At times, you might need to pair your iPhone or any other phone with your Windows 10 PC. For instance, you want to automatically lock your Windows 10 PC when you walk away from it using the new Dynamic Lock feature, which requires a Bluetooth-paired phone.
By pairing an iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, or any other phone, you can also quickly transfer files between your phone and Windows PC.
Pairing an iPhone or any other phone with a Windows 10 PC is easy. Of course, your PC must have Bluetooth hardware and drivers for Bluetooth hardware.
Complete the given below directions to pair your iPhone, Windows Phone, or Android phone with your Windows 10 PC.
Pair iPhone or any phone with a Windows 10 PC via Bluetooth
Step 1: The first step is to turn on Bluetooth on your iPhone or any other phone which you would like to pair with your Windows 10 PC. To turn on Bluetooth on your iPhone, tap Settings, tap Bluetooth, and then turn on Bluetooth. On an Android device, tap Settings, and then tap the toggle button next to Bluetooth to turn it on/off.
Step 2: On your Windows 10 PC, open Settings app. Navigate to Devices > Bluetooth.
NOTE: If you cannot see the Bluetooth option there, please refer to our Bluetooth section missing from Settings guide to restore the same.
Step 3: In the Manage Bluetooth devices section, turn on the Bluetooth option to turn on the same on your Windows 10 PC.
Step 4: As soon as you turn on Bluetooth on your Windows 10 PC, Windows 10 will start searching for Bluetooth devices. In a few seconds, your phone/iPhone’s name should appear in the manage Bluetooth devices section.
Step 5: Click on your iPhone/phone’s name to see the Pair button. Click the Pair button.
Step 6: Finally, you will see the following screen on your Windows 10 PC. As you can see, the dialog shows a passcode.
Check if the same passcode is appearing on your phone/iPhone as well. If yes, click the Yes button on your PC and then tap the Pair option on your iPhone to pair your iPhone with Windows 10 PC via Bluetooth.
You will see the Connected status under your phone’s name in the Manage Bluetooth devices section.
If you do not see the passcode screen on your Windows 10 PC, please turn off the Bluetooth hardware in Device Management and turn it on. For directions, please refer to the detailed instructions in our fix to Bluetooth section missing from Settings guide.
Don’t forget to read our 3 ways to transfer iPhone photos to Windows 10 PC guide.
James says
The problem is associated between Microsoft and Apple, its like nature when you put a man and a woman together they have a physical relation ship meant to be, but Apple only wants a man – man relationship and just won’t play well with Windows.
dckrl says
As per Apple Shop Berlin today, pairing a windows PC and an iphone isn’t possible anymore. Feature has been removed for security concerns
Roopa says
When I tap on the PC in the iphone bluetooth settings, the message comes up: “Connection Unsuccessful” and “[device] is not supported.” However, the Win10 laptop seems to think that the connection is just fine.
So is there a workaround for this?
Paul says
Sorry for posting so long after the thread was created but — I like that when I want to pair my iphone with my PC wirelessly, the first instruction is first, plug it in with a cable! The whole reason I want to connect wirelessly is that I can’t connect it with a cable, as the phone is overloading my USB ports (6 plus).
Sigh.
venkat says
got laptop Dell inspiron 3576 bluetooth on. windows10 has email address (@outlook) but no password because I am only user. I also have android phone with bluetooth on. I want to connect both of them. when I go to laptop – settings-link your phone it takes me login through microsoft. I do not know whther is have microft user id or password. lbut windows 10 has email address. how to connect laptop to phone using bletooth?. Request detailed advice. thanks.
Tony Kynaston says
Yep, same problem I have two old nokia phones and have downloaded the Mobius phone explorer software to manage the contacts etc. It makes sense to have the same list in ALL phones. My Nokias connected fine with bluetooth and I could see and manage the conatcts. I tried connecting my iphone 4s (my son gave it to me when he got a new one) and it actually showed up on the software, and the PC with windows 10 said it was paired with the device but the Apple phone just would not connect. I assume it’s a ploy by Apple for people to manage their phones with itunes. Itunes however, does work for the iphone. The trouble is my nokias wont connect to itunes they are old 6310’s.
