Receive Files over Bluetooth in Windows 11

Before You Start

Check these four things first. Most failed transfers come from one of them.

• Your PC needs a Bluetooth 🔷 adapter. Most laptops have one built in. Many desktops don’t, but a USB Bluetooth 🔷 adapter works.
• The sender must support Bluetooth 🔷 file transfer. Android phones, other Windows PCs and most tablets do. iPhones and iPads do not send files to Windows PCs over Bluetooth 🔷. Use another route for those, such as a cloud service or a USB cable.
• Both devices need to be close together. Keep them within a few metres, with no thick walls in between.
• Airplane mode must be off on both devices.

Turn On Bluetooth and Pair the Device

Pairing (a one-time trusted link between two devices) is required before the PC accepts files from a phone or another computer. You only do this once per device. If the sender already appears in your Bluetooth 🔷 device list, skip to the next section.

1. Open Settings ⚙️, then select Bluetooth 🔷 & devices in the left pane.

   

2. Switch the Bluetooth 🔷 toggle to On. The toggle label changes to On, and your paired devices appear below it.
3. Select Add device. The Add a device window opens.

   

4. Select Bluetooth 🔷. Windows starts scanning and keeps your PC discoverable (visible to nearby devices) while this window is open.
5. On the sending device, open its Bluetooth 🔷 settings and make sure Bluetooth is on. Look for your PC under available devices, using the name shown in Settings › System › About (for example, COMPUTER-NAME).
6. Select your PC on the phone, or select the phone in the list on your PC. Both devices show a pairing code.
7. Confirm that the codes match, then accept the pairing on both devices. In Windows, select Connect and then Done.

You should now see the other device listed under Settings › Bluetooth 🔷 & devices › Devices, with the status Paired or Connected.

If your PC doesn't appear on the phone: keep the Add a device window open on the PC while you search from the phone. Your PC stays reliably discoverable only while that window is open. Move the devices closer together too.

Receive a File over Bluetooth in 🪟 Windows 11

This is the main procedure. Open the receiving wizard first, then send from the other device. Starting in the wrong order is the most common reason a transfer fails.

1. Open Settings, then select Bluetooth & devices › Devices.

   

2. Scroll down to the Related settings section.
3. Select Send or receive files via Bluetooth. A window titled Bluetooth File Transfer opens with two choices.

   

4. Select Receive files. The window changes to show that your PC is waiting for a connection. Leave it open.
5. Send the file from the other device. The steps for common senders are in the next three subsections.
6. Watch the PC window. A progress bar appears while the file arrives.
7. When the transfer completes, the wizard shows the received file's name and asks where to save it. Select Browse to pick a folder if the suggested one isn't where you want it.
8. Select Finish. The file is saved to the folder you chose.

If the wizard closes before you send the file, the PC stops listening and the sender reports a failure. Reopen the wizard and start again from step 4.

Receive Files from an Android Phone

Android menu names vary by manufacturer and version, so your labels may differ slightly from these.

1. Open the file in your Files app or Gallery.
2. Select the Share button.
3. Choose Bluetooth from the list of sharing options.
4. Select your PC from the list of paired devices.

The phone shows a sending progress indicator, and the PC wizard shows the file arriving. If Bluetooth isn't in the Share list, turn Bluetooth on in the phone's settings and try again.

Receive Files from Another Windows PC

Open the same Bluetooth File Transfer wizard on the sending PC and choose the sending side. Then follow these steps.

1. On the sending PC, open Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Devices, and select Send or receive files via Bluetooth.
2. Select Send files.

   

3. Select the receiving PC from the device list, then select Next.
4. Select Browse, choose the file, then select Next to start the transfer.

The receiving PC must already be on the waiting screen from the previous section. You can also right-click a file in File Explorer, and in Windows 11 choose Show more options › Send to › Bluetooth device. This is the same wizard.

If the Sender Is an iPhone or iPad

Send the file by email, a cloud storage service, or a cable instead.

Open the Wizard Faster with fsquirt

Running it directly saves you the trip through Settings.

1. Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog.
2. Type fsquirt and select OK.

The Bluetooth File Transfer window opens with the same Send files and Receive files options. You don't need administrator rights for this.

