Unable to add Bluetooth Devices in Windows 11

Sorry that clicking Add device does nothing — that’s frustrating. Let’s troubleshoot methodically from quick checks to deeper fixes so we can find whether this is a UI bug, a driver/hardware detection issue, or a Bluetooth stack problem.
Before we start: a couple quick questions

• Does Device Manager show a Bluetooth adapter under Bluetooth? (Open Device Manager → expand Bluetooth and tell me what adapter name(s) you see.
• Does this machine ever successfully add a Bluetooth device, or is this a new problem since you swapped dongles / changed anything?
• Can you test the UGreen dongle in another PC to confirm it’s working there?

If you prefer, run the Device Manager check now and tell me the adapter name (or paste a screenshot). If not, follow the steps below.
Step‑by‑step checks and fixes (try in order)
1) Quick UI refresh (fast, low risk)

• Restart the Settings app and Explorer:
  • Close Settings, open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), find Settings.exe (or Windows Explorer) and End task; then in Task Manager choose File → Run new task → type explorer.exe and press Enter.
• Re-open Settings → Bluetooth & devices and click Add device.
  Expected: Add device menu should open (Bluetooth / Wireless display / Everything else).

2) Try the alternative “Add device” UI

• Open Devices and Printers (Control Panel) directly:
  • Press Win+R → paste control printers → Enter → click “Add a device” (top-left).
    Expected: Windows will scan and show Bluetooth devices. If this opens and finds devices, the Settings app may be the problem.

3) Run the Bluetooth troubleshooter and Windows Store Apps troubleshooter

• Settings → System → Troubleshoot → Other troubleshooters → run the Bluetooth troubleshooter. Also run “Windows Store Apps” troubleshooter if Settings UI seems broken.
  Expected: Troubleshooter may detect and fix services or driver issues.

4) Restart Bluetooth services

• Press Win+R → services.msc → locate Bluetooth Support Service (bthserv). Right‑click → Restart. Set Startup type = Automatic (Delayed Start).
• If present, restart “Bluetooth Audio Gateway Service” and “Bluetooth User Support Service”.
  Then test Add device again.
  Expected: If service was stopped or hung, restarting it should restore Add device functionality.

5) Confirm adapter is visible in Device Manager and check driver

• Open Device Manager → expand Bluetooth. If you see an adapter (e.g., “Realtek Bluetooth”, “Intel Wireless Bluetooth”, “Generic Bluetooth Radio”), right‑click → Properties → Details → Hardware Ids and tell me the VID/PID (first line).
• If the adapter is shown with a yellow triangle or as “Unknown device”, right‑click → Uninstall device (check “Delete the driver software for this device” only if you’ll reinstall) → unplug the dongle, reboot, plug it back in and let Windows reinstall drivers.
  Expected: After reinstall, adapter should appear as the correct name and Settings Add device should work.

6) If the adapter looks fine but Add device still does nothing — uninstall/reinstall the Bluetooth driver

• In Device Manager: right‑click adapter → Update driver → Browse my computer → Let me pick from a list → choose Microsoft generic “Bluetooth Radio” or select the OEM driver if available. Or uninstall then plug dongle in to force Windows to re‑detect.
• If your UGreen uses a Realtek or CSR/Qualcomm chipset, download the vendor driver from UGreen/Realtek/Qualcomm and install it rather than relying on the generic driver. (If you want I can help identify the correct driver once you paste the Hardware Id.
  Expected: OEM drivers often restore full pairing UI behavior.

7) Remove possible conflicts (Logitech Unifying, other radios)

• You have “USB Receiver” entries in your screenshot (likely wireless receiver). Temporarily unplug other USB RF receivers (Logitech Unifying, etc., then try Add device again with only the Bluetooth dongle plugged into a direct USB port (not a hub).
  Expected: Removes interference/driver conflicts.

8) Show hidden devices and remove old Bluetooth stacks

• In Device Manager → View → Show hidden devices. Expand Bluetooth and “Bluetooth Radios” (if present) and uninstall any stale/ghost devices (greyed out). Reboot and retest.
  Expected: Removes conflicting drivers that can break the Settings UI.

9) Check Event Viewer while you click Add device

• Open Event Viewer → Windows Logs → System and Application. Clear the view or note the current top timestamp, then click Add device and immediately look for new errors or warnings (source: DCOM, Application Error, or Settings). Paste any error events you see (IDs and brief text).
  Expected: Errors here often point to the failing process (Settings/UWP or a driver).

