Connecting Bose QC35 to Windows 10 Laptop
If like me you have purchased a pair of Bose QC35 noise cancelling headphones want to find out how to connect bose headphones to laptop and are finding your Bose headphones won’t connect with the Bose Connect Windows app or pairing them with a Windows 10 laptop, and you have already tried the advice from Bose of updating the firmware on the headphones and updating your Bluetooth drivers and still no joy, this is what worked for me.
Advice from Bose
Right-click on the Bluetooth menu and select Go to Settings. Click the Add Bluetooth or other device, and select Bluetooth. Add a new Bluetooth device. Turn on your Bose wireless headphones and move the power switch to the far-right position
This is the advice from Bose, but if you find this does not work for you keep reading.
Bose Headphones Bluetooth Pairing
A lot of people are having trouble with Bose Q35 pairing to Windows laptops. I am running a Lenovo T450s with Windows 10 and had updated the firmware on the headphones, and updated the Bluetooth and wireless drivers on my laptop but was still struggling with how to pair Bose QC35 with my laptop.
Thinking I had to download special Bose drivers for windows 10, I could not get them to connect. I was going to give up. So I took to Google.
“How to connect Bose headphones to laptop?” There had to be a solution for such an expensive pair of headphones, right?
So after many hours of trying, I finally discovered how to do it! It was not straightforward but I got them working.
The steps I used are detailed below – I hope it helps you!
How to connect Bose QC35 headphones to laptop or PC?
- On the QC35, push the button on the right earpiece all the way to the Bluetooth sign and hold it there for at least 10 seconds. Do this with the headset on your head, so you can hear the commands: “all paired devices cleared” and “ready to pair.” (These may not be the exact phrases you hear, but close.)
- When the QC35 has spoken, lift your finger off the button, and the QC35 will return the button to the “on” position. Leave it there and put the QC35 somewhat close to your PC (3-6 feet).
- On the PC, right-click the start button and click Control Panel.
- Click on “Device Manager.” Then click on the > next to “Bluetooth.” If you see “Bose QC35” in that list, right click it and delete it.
- Close “Device Manager” and click on “Devices and Printers.” If you see any “Bose QC35” in the list of devices, right-click it and remove it.
- Close Control Panel and locate the Bluetooth icon on the right side of the task bar (if yours is located at the bottom of the screen). Click on it and then click on “Add a Bluetooth device.”
- Because your QC35 is still in “Pairing” mode, you will see one or more buttons on that screen that say “Bose QC35 Ready to Pair.”
- Click on the depiction that shows QC35 with a headset icon (not a phone and screen icon) and the pairing will start. Be patient, as software has to be reloaded to the Device Manager.
- After that process is complete, go back to “Control Panel” and click on “Sound.” Find “Headphones, Bose QC35 Stereo and make that the Default. Get out of Control Panel.
- Go to the Speaker icon on the taskbar and make sure it is set to 100%.
- Now put your QC35 on your head and play some music on your computer. You should hear the sound through the QC35. If you do not, it might be that the volume has been decreased to zero on the QC35, so push the Volume (+) button on the QC35 repeatedly until you hear the music.
- Enjoy your music!
Another option
Bose connect app windows 10
I found it much easier to not use the Bose connect app and just use standard Bluetooth pairing. Once you have cleared the devices from the headphones and your laptop the pairing process was very simple
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