Any ideas anyone?
Jerimiah says
Same here!! iPhone says “Connection Unsuccessful” and “Forget Device” but Windows 10 says “Setup was Successful and device is ready to use!” However, it is not. But, when I hook up the Android, no problem at all, I can transfer any file, without any issue at all. Apple sucks Johnny Appleseed’s apple core!!!
DT says
Same issue here. I have connected my iphone x to my windows 10 computer for several months. Last week my iphone no longer connects. Windows 10 side says connection was made but iphone shows it is not connected and tells me the “connection unsuccesful “xxxxxxxx” is not supported. It has always worked before – not it doesn’t.
AChi says
This is Apple’s don’t want to along thingy…. The Bluetooth connection between devices are fine but it appears that Apple’s does not want to support the “file transfer” services that the Bluetooth devices/hardware is capable of. Based on my findings, you can stream your iphone audio to pc and that’s all.. Once your Bluetooth devices are connected, you need to select what services you want to perform (audio, control, file transfer) on the PC side. Once you select “audio” for example, then you can see on the iphone Bluetooth settings that it’s connected..
RGBurns says
Just got off a chat with Apple support.
This is not an intended feature of iPhones. To be clear, at some point, Apple removed this functionality from their phones with an update because they don’t want PC-Apple Phone blue tooth connections. I am unsure why, could be security, could be business driven. No idea
Confirmed, Apple removed this functionality from their phones intentionally.
tury73 says
This is not an iphone issue, its a Windows 10 issue. I’ve always paired up my iphone to my Windows 7 Machine at work so I can listen to podcasts on my PC headset. Two weeks ago I got my PC refreshed to a new PC with Windows 10 and my iphone can no longer connect to the PC via bluetooth. Same issue everyone else is having, but all this worked flawlessly on Wondows 7, so this is really a WTF Microsoft issue!
Nikki says
Same issue – wish I had never switched to Iphone to be honest. I thought I would give Iphone a chance, as everyone raves about them, but seriously, it’s crap
Fabio Esquivel says
I followed these instructions, as well as those in the HP’s official website (I have an HP ProBook notebook), but I get the same error: The notebook says it’s paired to my iPhone X (iOS 12.1) but my iPhone says the device (HP) is incompatible and obliges me to “forget” the device, rejecting the connection.
So, will the admin of this page/article rectify the procedure or point us to how to resolve it? Please?!
Leah Fretwell says
My Iphone 6 says my laptop isn’t compatible. My laptop says it’s paired but my iphone won’t connect so
WTF?!?! Apple??????
Marilyn Miller says
Where would a code come up in iPhone
DM says
Same issue, “connection unsuccessful”, etc. My guess, that they have coded the software, so that you can only transfer photos etc from your iPhone by using iTunes, and if you’re using any phone that uses a windows style OS, then there probably won’t be any issue with connectivity. Just a guess, but that’s all I can think of.
DB says
yep same for me. I have tried to go through apple ( replaced the iphone 8) and microsoft… they seem to know nothing else… we tried pairing computer with alexa, it does fine, but not my iphone 8…this is weird and frustrating and you would think by now they could come up with some solution. All things are totally updated, so thats not it either……
Richard Gauna says
After following your instructions above, same issue as Jim P. Same error message:
When I tap on the PC in the iphone bluetooth settings, the message comes up: “Connection Unsuccessful” and “[device] is not supported.” However, the Win10 laptop seems to think that the connection is just fine.
rg
Piedmont Jim says
When I follow these instructions, my PC says it is connected to my iphone but my iphone says that it is NOT connected to my PC.
When I tap on the PC in the iphone bluetooth settings, the message comes up: “Connection Unsuccessful” and “[device] is not supported.” However, the Win10 laptop seems to think that the connection is just fine.
????
Aasfd says
WTF!
This does not make transferring photos possible from iPhone to Windows.