How to Enable or Disable Advanced Bluetooth Discovery in Windows 11

Why Use Advanced Bluetooth Discovery?

A standard scan filters out devices that don’t advertise themselves in a typical way. If your accessory is on and in pairing mode but never appears, that filter is a likely cause. Advanced discovery removes the filter, so stubborn accessories can show up.

The list gets longer and noisier. Expect to see neighbors’ phones, TVs and unnamed devices next to your own. Once your accessory is paired, you can switch back to the default mode.

It does not change whether other devices can see your PC. That is a separate control, often called the discoverability setting. In the older Bluetooth Settings window, which you open from More Bluetooth settings on the same Devices page, it is the Allow Bluetooth devices to find this PC option.

Turn On Advanced Bluetooth Discovery Using the Settings App

The Settings app is the most direct method. It works the same on Home and Pro editions of a currently supported Windows 11 version (25H2 or 26H2). Before you start, make sure Bluetooth is on and your PC has a working Bluetooth adapter. Without an adapter, the Bluetooth pages in Settings do not appear at all.

These steps make your PC list every nearby Bluetooth device:

1. Open the Settings app⚙️. Either select the Start menu⊞ and choose Settings, or press Win+I.
2. Select Bluetooth🔷 & devices on the left side.
3. Select Devices to open it.
   

   

4. Select Bluetooth🔷 devices discovery.
5. Open the drop-down menu and select Advanced. Your PC now looks for all types of Bluetooth🔷 devices. To go back to normal discovery later, select Default from the same menu.
   

   

6. Close Settings.

Turn On Advanced Bluetooth Discovery Using the Registry Editor (For Advanced Users)

If the discovery option is missing from Settings, check three things:

1. Confirm Bluetooth🔷 is on and the PC has a Bluetooth adapter.
2. Install any pending Windows updates. This option appears only in newer builds of Windows 11.
3. Update the Bluetooth🔷 driver from your PC or adapter manufacturer. A driver is the software that lets Windows talk to the adapter, and an old one can hide features.

To undo the change in Settings, go back to the same setting and choose Default. This method needs no restart.

The Registry Editor is the fallback when the Settings option is missing or won’t stay changed. It works on Home and Pro editions of a currently supported Windows 11 version (25H2 or 26H2), but you need administrator rights. The registry is the database where Windows stores its settings. The steps below take you to the correct key and change one value to turn on enhanced device searching.

⚠️ Admin Privileges Required

1. Open the Registry Editor. Search for regedit in the Start menu⊞ and open it.
2. Go to this folder path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Bluetooth

   💡If you can't find Advanced Bluetooth🔷 discovery

   Starting with Windows 11 build 26052, Microsoft is removing the Advanced Bluetooth🔷 discovery option and introducing some changes to the add device workflow to streamline this experience. Now, discovery will always scan for all devices, but only show common device types by default. Whenever an “uncommon” device is found during the discovery process, an option to “Show more devices” will be displayed.

3. If you don’t see the Bluetooth🔷 folder there, right-click CurrentVersion, choose New › Key, and name it Bluetooth🔷.
4. Select the Bluetooth🔷 folder. In the right pane, right-click and select New › DWORD (32-bit) Value.
5. Name the new value AdvancedDiscoveryMode.
6. Double-click AdvancedDiscoveryMode. In the box that opens:

   • Set the Base to Decimal.
   • Enter 1 to turn on advanced discovery.
   • Enter 0 to turn it off.
7. Select OK, close the Registry Editor, and restart your🔄 computer.
   

   

What Happens When You Enable Advanced Discovery?

Registry changes may not apply until you restart the PC, or at least sign out and back in. If the setting still doesn’t apply, restart before you troubleshoot further.

To undo the registry change, set the value back to what it was before, or import the backup you exported earlier. Then restart the PC.

Once the setting applies, Windows runs a broader search whenever you scan for devices. These steps pair your accessory with that wider scan:

1. Open Settings › Bluetooth🔷 & devices. Make sure the Bluetooth🔷 toggle at the top is On.
2. Select Add device. A window opens listing the types of device you can add.
3. Choose Bluetooth🔷. Windows starts scanning for nearby devices.
4. Put your accessory in pairing mode. Wait longer than usual, because the broader scan takes more time.
5. Select your device in the list and finish pairing. Devices that were hidden before should now appear.

Summary

After your accessory is paired, set Bluetooth devices discovery back to Default, or set the registry value back to 0, to get a shorter device list again. If other devices need to find your PC, use the separate Allow Bluetooth devices to find this PC option, covered in the questions below.