10) Test whether Settings app UI is broken for new windows

• Press Win+R → start ms-settings:bluetooth → does it open a Bluetooth pane and does Add device work?
• Alternatively, create a new local user account (Settings → Accounts → Family & other users → Add account) and sign into it then try Add device there — this checks if it is a per‑user settings corruption.
  Expected: If Add device works in another account, the problem is user profile corruption.

11) Reset Bluetooth state (aggressive but effective)

• In an elevated admin PowerShell run:
  • Set-Service bthserv -StartupType Automatic
  • Stop-Service bthserv -Force; Start-Service bthserv
• In Device Manager uninstall the Bluetooth adapter (right‑click → Uninstall), reboot and allow Windows to re-detect. If Windows does not reinstall, plug the dongle into another USB port or use Device Manager → Action → Scan for hardware changes.
  Expected: Fresh stack should restore pairing.

12) Final troubleshooting steps if nothing else works

• Test the dongle on a second machine to rule out device failure.
• If the dongle works elsewhere and you still can’t open Add device on this PC, consider an in-place Windows repair (Settings → System → Recovery → Reset this PC → Keep my files) or a System Restore to a point where Bluetooth worked. (Do these only after you’ve tried the other steps.

What I need from you now

• First, tell me what you see in Device Manager under Bluetooth (adapter name or “no Bluetooth”).
• If you’re comfortable, run this PowerShell command and paste the output (it lists Bluetooth devices):

Get-PnpDevice -Class Bluetooth | Select-Object Status,Class,InstanceId,FriendlyName

• Also try the quick UI steps 1–4 (restart Settings/Explorer, Devices and Printers Add device wizard, run Bluetooth troubleshooter, restart Bluetooth Support Service) and tell me which step changed behavior or produced an error.

I’ll walk through the exact commands and driver links once you paste the Device Manager adapter name or the Get‑PnpDevice output.

Thanks — the screenshots are very helpful. I can see your BARROT Bluetooth 6.0 adapter present in Device Manager, but the Settings → Add device UI does nothing and attempts to control the Bluetooth Support Service (bthserv) from PowerShell are failing with “Access denied / Cannot open service”. That tells us the Bluetooth service/stack or its permissions are the likely root cause.
Let’s check the stack and (re)start it from an elevated session, then reinstall drivers if needed. Please follow these steps exactly and paste any command output you’re unsure about.
1) Open an elevated terminal

• Right‑click Start → Windows Terminal (Admin) (or Windows PowerShell (Admin). Approve UAC.

2) List Bluetooth PnP devices (paste the output)
Run:
Get-PnpDevice -Class Bluetooth | Select-Object Status,Class,InstanceId,FriendlyName
This shows what Windows currently sees for Bluetooth. Paste the output if anything looks weird (Status not OK, or lots of “Unknown”).
3) Check the Bluetooth Support Service (bthserv)
Run these two commands and paste both outputs:
sc.exe query bthserv
sc.exe qc bthserv
Expected:

• sc query bthserv should show STATE : RUNNING (or STOPPED).
• sc qc bthserv should show the service configuration and ImagePath.

If sc returns “The specified service does not exist as an installed service”, that means the bthserv service registration is missing (problem).
4) Try to start the service (run as admin)
If bthserv exists but is stopped, run:
sc.exe start bthserv
sc.exe start bthserv | more
Or (PowerShell):
Start-Service bthserv
If you get an error, paste the exact error text.
5) If service cannot be opened or started (likely), check the registry entry
In the same elevated terminal run:
Test-Path 'HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\bthserv'
Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\bthserv' | Select-Object ImagePath,Start,Type | Format-List
If Test-Path returns False, the service registry key is missing — this means Windows’ Bluetooth stack registration is broken and we need to repair the stack.
6) Quick driver reinstall (safe, usually fixes broken stack)
A) Uninstall the adapter in Device Manager

• Open Device Manager → Bluetooth → right‑click “BARROT Bluetooth 6.0 Adapter” → Uninstall device.
• If prompted to “Delete the driver software for this device”, check that box only if you have the vendor driver handy (we’ll let you decide). Otherwise leave it unchecked.
• Also show hidden devices (Device Manager → View → Show hidden devices) and uninstall any greyed-out Bluetooth devices / duplicates (Microsoft Bluetooth Enumerator duplicates are OK usually).

