Windows 10: Windows 11 not recognizing paired and connected bluetooth headphones as a audio output device

I own a Sony WH-1000XM5 Bluetooth headphones, which are updated to the latest audio driver and firmware update for the product. When connected to my phone these work in perfect order and have no problems of mention. When they are connected to my laptop, which has the latest audio drivers installed, they do not work. The headphones appear as connected and nothing else, not even as a audio output or input device. I have removed it as a paired device and repaired with same problem. I have run both the Bluetooth and audio troubleshooters with no problems. The device only appears as connected not

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Bluetooth audio headset not recognized by Windows - won't pair/connect

Hi,

I've run into a problem recently with pairing my wireless Bose Soundsport headphones to my PC. Up until recently, the headphones paired and worked fine with my PC and iPhone simultaneously. I have 2 pairs of these exact headphones, and neither of them connect to this PC. However, they still connect to any other device.

The problem I am experiencing has persisted ever since I installed a graphics driver update via the GeForce Experience application (version 397.64, released on 05/09/2018). I updated this driver as a result of a few Memory_Management BSOD's and crashes while playing Fortnite.

Before anyone says, "Have you tried a troubleshooter / reinstall bluetooth drivers / make device discoverable / etc..." , please know that I've gone through the basic steps to solve problems like these. The only thing I haven't done is revert to a previous graphics driver - as I'd rather not do that. From a few hours of research, I haven't seen a problem similar to this.

What I Am Experiencing:
- I've paired and un-paired this device many times in the past. So I know the procedure.
- When I set the headphones to "Ready to Pair", the device name is expected to appear in the device list after clicking "Add Bluetooth or other device" in Windows Bluetooth settings.
- Instead, I only see an audio device called "Headphone" that, when clicked, will just say "Connecting..." indefinitely (see attached image).

In the past, the "Add Bluetooth or other device" would display the name of the device (Bose Soundsport), whereas now it only displays "Headphone". Why can my PC only see the headphones?

 

Bluetooth headphones not recognized as audio output device

Hi,

I have a problem with pairing my Bluetooth headphones with my computer, while they work perfectly on my phone.

My computer detects the headphones, but as if they were any Bluetooth device (like a phone), not an audio device.

So I can't select them as the main audio output, and essentially can't use them on my computer.

In the Bluetooth settings, the headphones come up like a general paired device instead of an audio device.

They are showing up as a general device instead of an audio device in the control panel too.

I have tried updating the drivers and Windows. Everything is updated but my computer is still not recognizing the headphone as an audio device. I have been using these headphones with my computer successfully for over a year. The problem just started this week.

Thank you!

 

Bluetooth Headphones Connect but no headphones output Device

Hello, MazR

Welcome to Microsoft Community.

It looks like you're experiencing an issue where your Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones connect to your Asus Notebook via Bluetooth but the headphones do not appear as an output device in the sound settings. Since you mentioned that the headphones work fine on other devices and have worked on this laptop before, it seems the issue is with the laptop settings or drivers.



Here are a few steps you could try to resolve the issue:

1. First open Windows Settings - go to the Bluetooth devices tab - delete the pairing information for Sony WH-1000XM4 - then turn off your Windows Bluetooth functionality.
   
2. Check for other connected Bluetooth devices around you, such as mobile phones or other mobile devices with Bluetooth functionality. Go into these settings to turn off Bluetooth, which should allow your Bluetooth headset's communication channel to come out to Windows.
   
3. Based on previous experience, if a Bluetooth headset is connected to more than two devices, the communication channel will be occupied, but this depends on the communication channel reserved for the headset by the hardware manufacturer.
   
4. Go back to the Windows side, restart the device, and turn on the Bluetooth function. Follow the steps for headphone pairing in Sony's manual to start pairing. After successful pairing, check whether it can be selected as the output device normally.
   

Feel free to let me know the status.



Chandy |Microsoft Community Support Specialist