?How to enable bluetooth without using mouse?

larrymcg · 30 Dec 2017

My Win10 PC has built in bluetooth and I use it with a bluetooth mouse. I accidentally turned bluetooth off and that made it real hard to turn it on again since the mouse stopped working. Catch-22! The solution is to install a USB mouse just to turn bluetooth back on. Grrrr......

I tried the batch file that was posted by Brink on Sept 9, 2017. I assigned a keyboard shortcut. The batch file stopped "bthserv" as expected (running it again started bthserv).. However, when bthserv was stopped bluetooth was still ON and the bluetooth mouse continued to work. I verified bthserv was stopped by checking services with the task manager.

I assumed that running the batch file would not turn bluetooth back on if I manually turned it off.

So, does someone have a way to turn bluetooth ON without using any mouse clicks?

-- Larry

Barman58 · 30 Dec 2017

Ok we'll need to go back into the dim and distant past, before Apple stole the idea from Xerox

If you have a conventional keyboard attached press the windows key, (old style keyboard Ctrl-Esc)

Type "Bluetooth" (no quotes) and enter when the "Bluetooth and other devices panel shows" use the arrow keys to navigate around the panel and space bar to turn Bluetooth on / off

Mouse not harmed at anytime during this posting

Tested with Windows 10 Pro Fall Creators Update

larrymcg · 30 Dec 2017

Barman58, Thanks for the info. I found that I could not navigate with the keyboard arrow keys. But your hint about using the Windows key to get to the search box did it for me. I typed "Turn bluetooth off/on" and it did it. No need to even go to the bluetooth settings page!

Thanks,
Larry

Barman58 · 30 Dec 2017

There are lots of methods to navigate in dialogue boxes in windows you can use the tab & Shift+Tab, and the arrow keys with Ctrl or Shift modifiers there is even a specific options to assist the user who cannot use a mouse due to disability

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...-mouse-pointer

There a many shortcut keys a lot which work in earlier windows

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/...oard-shortcuts