B) Reboot the PC. After reboot, plug the dongle into a direct USB port (avoid hubs). Windows should redetect and reinstall the driver automatically.
7) If that didn’t help — run system health checks
From an elevated terminal:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
sfc /scannow
Reboot after these finish and retry starting the service (step 4) or check Settings → Add device.
8) If the adapter installs but Add device still does nothing

• Get the adapter hardware id so I can find the correct driver. In Device Manager:
  • Right‑click the BARROT adapter → Properties → Details → Property = Hardware Ids → copy the first value and paste it here.
• Also plug the dongle into another PC (or a laptop) to confirm the dongle itself works. If it fails on the other PC too, return/replace it.

9) If everything above is OK but Add device UI still never opens

• Try the “Add a device” wizard in Control Panel as a workaround: Win+R → control printers → Add a device. If that works it proves the Settings app is the problem (we’ll then reset the Settings app).
• Try in a new local user account (Settings → Accounts → Family & other users → Add account → local). Sign into new account and test Add device there.

What I need from you now

• Run step 2 and paste the Get-PnpDevice output.
• Run step 3 and paste outputs of sc.exe query bthserv and sc.exe qc bthserv (or tell me it said the service doesn’t exist).
• If you prefer, just tell me whether Device Manager shows the BARROT adapter with a warning icon or Status OK.

I’ll walk you through the exact next step depending on those outputs (reinstall driver package, repair registry service key, or reset/re-register the Windows Bluetooth service).

Good — the Get‑PnPDevice output confirms Windows sees the BARROT adapter (USB\VID_33FA&PID_0012) but many Bluetooth entries are showing as Unknown and earlier attempts to touch the Bluetooth Support Service (bthserv) failed. That strongly suggests a problem with the Bluetooth service/stack or its registration, not the dongle hardware itself.
I’ll give a short checklist (what to run now) plus safe repair steps. Please run the commands below from an elevated prompt (Windows Terminal / PowerShell run as Administrator) and paste the outputs back here so I can see the exact state and recommend the precise next action.
A — Commands to run (copy/paste into an Admin PowerShell)
1) Confirm what Bluetooth devices Windows sees
Get-PnpDevice -Class Bluetooth | Select-Object Status,Class,InstanceId,FriendlyName
(You already ran this — helpful. Keep it handy.
2) Check the Bluetooth Support Service registration and state
sc.exe query bthserv
sc.exe qc bthserv
3) Also show the service registry key (verify it exists and ImagePath)
reg query "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\bthserv" /v ImagePath
4) Show the running Service object (gives helpful error text)
Get-Service bthserv | Format-List *
5) If any of the above show “service does not exist” or cannot be opened, capture the System event log entries created when you try to start the service:
We’ll try to start the service (below) and then check the most recent System events:
wevtutil qe System /q:"*[System[(TimeCreated[timediff(@SystemTime) <= 600000])]" /c:30 /f:text
(That lists the last 30 System events in the last 10 minutes — paste any related to bthserv, RPC, or Service Control Manager.
Paste the outputs of commands 2–4 here and I’ll interpret them.
B — Quick repairs to try next (order matters)
If sc query / qc shows the service exists:
1) Restart the service as admin

• In an elevated PowerShell run:
  sc.exe start bthserv
  or
  Start-Service bthserv

If that fails with “Cannot open service” or “Access denied”, continue to step 2.
If the service key is missing (reg query fails) or you cannot start it at all:
2) Uninstall / reinstall the adapter (safe, usually fixes driver/stack problems)

• Open Device Manager → Bluetooth
• Right‑click BARROT Bluetooth 6.0 Adapter → Uninstall device
  • If you see a checkbox “Delete the driver software for this device” leave it UNchecked for the first attempt (so Windows can reinstall the driver automatically). Only check it if we later need to force-purge a faulty driver.
• Also View → Show hidden devices and uninstall any greyed out / ghosted Bluetooth devices (right‑click → Uninstall). Focus on duplicates and entries that look broken/unknown.
• Reboot the PC.
• Plug the dongle into a direct USB port (avoid hubs). Windows should redetect it and install a driver. After install, re-open Settings → Bluetooth & devices → click Add device.

If the adapter reappears but Add device still does nothing, try installing the generic Microsoft driver:

• Device Manager → right click adapter → Update driver → Browse my computer → Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer → choose “Bluetooth Radio (Microsoft)” or “Generic Bluetooth Adapter” and install.

3) If uninstall/reinstall doesn’t help — run offline repairs

• Open an elevated terminal and run:
  DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
  sfc /scannow
• Reboot after both complete. This fixes corrupted system files and service registrations.

