Microsoft's Bluetooth File Transfer Guide Treats Pairing and Transfer as Separate Problems
The guide on Microsoft Support targets one case: the Bluetooth link is up, but the file never moves. Microsoft lists a wide range of possible causes. They include wrong Bluetooth settings, a device that isn't discoverable, restrictive file-sharing policies, incompatible encryption settings, outdated drivers, and adapter problems after a Windows update. Microsoft adds a second group: the receiving device may not be ready, the sender may be out of range or low on battery, or the device may not support the Bluetooth file-transfer protocol the transfer needs.
Those are possible causes, not a diagnosis. Microsoft does not tie each error message to one cause, and it does not claim any single step fixes every case. It also does not name a Windows build or update that introduced a regression. This is a standing support procedure, not a report of a new bug.
This split between pairing and transfer runs through Microsoft's other Bluetooth documentation too. The companion guide on sending and receiving files says that if the message "Bluetooth file transfer not completed" appears instead, the other device might not be ready to receive files via Bluetooth. For phones, cameras and other non-Windows devices, Microsoft sends users to the device's documentation or the manufacturer's website for more information on how to prepare the device to receive files via Bluetooth. Put simply, Windows can confirm the radio link, but it can't tell whether a phone's Bluetooth sharing feature is ready to accept a file.
"Waiting for connection" and the Receive a File Step in fsquirt
Microsoft's fourth fix is the one most people skip, and it fits the most common complaint. On Windows 11, right-click the Bluetooth icon in the taskbar and choose Receive a file so the PC is ready to accept incoming files. The sending device must also be in discoverable mode. The Windows 10 wording is the same except that the icon is in the taskbar notification area.
Windows does not listen for incoming Bluetooth files in the background. Someone has to open a receive session in the Bluetooth File Transfer wizard. Microsoft describes the sequence: in the Transfer files using Bluetooth page, select Receive files. The Waiting for a connection page appears. Initiate the file transfer via Bluetooth on the other device. So "Waiting for connection" is normal on its own. It becomes a problem only when it stays up after the other device has actually started sending.
The wizard is a program called fsquirt.exe, and you can open it without the taskbar icon. Digital Citizen describes launching it from the Run window: press Win + R on your keyboard, type fsquirt.exe and click or tap OK. Geek Rewind's Windows 11 walkthrough notes a Settings route too. Under Bluetooth & devices, scroll down to find "Related settings" and click on Send or receive files via Bluetooth. This matters when the taskbar icon is hidden or its menu is missing the file options, which is a long-running complaint in community forums.
Two practical rules follow. First, open the receive session before you tap "Share via Bluetooth" on the phone, not after. Second, leave the window open during the transfer. A community answer on Microsoft Q&A gives the same advice: keep the window so open as it is and then try sending file from phone to laptop.
The receive session won't solve every case. In one Microsoft Q&A thread, a Windows 10 user describes a laptop where the 'receiving' box immediately pops up (so my laptop knows a file is being transferred) but the transfer doesn't happen, even after trying all three ways of opening the wizard. When the wizard is clearly listening and the transfer still fails, the cause is probably further down Microsoft's list: device protocol support, encryption compatibility, or the driver.
Windows 11 and Windows 10 Use Different Paths in Settings
Microsoft's first fix is the automated Bluetooth troubleshooter in the Get Help app. It runs diagnostics and tries to fix the problem by itself. The Windows 11 section lists this first, and the Windows 10 section also points to Get Help. It is the lowest-effort starting point, but the guide keeps going because the troubleshooter won't catch everything.
The next two fixes cover basic setup, and here the Settings paths differ between versions:
| Task | Windows 11 | Windows 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Turn on Bluetooth | Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices, then turn on the Bluetooth toggle | Start > Settings > Devices > Bluetooth & other devices, then turn on the Bluetooth toggle |
| Remove a device | Bluetooth & devices, find the device, More options (…) > Remove device | Select the device, then Remove device |
| Add it back | Add device, then pick it from the list | Add Bluetooth or other device, then pick it from the list |
| Check for updates | Start > Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates | Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for updates |
For the second fix, Microsoft says the other device must be in pairing mode and within range of the PC. Move it closer if the signal might be unstable. The broader list of causes adds battery level, because a sender that is out of range or low on battery can drop a transfer partway through.
The third fix, removing and re-adding the device, has a narrow trigger. Microsoft recommends it when the device appears in the Bluetooth list but won't connect. If the device connects fine and only the file transfer fails, re-pairing is less likely to help than the receive session or the checks below.
The 40-bit and 56-bit Encryption Setting Trades Security for Compatibility
The fifth fix is the only one that weakens protection, so it needs the most care. According to Microsoft, Windows uses 128-bit encryption to protect file-sharing connections. Some devices don't support 128-bit encryption and must use 40-bit or 56-bit encryption instead.
