Top 9 Fixes for Missing Bluetooth Option in Action Center in Windows 10

Bluetooth is one of the most common and essential features in a computer. People use it to connect headphones for Zoom calls, Your Phone Companion app, webcam, and more. Several users complained that the Bluetooth option was missing in the Action Center, which made it difficult for them to enable/disable Bluetooth from any screen.

But when the Bluetooth option disappears, we realize how dependent we are on it. The Quick Action menu within the Action Center makes it easy to access frequently used settings from any app screen. It allows users to connect apps or devices and get up and running quickly.

Let’s understand why this happens and how you can fix Bluetooth missing in Windows 10 issue.

1. Edit and Expand Quick Actions Menu

The Action Center appears in two parts. At the top, you will find notifications from different installed apps and the system itself. At the bottom you will find the Quick Actions menu, which contains all the shortcuts to important settings. To save space or when too many notifications are opened, Windows will collapse the Quick Actions menu.

Click the Expand button to reveal all available toggle buttons.

The Quick Actions menu does not enable all shortcuts by default. However, the Bluetooth shortcut may have been disabled by mistake. Here’s how to enable it.

Stage 1: Open Action Center again and click Manage notifications in the top right corner.

Step 2: This will open Windows Settings. Click on ‘Edit your quick actions’.

Stage 3: This will open the Action Center again, but this time you can add/remove shortcuts. Click the Add button.

Step 4: You will now see a list of all inactive available shortcuts. Select Bluetooth and it will add it to the Windows Quick Actions menu. Click Done to save the settings.

Note that in edit mode you can also drag and drop shortcuts in any order you want.

2. Run the Troubleshooter Utility

All versions of Windows computer come with a troubleshooting utility that will find and fix common Windows-related problems.

Stage 1: Press Windows key+I to open the Windows Settings application. Search for and select ‘Find and fix problems with Bluetooth devices’.

Step 2: In the popup that follows, click ‘Apply repairs automatically’ and then select Next. After running the scan it will try to fix the problem or suggest a solution.

3. Troubleshooting Hardware and Devices

Surprisingly, Windows Settings no longer includes this particular troubleshooting option. But you can still access and run it from Command Prompt or CMD. Run this troubleshooter if you’re trying to connect a hardware device like a headset and find the Bluetooth option missing in the Action Center’s Quick Actions menu.

4. Update, Uninstall and Reinstall Drivers

Drivers are how a hardware device interacts with a computer in Windows. We wrote a detailed article on how to update and reinstall drivers in Windows.

For reference, when you open Device Manager, click on Bluetooth to list all the Bluetooth devices you have connected there. This is where you can work with the drivers to fix the missing Bluetooth option in the Quick Actions menu in the Action Center issue.

5. Scan for Hardware Changes

Stage 1: Search for and open Device Manager from the start menu. You will also find it in the hidden shortcut menu that reveals itself when you press Windows key + X.

Step 2: Right click on your computer name and select ‘Scan for hardware changes’.

Let it run and then check again.

6. Bluetooth Support Service

You can also test if the Bluetooth support service is working properly.

Stage 1: Search for the Services app in the start menu and open it.

Step 2: Locate the Bluetooth Support Service entry in the list and double-click it to open the service settings window.

Stage 3: The service status should be Running. If not, click Start next to it. The startup type must be Automatic. You can choose from the drop-down menu. Click Apply to save the changes. If everything is as it should be, stop the service and start it once to start something.

7. Disable Fast Startup

Fast Startup helps speed up the boot process, which takes less time to get to the Windows desktop. However, it can cause occasional hiccups in programs set to run at startup.

Stage 1: Search for ‘Power and sleep settings’ from the start menu and open it. This will open the Windows Settings app.

Step 2: Click on Additional power settings.

Stage 3: Select ‘Choose what the power buttons do’ from the left sidebar.

Step 4: Select ‘Change settings that are currently unavailable’ at the top which will allow you to make further changes. Now, uncheck ‘Turn on fast startup (recommended)’ and save the changes.

8. Run Startup Repair

Stage 1: Hold down the Shift key and restart your computer from the Power options in the Start menu.

Step 2: You should now see the boot screen. It has a blue background. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Repair. Select a Windows user account with administrator rights, enter the password and let Startup repair run.

9. Restore Windows

The Windows operating system creates a restore point every few days or when it detects a major change. If nothing else works, try restoring to a previous point to fix the Bluetooth option disappeared.

Go Wireless

Bluetooth is one of the features we use on a daily basis. We truly understand its value only when Bluetooth does not work or is lost. Fortunately the problem is not that big and there are many ways to fix it. As always, if you find another way to fix it, let us know in the comments section below.

Next: Effortlessly talk and listen to phone calls with these portable Bluetooth speakers with speaker.