my android phone will not connect bluetooth to my windows 11

Hap 20 Reputation points
2026-10-17T20:46:52.9966667+00:00

I am trying to get Phone link reset up after an computer issue. Phone Link will not connect with my android phone, althought it worked fine before. It shows my phone in the upper left corner as disconnected. I have tried Terminate & Reset to no avail. I have removed and reinstalled both Link to Windows on my phone and Phone Link on my PC, again to no avail. It still shows my phone as disconnected in Phone Link. When I try to just add my phone to the PC by Bluetooth it sends me the pairing codes and I accept, it then says connected and then immediately disconnects.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Connect Phone and PC
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AI answer

2026-10-17T20:47:42.6+00:00

Completely remove the existing phone association from Phone Link, Windows Mobile Devices, Bluetooth, and Link to Windows before pairing again; resetting or reinstalling the apps does not necessarily remove these saved associations.

Close Phone Link, then remove the phone from every location in this order:

  1. Phone Link
    • Open Phone Link → Settings → Devices.
    • Select the three-dot menu beside the phone → Remove.
  2. Windows Mobile Devices
    • Open Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Mobile devices → Manage devices.
    • Remove the phone if it appears.
  3. Windows Bluetooth
    • Open Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Devices.
    • Remove every entry corresponding to the Android phone.
  4. Android Link to Windows
    • If Link to Windows is built in: open Settings → Connected devices → Link to Windows, select the Microsoft account, and tap Sign out.
    • If it was downloaded: open Link to Windows → Settings → Accounts → Sign out.
  5. Android Bluetooth
    • Open the phone’s Bluetooth settings.
    • Select the Windows PC and choose Unpair or Forget.

Microsoft documents that all these locations may need to be cleared to fully disconnect a device.^1^

Restart both devices after completing the removal.

2. Reconnect through Phone Link—not Bluetooth Settings

Before relinking:

  • Connect the PC and phone to the same trusted Wi-Fi network.
  • Turn off Battery Saver on both devices.
  • Sign in to Phone Link and Link to Windows with the same Microsoft account.
  • On Android, set Link to Windows battery usage to Don’t optimize or Unrestricted:
    • Settings → Apps → Link to Windows → Battery
    • Select Don’t optimize, Unrestricted, or turn off Optimize battery usage, depending on the phone.^2^

Then:

  1. Open Phone Link on Windows.
  2. Choose to add an Android device.
  3. Open Link to Windows on Android and scan the QR code shown on the PC.
  4. Grant the requested permissions.
  5. Wait until the phone shows Connected in Phone Link before configuring Calls.

Phone Link setup uses the QR-code workflow and requires the devices to be nearby and able to communicate over the same Wi-Fi network.^3^

If both devices are on the same Wi-Fi but still cannot communicate, check the router for Wireless Isolation/AP Isolation and disable it. A VPN, firewall, public Wi-Fi, or managed work network can also block device-to-device communication.^2^

3. Treat the immediate Bluetooth disconnect separately

Phone Link’s general connection and its Bluetooth-dependent Calls feature are separate. First confirm whether Phone Link connects over Wi-Fi. If Phone Link works but Calls does not, open Phone Link → Calls and perform the Bluetooth pairing from there.

If Android still pairs and immediately disconnects—even outside Phone Link—repair the PC’s Bluetooth driver:

  1. Open Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates and install available updates.
  2. Open Device Manager → Bluetooth.
  3. Right-click the Bluetooth adapter → Update driver → Search automatically for drivers.
  4. If Windows finds nothing newer, obtain the Windows 11 Bluetooth driver for the exact PC model from the PC manufacturer.
  5. Restart Windows.

If updating does not help:

  1. Return to Device Manager → Bluetooth.
  2. Right-click the Bluetooth adapter → Uninstall device.
  3. Restart the PC; Windows should reinstall the adapter automatically.

If the problem began immediately after a driver or Windows update, use Bluetooth adapter → Properties → Driver → Roll Back Driver, when that button is available.^4^

If Intel Unison, Virtoo by LG, or another phone-integration application is installed, disable or sign out of it before pairing because such applications can conflict with Phone Link calling.^5^

References

  1. Remove your mobile device from Phone Link, Link to Windows, and Windows Settings | Microsoft Support
  2. Troubleshooting the Phone Link
  3. Troubleshooting setup for the Phone Link | Microsoft Support
  4. Windows 11
  5. Android
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  1. Hendrix-V 20,700 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-10-18T03:20:44.8433333+00:00

    Hi Hap,

    Since the same phone connects successfully to your laptop, this points us toward the Phone Link configuration on the affected PC rather than the phone itself.

    At this point, I would suggest resetting the PC-side connection:

    1. Go to Microsoft account connected devices and unlink the affected phone.
    2. On the affected PC, open Settings > Apps > Phone Link > Advanced options > Reset.
    3. Open Phone Link again and pair the phone as a new connection.

    If the phone still appears in Phone Link but remains missing from Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices, please let us know. That distinction would be useful for narrowing down the Windows-side issue further.

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  2. Hap 20 Reputation points
    2026-10-17T21:04:43.16+00:00

    phone does not show up in Phone Link > System > Mobile Devices, but is still indicated on the top left of Phone Link. I have cleared the caches in my Link to Windows. By the way my Phone link on my laptop works just fine with the same phone, so i don't think the4 issue is with my phones settings or Link to Windows

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