4) If the service registry key is present but the ImagePath points to a missing file or the service cannot start

• We may need to repair the bthserv registry entry or re-register Windows Bluetooth DLLs. I’ll walk you through that once you paste the outputs from A.

C — Additional checks / temporary workarounds

• Try the Control Panel “Add a device” wizard as a test: Win+R → control printers → Add a device. If that opens and finds devices it proves the Settings app is the UI problem; if it also does nothing, it’s the Bluetooth stack.
• Test the dongle on a second PC (or a laptop) — if it fails there too return/exchange it. If it works elsewhere but not on this PC, the problem is local.
• If you have security software (AV, endpoint protection) temporarily disable it while testing — some suites block access to device services.

D — What I’ll do for you next once you paste outputs

• If the service exists but won’t start I’ll give exact commands to repair the service permissions or re-register the service.
• If the service key is missing I’ll supply the registry-backed bthserv key and the safe steps to restore it (or a command to repair it).
• If the driver is the problem I’ll help you pick the correct vendor driver (I can look up drivers for VID_33FA&PID_0012) and provide an install link and step-by-step.

So — please run sc.exe query bthserv and sc.exe qc bthserv and reg query "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\bthserv" /v ImagePath (all from an elevated prompt) and paste the outputs here. I’ll interpret and give the exact next command to fix it.

Step 1: Neither works

Step 2:



Step 5:

Reboot

BRB Don't post further commands.

Thanks — good progress. When you rebooted you did the right thing. A quick plan for the next minimal steps so we can clear the ghost entries and bring the user‑mode Bluetooth service up.
Before you do anything else, answer: after the reboot does clicking Add device in Settings still do nothing? (Yes / No)
If it still does nothing — please follow these steps in order. They’re safe and explained; do each one and tell me what changed.
1) Check the Bluetooth user service status (one quick check)

• Open Windows Terminal (Admin) and run:
  Get-Service -Name bthserv,BluetoothUserService* | Format-Table Name,Status,DisplayName -AutoSize
  Tell me the output. We want Bluetooth User Support Service to be Running (it was Stopped before).

2) Remove ghost/unknown Bluetooth devices (Device Manager)

• Open Device Manager → View → Show hidden devices.
• Expand Bluetooth. For any entries shown as Unknown or greyed (except the one that is your BARROT adapter), right‑click → Uninstall device. Remove duplicates/old Microsoft Enumerator entries that are clearly ghosted.
• Reboot after that cleanup.

Why: those unknown/ghost entries often block the pairing UI. Removing them forces Windows to re-enumerate cleanly.
3) Reinstall the BARROT adapter cleanly

• In Device Manager → right‑click BARROT Bluetooth 6.0 Adapter → Uninstall device.
  • On the dialog: first try UNCHECKED for “Delete the driver software” (so Windows can reinstall).
• Reboot, plug the dongle into a direct USB port (not a hub), let Windows install drivers automatically. Test Settings → Add device.

If Add device still does nothing, repeat the uninstall but this time check “Delete the driver software for this device” to purge possibly corrupted driver files, reboot and allow Windows to reinstall from Windows Update.
4) Start the Bluetooth user service if it’s still stopped

• If you saw the BluetoothUserService entries stopped in step 1, start them (Admin PowerShell):
  Get-Service -Name BluetoothUserService | ForEach-Object { if ($.Status -ne 'Running') { Start-Service $.Name; Write-Host "Started $($.Name)"} else { Write-Host "$($.Name) already running" } }

Then test Add device again.
5) If the above doesn’t fix it — repair Windows image

• Run these in an elevated prompt (may take a while; reboot after both):
  DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
  sfc /scannow

6) If Add device still does nothing after the repairs

• I can look up and provide the vendor driver for your dongle (VID_33FA&PID_0012). If you want that, tell me whether you prefer:
  • I find the UGreen (or BARROT) Windows driver for you, or
  • you want to test the dongle on another PC (to rule out hardware).

One more thing: if the Control Panel Add a device wizard also fails (you said it didn’t earlier), that indicates the stack is still broken — the steps above (ghost removal + reinstall + start BluetoothUserService + DISM/SFC) fix that in most cases.
Which step did you finish after the reboot? Tell me the output of step 1 (Get‑Service) and whether Add device is still non‑responsive. I’ll give the exact next command or driver link based on that.

It worked! I was successfully able to pair my Sony WF-1000XM5 wireless earbuds. They are working perfectly.
Thank you - I thought it was going to drag out like our previous threads.

That's a wrap.
@ChatGP Summarise thread.

