This wikiHow teaches you how to find out if your computer has built-in Bluetooth capabilities. Most Windows computers and virtually all Macs have built-in Bluetooth cards, but some desktop computers and older models do not.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: In Windows
Step 1. Open Start
Click the Windows logo in the lower left corner of the screen.
You can also right-click on Start to bring up the advanced settings pop-up menu
Step #2. Open Device Manager
Tap device manager and then click Device Manager in the Start menu. The Device Manager window will now open.
- If you right-clicked the Start icon, just click Device Manager in the pop-up menu that appears.
Step 3. Look for the heading 'Bluetooth'
If you see a "Bluetooth" heading near the top part of the window (i.e. in the area with the letter "B"), your computer has built-in Bluetooth capabilities.
If you don't see a "Bluetooth" heading, your computer doesn't have built-in Bluetooth capabilities
Method 2 of 3: On a Mac
Step 1. Open the Apple menu
Click on the Apple logo in the top left corner of the screen. A drop-down menu will now appear.
Step #2. Click About This Mac
This option is located in the drop-down menu. A pop-up window will now appear.
Step 3. Click System Summary…
You'll find this option at the bottom of the About This Mac window. Doing so will open a new window.
- In older versions of macOS, click More info… in this window.
Step 4. Expand the section under the "Hardware" heading
To do this, click on the triangle pointing to the right
to the left of the “Hardware” heading. Under the "Hardware" heading, you should see a list of indented options.
If the triangle next to the "Hardware" heading points downwards, the list is already expanded
Step 5. Look for the 'Bluetooth' sub-heading
Under the heading 'Hardware', look for the subheading 'Bluetooth'. This sub-heading should be at the top of the hardware options list.
If you don't see a "Bluetooth" sub-heading here, your Mac doesn't have built-in Bluetooth
Step 6. Confirm that your Mac has Bluetooth
If you see the "Bluetooth" sub-heading, click it once to select it. If you see Bluetooth information on the right side of the screen after clicking the heading, your Mac has built-in Bluetooth. If not, you won't be able to use Bluetooth on your Mac.
Method 3 of 3: In Linux
Step #1. Open the Terminal
Click or double-click the Terminal app icon. This looks like a black square with a white '>_' in it.
In most versions of Linux, you can also just press Alt+Ctrl+T to open the Terminal window
Step 2. Type the command to search for Bluetooth
Type in the following command and press ↵ Enter:
sudo lsusb |grep Bluetooth
Step 3. Enter your password
When prompted, enter your password that you use to log in to your computer. Then press ↵ Enter.
Step 4. View the results
If you see the name and manufacturer of a Bluetooth device on the next line, then your computer has Bluetooth installed.
- If a blank line appears, then your computer does not have Bluetooth installed.
- Note that some versions of Linux do not support built-in Bluetooth adapters.