Windows 10: PC suddenly stops recognizing bluetooth headphones as output devices

While watching a youtube video I pressed the left key to go back 5 seconds and suddenly lost sound. When I checked the Bluetooth menu in settings both headphones had moved from Audio to other devices. I tried removing them and re adding them but when either of them connected neither had sound and after about 9 seconds went from Audio back to other devices. I tried running a troubleshooter on them and intelR but it couldn't detect anything for any of them. Then I tried uninstalling IntelR in device manager then detecting hardware changes and restarting but that had no change. Also when I ch

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Bluetooth headphones suddenly stopped working.


HI,

My Bluetooth headphones have suddenly stopped working. They were working fine this morning. The headphones are connected and I see it in devices + printers but I no longer see it in playback devices.

Any ideas?

 

Bluetooth Headphones Connect but no headphones output Device

Hello, MazR

Welcome to Microsoft Community.

It looks like you're experiencing an issue where your Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones connect to your Asus Notebook via Bluetooth but the headphones do not appear as an output device in the sound settings. Since you mentioned that the headphones work fine on other devices and have worked on this laptop before, it seems the issue is with the laptop settings or drivers.



Here are a few steps you could try to resolve the issue:

1. First open Windows Settings - go to the Bluetooth devices tab - delete the pairing information for Sony WH-1000XM4 - then turn off your Windows Bluetooth functionality.
   
2. Check for other connected Bluetooth devices around you, such as mobile phones or other mobile devices with Bluetooth functionality. Go into these settings to turn off Bluetooth, which should allow your Bluetooth headset's communication channel to come out to Windows.
   
3. Based on previous experience, if a Bluetooth headset is connected to more than two devices, the communication channel will be occupied, but this depends on the communication channel reserved for the headset by the hardware manufacturer.
   
4. Go back to the Windows side, restart the device, and turn on the Bluetooth function. Follow the steps for headphone pairing in Sony's manual to start pairing. After successful pairing, check whether it can be selected as the output device normally.
   

Feel free to let me know the status.



Chandy |Microsoft Community Support Specialist

 

Bluetooth headphones not recognized as audio output device

Hi,

I have a problem with pairing my Bluetooth headphones with my computer, while they work perfectly on my phone.

My computer detects the headphones, but as if they were any Bluetooth device (like a phone), not an audio device.

So I can't select them as the main audio output, and essentially can't use them on my computer.

In the Bluetooth settings, the headphones come up like a general paired device instead of an audio device.

They are showing up as a general device instead of an audio device in the control panel too.

I have tried updating the drivers and Windows. Everything is updated but my computer is still not recognizing the headphone as an audio device. I have been using these headphones with my computer successfully for over a year. The problem just started this week.

Thank you!