The Best Bluetooth Adapters for PC

Bluetooth not built in? Time to adapt.

Feb 13, 2025 - 21:23

Bluetooth adapters are essential for any device that doesn't natively support the wireless standard, because, well, pretty much everything you use in day-to-day life now depends on it. Everything from keyboards to headsets may need a Bluetooth connection, and if the motherboard in your PC doesn't natively support it, you're out of luck unless you fork over some cash for one of these little Bluetooth dongles. Luckily, there are a lot of them out there, and they're typically not that expensive.

TL;DR - These Are the Best Bluetooth Adapters for PC:

There are definitely some expensive Bluetooth adapters, but they're relatively few and far between, and usually offer an especially luxurious feature set and connection quality. You should also keep in mind the current version of Bluetooth that the latest gadgets and gaming accessories are going to support. The latest version on the market is Bluetooth 5.4 – though Bluetooth 6 was announced in fall 2024 and will be rolling out eventually – so if you want to get an up-to-date adapter, it needs to support that standard. Luckily, Bluetooth is backward compatible, which means any Bluetooth adapter will be able to sync with whatever devices you're looking to use, you'll just lose out on some of the newer-generation features.

1. Creative BT-W5

Best Bluetooth Adapter

Creative's BT-W5 is an excellent choice if you're looking to play PC games with a Bluetooth adapter for hi-res 96kHz/24-bit audio. Connecting with USB-C, you can use this Bluetooth adapter on any PC, Mac, and even a gaming console like the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X. Its low profile makes for minimal clutter with your system.

To get the best experience, this device auto-adjusts the bitrate depending on the Bluetooth device you're using. This feature works together with aptX Adaptive Low Latency to provide you a low latency connection, perfect for any PC controller or gaming headset. Additionally, the BT-W5 has a multifunctional button that allows you to switch profiles and save up to four different devices onboard.

2. Asus USB-BT500

Best Budget Bluetooth Adapter

The Asus USB-BT500 is our budget pick. It's the easiest to set up and seamlessly works with any device you may choose to pair with your PC. This is one of the most common Bluetooth adapters you'll see on the market; it comes equipped with Bluetooth 5.0 support, which doubles speeds over Bluetooth 4.0.

This also means your devices will have extended battery life when paired up. Bluetooth 5.0 allows for less power draw with its speed, meaning you can use your headphones for longer. Additionally, the USB-BT500 has the smallest form factor out of any adapter on this list. It barely sticks out of the USB port, so you can fit this into any laptop or motherboard with ease. This is a great way to ensure your wireless headphone or AirPod battery life drains even slower

3. Techkey 100M Class 1 Long Range Bluetooth Adapter

Best Long-Range Bluetooth Adapter

The Techkey 150M Class 1 Long Range Bluetooth Adapter is the perfect choice if you need an adapter capable of long-range connectivity. Featuring an antenna, this adapter has a range of 500ft or 150m. This can easily cover a whole house or apartment. Physical objects will shrink the range, however, so it's best for the PC to be placed in an open area.

It supports Bluetooth 5.4, giving you lightning-fast connectivity and superb battery life with its low energy draw. This adapter is compatible with previous Bluetooth modes, including 5.3, 5.2, 4.2, 2.1, and more. You'll only need one USB port to power it, making this Techkey 150M Class 1 adapter a perfect choice for any long-range connections needed in your home.

4. Sennheiser BTD 600

Best Bluetooth Adapter for Headphones

While Sennheiser is best known for their headphones, they also make plenty of audio equipment. This BTD 600 Bluetooth adapter is a perfect choice if you're in need for Bluetooth adapter specifically for the best wireless headphones or popular wireless PC headsets. It has extremely low latency and an excellent range of audio, up to 430kbps. With the available audio file support, you can listen to high quality files from Apple Music or Spotify on your headphones with ease.

This adapter itself needs a USB-A port to be powered, but you can use the included USB-C adapter to slot it into any USB-C port of your choosing if you don't have any spare USB-A ports. It's worth noting that you will need to install a firmware upgrade for this adapter to get the most out of it. An update added support for Hi-Res 96kHz/24-bit audio, so it is defintiely worth your time to get the BTD 600 updated.

5. Gigabyte WiFi 6E GC-WBAX210

Best Internal Bluetooth Adapter for Gaming

If you want to keep the USB ports on your PC open and you have space on your motherboard for another PCI-E expansion card (yes, they're used for more than just the best GPUs), you might want to get an internal adapter. While this is technically a Wi-Fi adapter, most motherboards that don't have built-in Bluetooth also don't have built-in Wi-Fi, so you're killing two birds with one stone here.

This is technically a couple of Bluetooth revisions behind the current spec, featuring only Bluetooth 5.2, but all you're really missing is some battery-saving features. And, since you're going to be plugging this into your desktop PC anyways, you're probably not going to notice a difference. Before picking the Gigabyte WiFi 6E GC-WBAX210, however, you're going to want to make sure you have an open PCIe slot open on your motherboard. Luckily, you don't need the full x16 slot that you'd need for a motherboard; one of the smaller x4 ports is plenty for this little card. If you have a desktop PC, I can almost promise that you have one of these slots open, as they're not commonly used these days – you can thank on-board sound cards and USB-C ports for that.

The only downside is that, of course, you're going to need a little bit of technical know-how to install this and get it working. But if you're brave enough to tinker with your PC, it's hard to find another adapter that'll do a better job.

Bluetooth Adapter FAQs

Do you need a Bluetooth adapter for your PC?

Not every PC or laptop will need a Bluetooth adapter, as many motherboards have Bluetooth functionality built-in. To see if your PC has Bluetooth functionality, follow the below steps.

Go to the bottom left of the screen and click on the search bar.
Type in 'Device Manager,' and select the first option that pops up. The icon shows a digital camera and a printer.
In Device Manager, you should see a Bluetooth listing with a drop down option. If you do not see Bluetooth here, your motherboard does not have onboard Bluetooth capabilities.

If your motherboard does not support Bluetooth, you will need to buy a Bluetooth adapter to connect any Bluetooth device to your PC.

Bluetooth 5.3 vs 5.0: What's the difference?

Bluetooth 5.0 was first introduced to devices in July 2016. The 5.3 update was released in July 2021, over five years later. Overall, the key changes from 5.0 to 5.3 are more technical. First, Bluetooth 5.3 improves both the latency and power draw of connected devices. The new LC3 codec allowed for a lower energy cost of the connected Bluetooth device, which means you can use your Bluetooth 5.3 devices longer than with Bluetooth 5.0.

Between 5.0 and 5.3, the range for Bluetooth devices has stayed the same. It's likely that this won't change much, if at all, until Bluetooth 6.0. Other notable features that were added with the release of Bluetooth 5.3 include improved pairing speed, new connection methods for dual channel earbuds, and new security and encryption enhancements.

The new features with Bluetooth 5.3 are all very helpful and nice to have, but Bluetooth 5.0 offers a very solid experience that isn't too drastic of a difference from 5.3.

Do new laptops come equipped with Bluetooth connectivity?

Most modern gaming laptops or MacBooks come equipped with built-in Bluetooth connectivity. Because of this, you will usually only need to concern yourself with an adapter if you are building your own PC or trying to add Bluetooth connectivity to an older model. Make sure to check the product page before you buy or use the method described above to check if you need a Bluetooth adapter.

Noah Hunter is a freelance writer and reviewer with a passion for games and technology. He co-founded Final Weapon, an outlet focused on nonsense-free Japanese gaming (in 2019) and has contributed to various publishers writing about the medium. His favorite series include Xeno and Final Fantasy.