If Bluetooth is not working on Mac, you won’t be able to connect Wireless Headphones, AirPods and other Bluetooth enabled device.
Bluetooth Not Working on Mac
Essential computing devices like Mouse, Keyboard, Trackpad come pre-paired with Mac and should automatically connect to your MacBook, Mac Mini or iMac, as soon as they are started.
In case of devices like AirPods, Headphones and other Bluetooth devices, they need to go through a simple process of establishing an initial Bluetooth connection with Mac.
The process of establishing initial Bluetooth connection with Mac is known as Pairing and it usually involves the following steps.
1. Turn ON the Bluetooth Device (Say AirPods or Headphones).
2. On your Mac, go to System Preferences > Bluetooth and click on Turn Bluetooth ON.
Note: Also, check Show Bluetooth in menu bar box.
3. Once the Bluetooth Device appears in “Devices” section, click on the Connect option.
Note: On the Bluetooth device, you may be required to accept Bluetooth connection by tapping on the Pair option.
This simple process of connecting a Bluetooth device to Mac always works flawlessly, unless Bluetooth is not working on Mac.
If you are unable to pair a Bluetooth device with Mac, you should be able to fix Bluetooth problems on Mac using one of the following methods.
1. Turn Bluetooth OFF/ON
Starting with the most basic troubleshooting step, turn OFF Bluetooth on your Mac and turn it back ON again.
Click on Bluetooth Icon in top-menu bar and move the toggle next to Bluetooth to OFF position.
After 30 seconds, enable Bluetooth again by moving the toggle to ON position and try to pair the Bluetooth device to Mac again.
2. Disconnect USB & Bluetooth Devices
Remove all the devices that are directly connected to your Mac, like USB Drive, Portable Hard Drive and other devices.
After this, click on Apple Logo in top-menu bar > System Preferences > Bluetooth. On the Bluetooth screen, click on the X icon next to the device to disconnect from Bluetooth.
After removing all the connected devices, restart Mac and try to connect Bluetooth devices to your Mac.
3. Delete .plist Files
Click on the Finder Icon > select the Go tab in top-menu bar and select Go to Folder option in the drop-down menu.
On Go to Folder screen, type ~/Library/Preferences/ByHost and click on Go.
In ByHost Folder, right-click on com.apple.Bluetooth.xxx.plist and click on Move to Trash option.
Shut Down the Mac > Wait for 60 seconds > Restart Mac and it will automatically create a new Bluetooth related .plist file.
4. Reset Bluetooth Module
Remove all the connected devices from your Mac and unpair bluetooth devices.
Press & hold Shift + Option keys > click on Bluetooth Icon in top-menu bar and select Reset the Bluetooth Module option.
Restart Mac and pair the Bluetooth Device with your Mac.
5. Factory Reset Connected Device
While this option can be used to Factory Reset multiple devices, it only works for Apple Devices that are connected to Mac. If the Bluetooth devices are not connected to Mac, you will have to Factory Reset them individually.
Press and Hold Shift + Option keys > click on Bluetooth Icon in top-menu bar and select Factory Reset all connected Apple Devices option.
Restart Mac and try to pair the Bluetooth device with your Mac.
