How to Fix ‘Check Bluetooth Radio Status’ in Windows

Wondering how to fix ‘Check Bluetooth radio status’ in Windows on your PC?

Bluetooth radio transmits and receives Bluetooth signals through the Bluetooth adapter on your Windows 10 computer. 

Recently, several users reported that their screens display the ‘Check Bluetooth radio status’ error code when they attempt to troubleshoot Bluetooth-related issues on their PC. We had a look into this issue and discovered that it can be caused by a number of reasons such as corrupt or outdated Bluetooth drivers. 

If you are facing a similar issue, you are in the right place because, in this guide, we will walk you through the relevant troubleshooting steps in detail. However, before proceeding with the methods mentioned below, make sure that the Airplane mode of your device is disabled. 

Let’s get right into it!

1. Add the Bluetooth Device via Devices and Printers.

Are you trying to add Bluetooth devices using the Bluetooth icon on the taskbar? It is common for an operating system glitch to stop you from adding devices via the system tray, which is why we recommend trying the devices via the Devices and Printers window. 

Here is how you can do that:

1. Right-click on the WiFi icon in the taskbar and choose Open Network & Internet settings.

2. In the next window, click on Change adapter options under Advanced network settings.

3. Now right-click on Bluetooth Network Connection and select View Bluetooth Network Devices.

4. Click on Add a Device and check if the Bluetooth is working fine. 

If a glitch was causing the issue, following the steps mentioned above will resolve it. However, if you were not using the system tray to add the devices, then jump to the next method below. 

2. Update Windows and Drivers. 

Another common reason behind the issue at hand is outdated operating system and drivers. 

If you haven’t installed updates recently on your PC, then now is a good time to do so. Since updates are packed with new features and bug fixes, installing them on your PC will hopefully fix the ‘Check Bluetooth radio status’ error in Windows.

Here is how you can update Windows and drivers:

1. Install all the pending Windows updates on your PC and check if doing so resolves the issue. If the error persists, then proceed with the 2nd step.
2. Type Device Manager in the search bar and click on Open.
3. In the Device Manager window, expand Bluetooth and right-click on your Bluetooth device.
4. Now select Update Driver and choose Search Automatically for Drivers.

5. Wait for the process to complete. Once it is done, reboot your PC and check if the Bluetooth is working fine.
6. If not, then repeat steps 4 to 6 but at the 6th step, select Browse my computer for drivers this time.
7. Click on the Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer hyperlink and then select a driver.

8. Hit Next and wait for the installation process to complete. Once done, reboot your PC and check if the issue is resolved. 
9. If the issue persists, then follow steps 6-8 again but choose a different driver this time. You can also uncheck the option of Show Compatible Hardware to list down all the drivers. 

We recommend trying each driver present until the issue is resolved. 

3. Reinstall the Bluetooth Driver.

If installing the latest updates did not work for you, then there is a chance that your Bluetooth driver is corrupt. 

A corrupt driver becomes unusable and prevents you from accessing the devices it controls. If this scenario is applicable, then try reinstalling the Bluetooth driver. Several users managed to fix the issue by doing so, which is why we encourage you to give it a shot. 

Here is all that you need to do:

1. Launch your default browser and download the latest Bluetooth driver from the respective OEM website.
2. Once the driver is download, close all the applications on your PC and type Device Manager in the search bar.
3. Click on Open and in the Device Manager window, expand the Bluetooth option.
4. Right-click on the problematic device and select Uninstall device.

5. In the next window, checkmark the box associated with Delete the driver software for this device and click on the Uninstall button.

6. Once the uninstallation process is complete, turn your PC off and then turn it back on after waiting for a few seconds.
7. Now, wait for Windows to install the generic Bluetooth driver and check if that resolves the issue. 
8. If the issue persists, then install the driver you downloaded in the first step. 

If a Bluetooth driver was causing the issue, then reinstalling it will hopefully fix the problem in no time.

4. Remove the Phantom USB Entries.

The issue at hand can also occur if a phantom Bluetooth device entry in the Device Manager is interrupting the working of communication modules.

The easiest way to fix this issue is by removing the phantom USB entries. 

Here is what you need to do:

1. Type Device Manager in the search area of the taskbar and click Open.
2. Expand Bluetooth and then click on View.
3. Select Show hidden devices.