Find the File After It Arrives

The wizard asks you to choose a save location at the end of each transfer, so the file is in the folder you picked. If you didn't change it and can't remember where it went, open File Explorer and search for the file name in the search box at the top right. You can also sort This PC results by date modified to find recent arrivals.

Fix Problems Receiving Files over Bluetooth

Work through the symptom that matches what you see.

Send or Receive Files via Bluetooth Is Missing

This link only appears when Windows detects a working Bluetooth adapter. If Settings › Bluetooth & devices has no Bluetooth toggle at all, or the Related settings entry is missing, check the following.

1. Confirm Airplane mode is off. Open Settings › Network & internet › Airplane mode, and turn off both Airplane mode and Bluetooth under it if shown.
2. Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager.
3. Look for a Bluetooth category. If it is missing, check under Other devices for an unknown device or a device with a yellow warning icon.
4. If the adapter has a down-arrow icon, right-click it and select Enable device. This needs administrator privileges, and Windows may ask you to confirm.
5. If there is a warning icon, right-click the adapter, select Update driver, and then Search automatically for drivers. This also needs administrator privileges. If that finds nothing, download the Bluetooth driver (the software that lets Windows control the adapter) from your PC or adapter maker's support page.

If there is no Bluetooth category and no unknown device, the PC has no Bluetooth hardware. Plug in a USB Bluetooth adapter and wait for Windows to install it. Then check Settings again.

The Phone Can't Find or Connect to the PC

Open Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Devices and look at the Device discovery setting if your version shows it. It is a drop-down with Default and Advanced options. Advanced makes the PC easier for nearby devices to find. This setting appears only in recent builds of Windows 11. If you don't see it, your PC runs an earlier build, so skip this step. Keeping the Add a device window open while the phone searches also helps.

You can also check the older Bluetooth Settings dialog. In Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Devices, under Related settings, select More Bluetooth settings. On the Options tab, tick Allow Bluetooth devices to find this PC, then select OK. On the same tab, Alert me when a new Bluetooth device wants to connect controls whether Windows notifies you about incoming connection requests. Leave it ticked while you troubleshoot so you see prompts that need your approval.

The Transfer Starts and Then Fails

• Check the order. The PC wizard must show the waiting screen before the phone sends.
• Move closer. Bluetooth drops large transfers when the signal weakens.
• Send one file at a time to see whether a specific file is the problem.
• Check free space. The PC needs room in the folder you save to. Open Settings › System › Storage to see how much is free.
• Remove and re-pair the device. Go to Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Devices, select the three-dot menu on the device, and select Remove device. Then pair it again using the steps near the top of this guide.

Pairing Works but Files Never Arrive

Windows relies on the Bluetooth Support Service (a background service that manages Bluetooth connections) to handle file transfers. If it has stopped, Bluetooth may appear to work while transfers go nowhere. Starting a service requires administrator privileges.

1. Press Windows key + R, type services.msc, and select OK.
2. Find Bluetooth Support Service in the list and double-click it.
3. If Service status says Stopped, select Start.
4. Set Startup type to Manual or Automatic if it is set to Disabled, then select OK.

Restart the PC if the service refuses to start or the transfer still fails after you start it.

Another Option: Nearby Sharing Between Windows PCs

If both devices run Windows 10 or Windows 11, Nearby sharing is an alternative that is usually faster for large files. Open Settings › System › Nearby sharing and choose who can send you files. It can use Bluetooth to find nearby PCs. Phones and other platforms can't use it, so use the Bluetooth File Transfer wizard for those.

Stop Receiving Files or Undo the Setup

Receiving files over Bluetooth doesn't change a Windows setting you need to restore. The PC accepts files only while the wizard is open on the waiting screen.

• Stop listening: close the Bluetooth File Transfer window, or select Cancel.
• Turn Bluetooth off completely: go to Settings › Bluetooth & devices and switch the Bluetooth toggle to Off.
• Unpair a device: go to Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Devices, select the three-dot menu next to the device, and select Remove device. You can pair it again later.

What to Do Next

If you also need to send files from the PC, open the same wizard and choose Send files. For a phone that keeps losing its connection, remove the pairing and set it up again. If you move a lot of data regularly, use Nearby sharing between Windows PCs or a cable, since both are faster than Bluetooth.