooth troubleshooter will launch and start detecting the underlying causes.
- This tool will automatically diagnose and repair the persisting issue on your computer.
- As soon as the troubleshooting completes, you will see a list of problems found and their current status.
In most cases, this tool automatically fixes the problems found. So, all you need is to close this window and restart your PC. When Windows 11 reloads, check if you are now able to remove the Bluetooth device from your system.
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6] Remove Bluetooth device from the registry
The registry keeps the settings for all devices attached to your Windows PC. As you are not able to remove the Bluetooth device by following the usual ways, we recommend removing the same via the registry.
Follow the below instructions on how to remove a Bluetooth device using the registry editor –
- Open the Run dialog y pressing Win & R.
- Type Regedit in the text box and hit OK.
- The User account control window will launch next, hit Yes to authorize opening the Registry.
- When the registry editor launches, navigate to the below path –
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BTHPORT\Parameters\Devices
- Under Devices, you will find several entries. Each one of these corresponds to Bluetooth devices linked to your computer.
- Right-click on the top entry, and hit the Delete option.
- When a confirmation window appears, click Yes to confirm this entry and all its subkeys.
- Repeat the above steps to remove all entries under the Devices key.
After you have removed all devices, close the registry window, and restart your PC. Hopefully, the Bluetooth device removal problem resolves after this.