Summary — short and ordered (what we did and what’s resolved)
1) Konica bizhub C3350 — Scan‑to‑folder (FTP/FTPS) problem

• Symptom: the MFP’s FTP upload was rejected; FileZilla’s admin log showed “503 Use AUTH first” (server was requiring TLS but the MFP attempted plain FTP).
• Diagnosis & fix: we either allow plain FTP temporarily or configure the MFP to use explicit FTPS. You chose to allow plain FTP for the test (FileZilla listener set to accept “Explicit FTP over TLS and insecure plain FTP” on port 21) and the test scan succeeded. Recommendation: move to FTPS (trusted cert or import self‑signed cert on MFP) and lock access to the MFP IP in your firewall.

2) Start11 (Windows 10 style) — Pinned shortcuts / deleted “Pinned page”

• Symptom: you clicked “Delete → Delete this page” in Start11 and the pinned area went empty; pin/unpin had no visible effect.
• Diagnosis: the per‑user Start pinned .lnk folder (%AppData%\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\StartMenu) only contained a single “Windows Menu.lnk” — the Start11 pinned grid/layout is stored in Start11’s settings/registry (not entirely as .lnk files), so copying that folder alone didn’t capture the full layout.
• Quick resolution: Reset to defaults in Start11 restored your pinned shortcuts. You hid the two Adobe apps you didn’t want shown.

3) Backups & robocopy + PowerShell snapshot

• You backed up the per‑user pinned folder with robocopy; the snapshot contained the single Windows Menu.lnk that existed at the time (robocopy report showed 1 file copied). I provided a ready‑to‑run PowerShell snapshot script that:
  • snapshots the User Pinned folder, per‑user and All Users Start Menu Programs folders,
  • exports the Start11/Stardock registry key(s) and the Explorer Taskband key,
  • writes logs into a dated snapshot folder so you can restore later.

4) Bluetooth — Add device UI did nothing → pairing fixed

• Symptom: clicking Settings → Bluetooth → Add device did nothing; replacing the dongle with a new UGreen/BARROT unit didn’t change that. Device Manager showed the BARROT Bluetooth 6.0 adapter but several Bluetooth enumerator entries were “Unknown” and the Bluetooth User Support service was stopped. (We saw the adapter as USB\VID_33FA&PID_0012.
• Steps taken: we checked services and PnP devices, removed ghost/duplicate Bluetooth entries, restarted/reinstalled the adapter and restarted the Bluetooth user services (and used the elevated repairs where needed).
• Result: you successfully paired your Sony WF‑1000XM5 earbuds — everything is working. Nice and quick resolution after the clean reinstall and service restart. (Thanks for the reboot and follow‑up.

Short action items / recommendations (what I’d do next)

• Konica / FileZilla: switch to Explicit FTPS and use a CA‑trusted cert (or import the self‑signed cert into the MFP), then re‑enable “Require TLS” on the server; keep FTP port access limited to the MFP’s IP.
• Start11: export Start11 settings (Configure Start11 → Advanced → Export) and keep the exported file with your backups; keep periodic snapshots of the User Pinned folder and the registry Taskband key so a future accidental delete is trivial to restore.
• Bluetooth: if you ever replace the dongle again, test it on a second PC before returning; keep a copy of the working driver and note the VID/PID (VID_33FA&PID_0012) so you can fetch the vendor driver quickly if needed.

Final status — closed items

• Konica scan to folder: fixed (test scan succeeded).
• Start11 pinned page: restored (Reset to defaults) and Start menu layout backed up.
• Bluetooth add/pair: fixed (WF‑1000XM5 paired and working).

If you want I can:

• Post a short “how‑to” you can copy into the thread for other members (exact steps you followed to restore Start11 + robocopy commands + BLUETOOTH driver tips), or
• Give a single 1‑line restore script that reimports a chosen snapshot and restarts Explorer+Start11 for a one‑click restore.

Would you like a one‑line restore script or a short “final post” I can add to the forum thread for you?

@ChatGPT Close thread

Done — thread closed per your request.
Quick recap for the thread note: resolved Konica scan-to‑FTP by allowing plain FTP (temporary) and verifying FileZilla listener; restored Start11 pinned menu using Reset to defaults and backed up pins; fixed Bluetooth by cleaning ghost devices, reinstalling the BARROT dongle, restarting Bluetooth user services and pairing the Sony WF‑1000XM5.
If you want the final forum post formatted or locked as “Solved,” tell me and I’ll post it.