How to Connect AirPods to a Windows Laptop

AirPods are often bundled into the larger Apple ecosystem, and for good reason: they’re easy to set up and connect to your Apple device, be it an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. However, you are not limited to using AirPods with Apple products. While only Apple devices support this near-instant setup, you can connect your AirPods to almost any device that uses Bluetooth, including Windows laptops.

Before you connect your AirPods, make sure they have enough battery power. Ideally, you’ll want your AirPods to have at least 20-30% battery charge before pairing them, so stick them in the charging case for a few minutes if they look a little drained.

Next, make sure Bluetooth is turned on on your laptop: Settings > Devices > Bluetooth & other devices .

How to connect AirPods to a Windows laptop

At the top of the Bluetooth settings menu, you should see an option with a plus icon that says “Add Bluetooth or other device.” Click on it, and under Add a device you’ll see three options: Bluetooth , Wireless Display or Dock, and Everything Else . Select the first option in the list.

Next, you need to put your AirPods into pairing mode, which will allow them to look for other Bluetooth devices to connect to. Make sure your AirPods are in the case, then press and hold the button on the back until the LED light starts flashing white. (The light may be inside the case or outside, depending on the AirPods model.) The exception is AirPods Max: you’ll need to hold down the noise control button until you see the light flash.

You will now see a list of available Bluetooth devices on your laptop. One of these devices should be your AirPods. Click the AirPods icon to connect your laptop to them. When you see a screen that says “Your device is ready to use!”, you are connected.

Disconnecting AirPods from Windows

If you need to remove AirPods from your laptop, go to the Bluetooth and other devices menu, select AirPods from the Bluetooth list and click Remove device .