How to fix Bluetooth problems on the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1

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The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 has only been out a little while and has so far shown no particular issues. The previous model of the XPS 13 did have problems with Bluetooth which could be addressed with a few simple tweaks. If you experience Bluetooth problems on the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1, here are a few ways to fix them.

As far as I can tell, Bluetooth issues on Dells are caused by drivers or configuration. Let’s take a look at both.

Try pairing the device
The first way to fix Bluetooth problems on the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is to retry pairing. Sometimes this is enough to fix the issue.

1. Navigate to Bluetooth Settings on your device.
2. Switch it on if it isn’t already.
3. Put the external device into discovery mode and wait for the laptop to detect it.
4. Highlight the device once detected and select Pair.

This may be enough to ‘encourage’ the two to link up. If this doesn’t work, move on to the next section.

Update Bluetooth drivers on the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1
There is a recurring issue with Windows 10 and Dell in that Windows thinks it has the correct drivers for Bluetooth but Dell has others. A simple driver refresh can be all it takes to fix Bluetooth issues.

1. Navigate to the Dell Drivers and downloads page for the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1.
2. Find the latest Bluetooth driver under Network and download.
3. Right click the Windows Start button and select Device Manager.
4. Select the existing Bluetooth driver under Network adapters and select Uninstall.
5. Use the .exe. file for the new Dell driver to install the newest driver.
6. Retry pairing your Bluetooth devices.

The newer Bluetooth drivers available directly from Dell seem to work well. In a couple of cases, the new driver wasn’t enough to enable pairing so you might like to try the next step.

Reset BIOS to defaults to fix Bluetooth problems on the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1

While it seems a bit extreme, resetting the BIOS to factory defaults worked on numerous Bluetooth issues on previous XPS 13 versions so there is no reason why it wouldn’t work on the newest one. It’s worth a try anyway!

1. Remove the Bluetooth device from Device Manager.
2. Update to the latest Bluetooth driver as above.
3. Reboot your Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 and load into the BIOS by pressing F12 until the boot options screen appears.
4. Select BIOS setup and hit Enter.
5. Select Load Defaults in the BIOS screen. Your laptop will reboot into Windows.
6. Follow the pairing device steps at the top of this article.

Resetting the BIOS only makes a difference if you made any changes. If your Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 is still running stock settings, you won’t even notice a difference. Except now you should now be able to pair your laptop with Bluetooth devices with ease.