How to check Bluetooth version in Windows
February 19, 2022
To determine the Bluetooth version on a Windows computer, you need to open Device Manager.
This can be done in several ways at once:
1) Click on the start menu and start typing ‘Device Manager’, click on the suggested match.
2) OR open the ‘Power User Menu’ using the Win+x keyboard shortcuts and select ‘Device Manager’ there
3) OR press Win+r and type to execute:
devmgmt.msc
In Device Manager, find Bluetooth and expand the list:
Locate the Bluetooth adapter. Its name will vary depending on your specific hardware, but you should usually look for something like ‘Intel Wireless Bluetooth’ or ‘Bluetooth Adapter’.
The name itself may already indicate the version of the supported Bluetooth standard (as in the screenshot below). If so, you can ignore the next step since you have the answer!
If you're having trouble finding the right item in the list, one thing's for sure; the element you need to find in the list will not contain the word ‘Enumerator’, so ignore all such entries.
Double-click on the device name to open the properties of the device that you consider to be the primary Bluetooth adapter. You'll know right away if you're in the right element as you should see an ‘Advanced’ tab with content similar to the one shown below.
On this screen, you need to find the ‘Firmware Version’, i.e. HCI and LMP (Link Manager Protocol).
For example, on the screen you can see the version ‘10.256’. Now we need to convert the LMP version of the Bluetooth adapter to the actual supported Bluetooth version. Please note that your LMP version may be a decimal number. As you can see from the LMP table, any LMP number starting with 10 means that your adapter supports version 5.1 inclusive of the Bluetooth standard.
Link Manager Protocol Version (LMP) |
Bluetooth Core Specification |
---|---|
LMP 0 |
Bluetooth Core Specification 1.0b (withdrawn) |
LMP 1 |
Bluetooth Core Specification 1.1 (withdrawn) |
LMP 2 |
Bluetooth Core Specification 1.2 (withdrawn) |
LMP 3 |
Bluetooth Core Specification 2.0 + EDR (withdrawn) |
LMP 4 |
Bluetooth Core Specification 2.1 + EDR (deprecated, to be withdrawn) |
LMP 5 |
Bluetooth Core Specification 3.0 + HS (deprecated, to be withdrawn) |
LMP 6 |
Bluetooth Core Specification 4.0 |
LMP 7 |
Bluetooth Core Specification 4.1 |
LMP 8 |
Bluetooth Core Specification 4.2 |
LMP 9 |
Bluetooth Core Specification 5.0 |
LMP 10 |
Bluetooth Core Specification 5.1 |
LMP 11 |
Bluetooth Core Specification 5.2 |
The latest Bluetooth versions at the moment are 5.2 and 5.3. Still current specs 4.0/4.1 and later. If your adapter is older, using a new Bluetooth adapter on your computer may help improve the quality of your Bluetooth connection. If you are using devices that send a lot of data, such as constantly streaming audio or video, you really need to make sure that both the adapter and the device are compatible with at least Bluetooth version 3.0 + HS, and preferably 4.0 and later.
For reference: in version 5.*, the data transfer rate is doubled compared to 4.*.
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