On Windows 11, go to Start > Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Advanced sharing settings. Expand All networks, then choose the 40- or 56-bit encryption option for File sharing connections. On Windows 10 the setting is in Control Panel. Go to Network and Sharing Center > Change advanced sharing settings, find File sharing connections under All networks, select "Enable file sharing for devices that use 40- or 56-bit encryption," and then select Save changes.
Microsoft does not claim that every Bluetooth transfer needs this change. The control is labeled for file-sharing connections in general, not for Bluetooth only, and it applies to all networks. The following is our editorial reading rather than Microsoft's instruction. Use this setting as a test only when you have a specific older device that fails after every other check. If transfers still fail after the change, switch back to the 128-bit default, because the weaker setting didn't solve anything. On a work PC, this is the kind of setting IT may control centrally, so ask before you change it.
Driver Reinstall and Windows Update Target Adapter Problems After an Update
Microsoft's list of causes names adapter problems after a Windows update, and fixes six and seven address them. To reinstall the adapter:
- Open Device Manager and expand Bluetooth.
- Right-click, or press and hold, the Bluetooth adapter name, then select Uninstall device > Uninstall.
- Select Start > Power > Restart. Windows will try to reinstall the driver during startup.
- If the adapter doesn't come back, open Device Manager again, select Bluetooth, right-click the adapter name, and choose Scan for hardware changes.
Microsoft's steps say uninstall the device. They do not tell you to delete the driver software. The restart is what triggers Windows to reinstall the driver automatically. Keep in mind that removing the adapter briefly disconnects every Bluetooth device, including a Bluetooth keyboard or mouse. Have a wired keyboard or mouse, or the touchpad, ready before you start. That warning is ours, not Microsoft's, but it follows directly from uninstalling the only Bluetooth radio in the PC.
The seventh fix tells you to confirm the PC actually supports Bluetooth, then check for Windows updates and install whatever is available. The companion guide adds a related point: even if a Windows device has a Bluetooth adapter, the drivers for the Bluetooth adapter might not be installed. If the adapter doesn't appear in Device Manager at all, or appears with an error, fix the driver first. None of the transfer checks will work until the adapter works.
Driver work has limits. If the phone or device doesn't support the transfer protocol, or nobody opened the receive session, reinstalling the adapter won't help. The eighth fix, restarting the PC, is Microsoft's catch-all for temporary system problems affecting Bluetooth.
"File transfer is disabled by policy" Points to Administrator Settings
Of the three messages, "File transfer is disabled by policy" is the least likely to be fixed from Settings. Microsoft lists restrictive file-sharing policies as one possible cause but doesn't name the specific policy that produces this message. On a managed work or school PC, this message most likely means Bluetooth file transfer was blocked on purpose. Contact the help desk, and don't try to work around it.
Community guides mention a registry value tied to the wizard itself. The Windows Club describes a fix for missing Send and Receive options that requires you to modify the registry by deleting the DisableFsquirt registry key, and then register the fsquirt.exe file. Microsoft's troubleshooting guide doesn't mention this value and doesn't connect it to the policy message. Treat it as a community lead for home PCs that you manage yourself, not a documented Microsoft fix. On an organization's PC, a locally deleted policy value may simply come back or break compliance rules.
What this means for you
Which fix to try depends on the message Windows shows. Most home users can fix a stuck transfer in a couple of minutes by setting up the receiving side properly. Save the driver reinstall and the encryption change for after the simple checks fail. If you're on a managed PC and see the policy message, stop there and contact your IT team.
Here is a practical order built from Microsoft's eight fixes. It is our suggested sequence, not one Microsoft requires:
- Before you send anything to a Windows PC, open Receive a file on that PC, either from the Bluetooth taskbar icon or by running fsquirt.exe. Keep the "Waiting for connection" window open, then start the transfer on the other device.
- Check that both devices are powered on, charged and close together. Make sure the sending device is discoverable, and use the Windows 11 or Windows 10 Settings path that matches your PC.
- Run the Get Help Bluetooth troubleshooter. Remove and re-add the device only if it appears in the list but won't connect.
- If the Bluetooth adapter may have broken after an update, uninstall it in Device Manager, restart so Windows reinstalls it, run Check for updates, and have a wired keyboard or mouse ready while Bluetooth is down.
- Use the 40- or 56-bit file-sharing encryption option only as a test for a specific older device that needs it. Switch back to the 128-bit default if it doesn't help.
- If you see "File transfer is disabled by policy" on a work or school PC, treat it as an administrator decision, not a local fault.
Microsoft has written this guide to separate a connected Bluetooth device from one that can actually transfer files. Most failures are fixed on the receiving side before any driver work: open Receive a file and then send. If transfers still fail after the receive session, discoverability, the driver reinstall and Windows Update, the likely cause is the other device's support for Bluetooth file transfer. For a phone or camera, the next place to look is the manufacturer's instructions for sharing files over Bluetooth.