Although there's usually no disadvantage by leaving Bluetooth devices paired to your computer, you might occasionally want to clean up your Bluetooth settings by removing devices you no longer use.
It's generally easy to remove unused Bluetooth devices, but sometimes Windows suffers a glitch, and removing the device doesn't work. Here are some common and easy troubleshooting steps you can take to solve this problem and get your unwanted devices removed.
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Remove a device using Settings
There are several ways to remove Bluetooth devices from Windows 10 or Windows 11, so start by double-checking the most common approach: using Bluetooth settings.
1. Click Start and then click Settings.
2. Click Bluetooth & devices in the pane on the left. (Select Devices in Windows 10.)
3. Find the Bluetooth device you want to remove. You might need to click View more devices.
4. To the right of the device, click the three dots and then click Remove device.
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Turn off Bluetooth
If you're having trouble removing a Bluetooth device, it's possible that Windows won't "let go" of the device because it thinks there's an active Bluetooth connection. To remedy that, open Settings in Windows 11 and click Bluetooth & devices. Then turn off Bluetooth by swiping the button to the left.
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Remove the device using Control Panel
If Settings didn't work, there's more than one way to get rid of the device in Windows, so try using the Control Panel instead.
1. In the Start Search box, type "Control Panel" and when you see Control Panel appear in the results, click it.
2. In the Hardware and Sound section, click View devices and printers.
3. Right-click the device you want to remove and choose Remove device.
Restart the Device Association Service
This is a little esoteric, but it's possible that a piece of software called the Device Association Service has accidentally stopped or otherwise has failed. This can prevent you from removing a Bluetooth device. Here's what do to:
1. Press Windows + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type services.msc and click OK.
3. After a moment, the Services dialog box will appear.
4. Right-click Device Association Services and choose Restart from the drop-down menu.
5. Go back to Settings and try to remove the Bluetooth device.
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Update your Bluetooth drivers
It's possible a glitch in your Bluetooth software is interfering with removing the device, so try updating the drivers first.
1. In the Start Search box, start to type "device manager" and click Device Manager when you see it appear in the results.
2. Click the arrow beside Bluetooth to expand the list.
3. Right-click the Bluetooth adapter and in the drop-down menu, choose Update driver.
4. Click Search automatically for drivers and then follow the instructions to install the update.
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Run the Bluetooth troubleshooter
Finally, Windows has its own troubleshooter that might uncover and solve a problem, enabling you to delete the device.
1. Click Start and then click Settings.
2. In the Settings window's search box, type "trouble" and then click Troubleshoot other problems when you see it in search results.
3. In the Other section, click Run in the Bluetooth box and follow the instructions to run the troubleshooter.
Freelance Writer
Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.
