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How to Control Bluetooth Access in Windows 11

Richard

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This post outlines steps to control Bluetooth connectivity in Windows 11. By default, the Bluetooth setting is open to user control, but administrators can limit this through the Windows registry settings. The registry settings enable or disable Bluetooth, with the value representing the degree of Bluetooth accessibility – 0 is the most restrictive, disallowing Bluetooth,…

This post describes how to restrict or allow Bluetooth in Windows 11.

By default, your Windows device with Bluetooth adapter will allow users to enable or disable the ability to connect to a Bluetooth-enabled device. No particular actions are needed.

Administrators can also limit users’ ability to turn on or off Bluetooth connections using the registry editor in Windows. These settings in the Windows registry will allow or disallow Bluetooth connection.

The most restricted value is 0.

The following list shows the supported values:

  • 0 – Disallow Bluetooth. If this is set to 0, the radio in the Bluetooth control panel will be grayed out and the user won’t be able to turn on Bluetooth.
  • 1 – Reserved. If this is set to 1, the radio in the Bluetooth control panel will be functional and the user will be able to turn on Bluetooth.
  • 2 (default) – Allow Bluetooth. If this is set to 2, the radio in the Bluetooth control panel will be functional and the user will be able to turn on Bluetooth.

Below are steps that show you how to restrict users’ ability to turn on or off Bluetooth adapters to connect to Bluetooth devices in Windows 11.

How to restrict users from turning on or off Bluetooth in Windows 11

As mentioned above, administrators can restrict users from turning on or off Bluetooth in Windows 11. When Bluetooth is disabled, the radio in the Bluetooth control panel will be grayed out, and the user won’t be able to turn on Bluetooth.

Below is how to do that.

Open the Windows registry editor by clicking the Start Menu and searching for Registry Editor, as highlighted below.

Under Best match, select Registry Editor app to launch Windows Registry Editor.

In the left pane of Registry Editor, expand the tree: 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PolicyManager\default\Connectivity\AllowBluetooth

You may be able to copy and paste the line above in the navigation box in Windows Registry Editor.

In the AllowBluetooth config page on the right-hand side, look for the REG_DWORD name value.

Right-click the value and select Modify or double-click to open.

Use the value below to allow or disallow Bluetooth connection on the pop-up window.

The most restricted value is 0.

The following list shows the supported values:

  • 0 – Disallow Bluetooth. If this is set to 0, the radio in the Bluetooth control panel will be grayed out and the user won’t be able to turn on Bluetooth.
  • 1 – Reserved. If this is set to 1, the radio in the Bluetooth control panel will be functional and the user will be able to turn on Bluetooth.
  • 2 (default) – Allow Bluetooth. If this is set to 2, the radio in the Bluetooth control panel will be functional and the user will be able to turn on Bluetooth.

Select OK when done.

Close Windows Registry Editor.

That should do it! With a value data 0, users will lose the ability to turn on or off the Bluetooth feature in Windows 11.

Conclusion

  • Restricting users from turning on or off Bluetooth in Windows 11 is possible through the Windows Registry Editor.
  • By changing the value of ‘AllowBluetooth’ in the registry, administrators can control whether users can enable or disable Bluetooth connections.
  • Setting the value to 0 will disable the ability to turn on or off the Bluetooth feature in Windows 11, as the radio in the Bluetooth control panel will be grayed out.
  • This method provides administrators with a specialized approach to manage Bluetooth settings on Windows 11 devices.
Richard Avatar
Richard
Richard, the owner and lead writer at Geek Rewind, is a tech enthusiast passionate about simplifying complex IT topics. His years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations have honed his ability to provide practical insights and solutions. Richard aims to make technology more accessible and actionable. He’s deeply committed to the Geek Rewind community, always ready to answer questions and engage in discussions. He enjoys watching football, cheering for the Minnesota Vikings, and spending time with his family when he’s not writing or managing Geek Rewind.

Comments

2 responses to “How to Control Bluetooth Access in Windows 11”

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