How to Enable or Disable Advanced Bluetooth Devices Discovery in Windows

Windows has an option for advanced Bluetooth device discovery. Normally, when scanning for Bluetooth devices, Windows will detect all available devices around you. However, some devices might be marked as “uncommon,” and Windows might automatically hide these options from you. You can only see them after you click on the Show more devices option.

Enabling advanced Bluetooth device discovery will allow you to see all the available Bluetooth options around you, whether they’re marked as common or uncommon. This will improve compatibility with various external devices like headsets, mice, and keyboards, especially if you’re using older models.

However, this feature can also increase the device’s power consumption and expand its broadcast surface, which can open it up to some security vulnerabilities. Learning the different methods and the pros and cons of this feature can help you decide what will work best for you and your organization when it comes to the advanced Bluetooth devices discovery feature.

Different methods to enable or disable advanced Bluetooth settings in Windows

Enabling or disabling advanced Bluetooth device discovery can be done through either Settings or the Registry Editor. If you’re in an enterprise environment and managing multiple devices, you can also use Windows PowerShell to deploy a script that will automatically make the necessary registry edits in all your assigned endpoints.

💡 Note: The steps in this guide are compatible with both Windows 10 and Windows 11. Although some Settings menu labels may differ slightly, the Registry entries and PowerShell commands work the same across both versions.

Prerequisites

Before getting started, make sure you check and take these things into account:

• The computer must have Bluetooth hardware, and it should be enabled.
• The device should support the current Bluetooth driver stack.
• You will need administrator access, especially if you’re going to edit the registry or deploy scripts via PowerShell.
  To check if you have admin access:
  1. Open the Start Menu > Settings > Accounts. You should find the word “Administrator” written under your username.

Method 1: Enable or disable via the Bluetooth settings GUI

This method will enable or disable basic Bluetooth discoverability. It may not necessarily give you control over advanced discoverability. To do that, consider using the Registry Editor or Windows PowerShell instead.

1. Open the Start Menu > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Devices.
2. Scroll down and click More Bluetooth settings. In some builds, it might say View more devices instead. This will open the Bluetooth settings window.
3. Go to the Options tab.
4. Check Allow Bluetooth devices to find this PC to make the computer discoverable to other devices. Uncheck it if you want to do the opposite.
5. Check Alert me when a new Bluetooth device wants to connect if you want to be alerted when a new device wants to connect. Uncheck if you don’t want to be alerted.
6. Click Apply, then OK.

Method 2: Enable or disable via Registry Editor

1. Press Win+R to open Run.
2. Type regedit and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
3. Navigate to:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Bluetooth
4. Find the EnableDiscovery key. If it doesn’t exist, create it by following these steps:
   • Right-click on the Parameters key > New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
   • Set the name to AdvancedDsicoveryMode.
5. Double-click the AdvancedDiscoveryMode key.
6. If you want to enable it, set the value data to 1. To disable it, set it to 0.
7. Click OK.

Method 3: Configure via PowerShell (scripted deployment)

This is the best option if you are managing multiple devices. You can automate this using a remote management solution.

1. Open the Start Menu, search for Windows PowerShell, right-click, and select Run as administrator.
2. To enable the feature, type:
   Set-ItemProperty -Path “HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BTHPORT\Parameters” -Name “EnableDiscovery” -Value 1 -Type DWord
3. To enable the feature, type:
   Set-ItemProperty -Path “HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BTHPORT\Parameters” -Name “EnableDiscovery” -Value 0 -Type DWord 

More things to consider before activating or deactivating Discovery mode for Bluetooth in Windows

• Disabling this setting on laptops may reduce background Bluetooth polling and optimize your battery use.
• There’s no specific policy to enable or disable advanced Bluetooth discovery at the moment, but it can be managed using registry-based deployments through your endpoint management system.
• Limiting device visibility is useful for high-security environments or zero-trust deployments.
• If you need to standardize across many devices, use Registry Preferences via Group Policy or Configuration Baselines.

Why should you manage advanced Bluetooth discovery?

Advanced Bluetooth discovery can make it easier to connect with your other devices and use other native Windows features. For example, you can use it to take advantage of Windows’ Dynamic Lock feature to add security to your devices. Bluetooth can also be used for file sharing and connecting with different devices, such as an external mouse or keyboard.

However, there are also several reasons why you might not want to keep the advanced Bluetooth discovery feature enabled. If you work in a high-security or zero-trust environment, turning it off will further strengthen your wireless security by reducing the device’s broadcast surface.

Disabling advanced Bluetooth discovery can also reduce pairing confusion. If there are multiple Bluetooth devices around you, turning it off will help prevent the computer from detecting and connecting with devices you don’t want it to. It’s also an effective way to conserve a laptop’s battery life. If the user has limited charging options, limiting Bluetooth discoverability is one way to ensure that the device’s battery life will last longer.

Master the different ways to enable or disable advanced Bluetooth discovery in Windows

The advanced Bluetooth devices discovery feature in Windows gives IT administrators greater control over Bluetooth behavior and performance. You can manage basic Bluetooth device discovery permissions through Settings. But, if you want a greater degree of control, it’s best to use Registry or script-based methods instead, especially if you want to manage advanced Bluetooth device discovery controls in your computers.

Windows PowerShell, on the other hand, allows you to apply these registry edits on an enterprise level. You can run automated scripts across multiple devices to optimize your process and ensure that all the computers you manage are following your organization’s standards and specifications.