Windows 10: Bluetooth audio drivers failing with Bose QC45 headphones

Hi. I have a problem that is driving me absolutely insane. For many years, I used a set of Bose noise cancelling headphones for my conference calls. I would turn the headphones on, jump on the call, and everything would work fine. I recently 'upgraded' to a set of new QC45 headphones and have had this persistent issue at least once per day, up to 4 times daily.The issue arises when I jump on a teams call and get this error message below. The message is completely random and unpredictable. Sometimes it happens as soon as I turn the headphones on and they connect to the computer. Sometimes I wil

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Bose wireless headphones not recognized.

Remove headphones from Device Manager

Sometimes there might be issues with Bose Bluetooth headphones on Windows 10, but users reported that this issue can be fixed simply by removing your headphones from Device Manager. To do that, follow these steps:

Press Windows Key + X and choose Device Manager from the list.

device-manager

Locate your headphones in Device Manager, right click them and choose Uninstall.

uninstall-driver

After you’ve deleted Bose headphones from Device Manager, they should appear as headphones in Bluetooth devices list. Try pairing your PC with Bose headphones, but if the pairing doesn’t work you’ll need to delete the headphones’ memory. To do that, follow
these steps:

On your Bose headphones slide the Power button up to the Bluetooth symbol and hold it there for 10 seconds.

Now headphones should appear in the Bluetooth devices list, and you’ll be able to connect them to your PC.

Some users are suggesting that you don’t need to delete the device from Device Manager, you just have to delete the headphones’ memory by following the instructions above.

Solution 2 – Uninstall your audio driver and install the latest audio driver

If you’re using wired Bose headphones, you might want to try removing your audio driver in order to fix any potential issues. To remove an audio driver, just go to Device Manager, locate your audio driver, right click it and choose Uninstall. After uninstalling
the audio driver, it’s recommended to go to your motherboard or sound card manufacturer’s website and download the latest audio driver.

Few users also suggest installing audio drivers by using the compatibility mode. To do that, follow these steps:

Locate the audio driver setup file and right click it. Choose Properties

Navigate to Compatibility tab and check Run this program in compatibility mode for.

Select one of the previous versions of Windows, for example Windows 7, and click Apply and OK to save changes.

Run the setup file and install the latest audio drivers.

Use a Bluetooth adapter / update your Bluetooth drivers

Problems with Bose headphones can be caused by Bluetooth drivers, so make sure that they are up to date before connecting Bose Bluetooth headphones. If you have the latest drivers, but the problem still persists, you might want to use a Bluetooth adapter. Users
reported that after buying a Bluetooth adapter and installing the necessary drivers the issue was resolved. While buying a Bluetooth adapter, make sure to choose one that comes with with a driver CD in order to avoid any further Bluetooth issues.

 

Windows 10 won't recognize & Pair Bose QC45 Headphones

Forcibly upgraded to Windows 10 recently.

QC45s paired easily on previous OS. Drivers are up to date, Bose software and drivers are up to date.

Whenever I try to pair I run into these problems:

-- Flicking power switch to the "pairing position" does nothing, Windows 10 Bluetooth doesn't recognize it.

-- Only when I plug the QC45s in via USB does the system recognize they exist.

-- BUT this device is exclusively recognized as a USB device, NOT a Bluetooth device.

-- As soon as I disconnect from USB, the device disappears from recognition completely.

No matter what I try - cycling power, re-engaging headphone pairing mode - the headphones can never be 'upgraded' to their correct classification.

 

Windows 10 won't recognize & Pair Bose QC45 Headphones

Hello superuser99999,



Welcome to Microsoft Community.



According to your description, it seems that your Bose QuietComfort 45 headset device is not recognized by Bluetooth in Windows 10, and it will not be displayed in the list, right?

Please check if your computer can be paired with other devices via Bluetooth, such as mobile phones, other Bluetooth headsets, ipads, etc. This is to confirm that the Bluetooth function is currently working properly in your device.

If you find that your computer cannot recognize any Bluetooth devices at this time, there is a problem with the Bluetooth function of your computer.

Although you are indicating the driver is up to date here, I recommend that you visit your device's manufacturer's website to re-download and install the appropriate Bluetooth driver. Also, I recommend downloading several versions of the driver, as the latest one is not necessarily the best match.

If you find that other devices can normally match your computer via Bluetooth, only the Bose QuietComfort 45 can not, and your Bose QuietComfort 45 can match other devices, in my opinion, your computer and headphones are fine, but maybe there is a compatibility failure? However, I still recommend you to follow the following process to take a look:

1. Go to Windows 10 "Bluetooth & Other Devices" settings.
   
2. Under "Audio Devices" | Remove "Bose QuietComfort 45" or "Unspecified Device".
   
3. Under "Other Devices" | Remove ALL "LE-Bose QuietComfort 45" devices (You might see two in the list, both said 'Paired').
   
4. Turn off Bluetooth | Turn on Bluetooth.
   
5. Enter Pairing mode in Windows 10.
   
6. Enter Pairing mode on Bose QuietComfort 45 Headphones.
   
7. Connect to "LE-Bose QuietComfort 45" bluetooth device. (After this you should see another Bluetooth device appear called "Bose QuietComfort 45")
   
8. Connect to "Bose QuietComfort 45" bluetooth device.
   

If you followed these steps correctly you should be good to go now. The headphones should show up as "Bose QuietComfort 45" and say "Connected voice, music".

But if you still can't pair it with your computer device after you've done all this, contact your headset's after-sales support to see if they can help you more.

Best regards,

Mitchell - | Microsoft community support expert from MSFT