Easily Connect AirPods to Windows PC in 7 Steps
You own a pair of AirPods, which you use with all your favorite devices. You feel comfortable using them on your phone, so you may be wondering if you can also use them on your Windows PC.
Following the seven steps below, you can use your AirPods to listen to music or podcasts, watch videos, or even join a Zoom meeting. Continue reading to learn how to pair these two devices together.
How to Easily Connect AirPods to Your Windows PC
To connect AirPods to your Windows PC, you will need to:
- Make sure your AirPods case is charged
- Check your AirPods’ battery level
- Hold the button on the AirPods case
- Activate Bluetooth on your PC
- Click “Add Bluetooth or other device”
- Select your AirPods
- Complete the pairing process
These steps are easy to follow and require no technical background or experience. Below, we’ll discuss each of these seven steps in more detail.
Make Sure the AirPods Case is Charged
The first step is to make sure you have enough battery to turn on the pairing option in your case. To check the battery status of the case, you will first need to remove your AirPods from it.
If you have the 1st generation AirPods, you can check the battery status inside the case when you open the lid. You can tell how much charge your AirPods case has based on the color of the light. For anything past 1st generation AirPods, including AirPods Pro, the LED light is on the front of the case instead.
Green means the case is fully charged, and amber means it’s low on battery. Even though you will still be able to charge your AirPods a bit, you won’t have enough battery to pair the case to your PC. Unless the light is green, charge your case before connecting your AirPods to your PC.
Check Your AirPods’ Battery Level
After verifying that your case has sufficient power to run the pairing process, the next step is to check how much battery the actual headphones have. Place your AirPods in their charging case to check their battery status.
With the AirPods inside the case, the LED indicator will now tell you the earbud’s battery status rather than that of the case. If the light is any color other than green, charge your AirPods until it is before you move forward.
Hold the Button on the AirPods Case
On all generations of AirPods, there is a circular button on the back of the case. Open the lid, then press and hold the button until the LED indicator starts slowly blinking white. This means the case is now in pairing mode.
Activate Bluetooth on Your PC
Now that the AirPods are ready to pair, it is time to search for them from your PC. Go to the Windows search bar, which is usually located on the bottom left corner of your screen, and type in “settings.” When the results pop up, you can either press to open the Settings screen or hit the enter key. On the Settings screen, choose “Devices.”
In the Devices menu, you will see several subsections on the left. Here, you will click “Bluetooth and Other Devices.” Under “Bluetooth and Devices,” you will see a slider that indicates whether the Bluetooth is turned on or off. Turn this on.
Click “Add Bluetooth or Other Device”
Now that Bluetooth is on, you can add a new device. Right on top of the slider you used to turn Bluetooth on, there will be a button called “Add Bluetooth or other device.” You can recognize this button by the big black “+” sign housed inside a gray box. Click this button and select “Bluetooth.”
Select Your AirPods
At this point, your PC will start searching for Bluetooth devices. After a moment, a list of available devices will appear on your screen. At first, your AirPods might appear as simply “headphones.” But, if you wait a few seconds, this will turn into the AirPods’ name (e.g., Your Name’s AirPods). Click on them to pair the AirPods to your PC.
Complete the Pairing Process
When the AirPods successfully pair to your PC, the white LED will stop blinking and become solid. Once you successfully pair your AirPods to your PC, you should be all set for the future.
You will not need to repeat this process every time you want to use your AirPods to listen to music or watch videos on your PC. If the last thing you connected to your PC via Bluetooth were your AirPods, they will most likely automatically reconnect the next time you turn Bluetooth on.
If the AirPods fail to connect to your PC in the future, even after going into Bluetooth options and clicking “Connect,” try forgetting the device. Then, follow the instructions above to re-pair the earbuds.
Wrapping Up
Connecting your AirPods to your PC is easy. It’s similar to connecting to any other Bluetooth device. Remember to charge your AirPods and their case before pairing them to your PC, then put the earbuds into pairing mode. Once you’ve done this, you can connect your earbuds via Bluetooth through the corresponding menu on your PC. Once you’ve completed the steps above, you can enjoy using your Apple earbuds with your Windows PC.