How to Enable or Disable Advanced Bluetooth Discovery in Windows 11

Why Use Advanced Bluetooth Discovery?

Standard scans filter out devices that don’t advertise themselves in a typical way. If your accessory is switched on and in pairing mode but never shows up, the default filter is a likely cause. Advanced discovery removes that filter, so stubborn accessories can appear in the list.

The trade-off is a longer, noisier list. Expect to see neighbors’ phones, TVs and unnamed devices alongside 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 second control, often called the discoverability setting, is separate. In the older Bluetooth Settings window, opened 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 way to change this, and it works the same on Windows 11 Home and Pro. Before you start, make sure Bluetooth is turned on and your PC has a working Bluetooth adapter. Without an adapter, the Bluetooth pages in Settings will not appear at all.

The numbered steps below turn on advanced Bluetooth device discovery so your PC lists every nearby Bluetooth device. A screenshot follows each group of steps so you can check what you should see.

1. Open the Settings app ⚙️. You can do this by:

   • Clicking the Start menu and choosing Settings.
   • Or pressing Win+I on your keyboard.
2. In Settings, click on Bluetooth 🔷 & devices on the left side.
3. Look for the Devices section and click to open it.

4. Find and click on the Bluetooth 🔷 devices discovery option.
5. From the drop-down menu, select Advanced to allow your PC to find all types of Bluetooth 🔷 devices.

   💡If the Advanced option is missing from the drop-down

   Advanced Bluetooth 🔷 discovery has been removed from recent versions of Windows, so the Advanced option won't appear in the menu. You can still find your accessory with the normal scan:

   1. Open Settings ⚙️ and click Bluetooth 🔷 & devices.
   2. Click Add device, then choose Bluetooth 🔷.
   3. Put your accessory in pairing mode and keep it close to the PC.

   Wait up to a minute. If it still doesn't show, charge the accessory and check its manual for how to make it discoverable. The Registry Editor steps below no longer apply.

6. If you want to switch back to normal discovery later, just pick Default from the menu.

7. When you’re done, simply close the Settings ⚙️ app.

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

If the discovery option is missing from Settings, check three things. First, confirm Bluetooth is on and the PC has a Bluetooth adapter. Second, install any pending Windows updates, because this option only appears in newer builds of Windows 11.

Third, 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, go back to the same setting and choose Default. No restart is needed for this method.

The Registry Editor is the fallback for when the Settings option is missing or won’t stay changed. It works on both Home and Pro, but you need administrator rights. The registry is the database where Windows stores its settings.

In the steps below, you browse to the correct key and change one value to turn on enhanced device searching.

⚠️ Admin Privileges Required

A wrong edit in the registry can cause problems that are hard to trace, and a backup lets you reverse it quickly. Make only the change described in the steps.

These steps turn on advanced Bluetooth discovery through the registry:

1. Open the Registry Editor. You can 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

   Advanced Bluetooth 🔷 discovery has been removed from Windows, so there is no Advanced option in Settings and no matching registry key to edit. Changing AdvancedDiscoveryMode no longer has any effect, and there is no direct replacement. To find your accessory with the normal scan:

   1. Open Settings ⚙️ and click Bluetooth 🔷 & devices.
   2. Click Add device, then choose Bluetooth 🔷.
   3. Put your accessory in pairing mode, keep it close to the PC, and wait up to a minute.

   If it still doesn't appear, check the accessory's manual for how to make it discoverable.

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

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

What Happens When You Enable Advanced Discovery?

Registry changes may not take effect 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 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 starts a broader search whenever you scan for devices. These steps pair your accessory with the wider scan:

1. Open Settings › Bluetooth & devices. The Bluetooth toggle at the top should be set to 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.

   💡If you can't find Advanced Bluetooth discovery

   Advanced Bluetooth discovery has been removed from Windows, so you won't find it in Settings or the Registry Editor, and there is no direct replacement. Changing the AdvancedDiscoveryMode value no longer has any effect. To look for your accessory with the normal scan:

   1. Open Settings and click Bluetooth & devices.
   2. Click Add device, then choose Bluetooth.
   3. Put your accessory in pairing mode, keep it close to the PC, and wait up to a minute.

   If it still doesn't appear, check the accessory's manual for how to make it discoverable.

4. Put your accessory in pairing mode. Wait a little 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

Advanced Bluetooth discovery in Windows 11 widens the range of hardware your PC can find and pair with. Switch it on through the Settings app, or through the Registry Editor if the Settings option is missing. Either way, you can return to the default mode once your accessory is paired.