4. Now right-click on any of the phantom Bluetooth devices and select Uninstall device.
5. Do the same for any other Bluetooth devices in the Device Manager. Make sure to uninstall any accessories that use Bluetooth as well. For instance, headsets.
6. Next, remove the unknown devices under Universal Serial Bus Controllers. Repeat the same process for WiFi connections.
7. Finally, power your PC off and turn it back on after waiting for 5 minutes. 

You should be able to use Bluetooth now.

5. Restart Bluetooth Services.

There is also a possibility that a glitch or bug within the relevant Bluetooth Services is causing the ‘Check Bluetooth radio status’ issue. 

Services are the programs that run in the background and typically, the operating system does a good job managing them without user input. However, there are instances where you may need to control them manually. For instance, when a program or feature is not responding.

If this is the case, then restarting the service will resolve the issue. 

Here are the steps you need to perform:

1. Type Device Manager in the search area of the taskbar and click on Open.
2. In the Device Manager window, expand Bluetooth and right-click on the targeted Bluetooth device.
3. Select Disable device from the list of options available.

4. Now type Services in the search area of the taskbar and hit Run as administrator.
5. In the Services window, right-click on the Bluetooth Support Service and select Restart.

6. Repeat steps 2 to 5 for all Bluetooth devices and then restart your PC. 

In case a corruption error within the Bluetooth Service was causing the issue, following the steps mentioned above should fix it.

6. Disable/Enabled Bluetooth in BIOS.

Built-in Bluetooth radio needs to be enabled in both the Device Manager and BIOS in order to operate. It is mostly enabled by default but that is not always the case. 

If you enabled Bluetooth in the Device Manager but the error at hand did not go away, then check if is enabled in BIOS. If it is not, then enable it. For those with already enabled Bluetooth in their BIOS, disable Bluetooth in BIOS and then enable it again. 

Here is how you can do that:

1. Right-click on the Windows icon on the taskbar and select Apps and Features.

2. In the newly launched window, expand applications related to Bluetooth and uninstall them.
3. Once done, restart your PC and boot into BIOS. You will have to press the BIOS key set by your manufacturer to boot into BIOS.
4. Now expand the Wireless option and click on Wireless Switch.
5. In the right pane, uncheck the box associated with Bluetooth and boot your system into Windows.

6. Sign in and then reboot your PC into BIOS again.
7. Repeat steps 3 and 4 and this time, checkmark the box against Bluetooth.
8. Finally, boot your system into Windows and check if the issue is resolved.

If BIOS settings were causing the ‘Check Bluetooth radio status’ error, re-enabling Bluetooth will help you fix the problem. However, if the error persists, jump to the next method below.

7. Try Using CleanMyPC.

Junk files accumulate over time in our systems and become corrupted. It’s easy to think that these are harmless, but they can cause havoc in your system. Unless your computer has been thoroughly cleaned recently, corrupt junk files may be the reason that you are unable to update Windows. 

In this case, we recommend using a PC cleaning tool to remove all the junk files. If you require one, go for CleanMyPC. 

CleanMyPC is a one-stop-shop for all your computer-related problems. In addition to automatically removing junk files, it takes care of other problems like slow speed and sluggish performance with its wide range of system maintenance tools. 

All that you need to do is scan your system using CleanMyPC, and the rest will be taken care of!

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Try CleanMyPC Now!

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8. Update Your System’s BIOS.

If none of the methods mentioned above works for you, then we encourage you to go ahead and update your system’s BIOS. Updating BIOS will install the hardware updates and fix bugs as well as other issues with your motherboard. 

We don’t mean to be all doom-and-gloom about it but make sure you follow the steps carefully, as even a slight error can cause serious issues. 

Here is all that you need to do:

1. Press Windows + R keys simultaneously to open a Run dialogue box.
2. Type ‘msinfo32‘ in the text field of the dialogue box and hit Enter.

3. Locate BIOS Version/Date and check the current version of your BIOS.
4. Now go to the motherboard’s manufacturer website and install the latest version.
5. The download will probably be a ZIP file. You need to extract it to access it.
6. Once extracted, access it and click on the readme.txt file inside. This file would be containing all the necessary information that you need to complete the updating process successfully. 

That’s it. 

This should resolve the issue once and for all. 

This wraps up our guide on fixing the ‘Check Bluetooth radio status’ in Windows. We tried walking you through all the methods in detail and hope that one of them resolved the issue on your PC. If you have any questions, please let us know in the comment section below. 

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