No doubt that Apple Airpods work best within the Apple ecosystems. But what if you own a Windows PC, can you connect your Airpods to Windows PC? Yes, you can just like connecting any other Bluetooth device to your Windows PC. However, the process isn’t as intuitive as what you experience when you pair your Apple Airpods to an Apple device. Where you just have to open the AirPod lid and your Apple device will automatically detect them showing a beautiful animation.
Whereas if you want to connect your Apple Airpods to your Windows 10 PC, you will have to go through the usual Bluetooth pairing process on your computer. After that, it’s just as easy as removing your Airpods from the case and they will automatically connect with your computer. (Minus the cool Airpods Animation showing the remaining battery of both Airpods and the case, but we will talk about that as well in the latter part of this article.)
How to connect AirPods to Windows PC?
Let’s see how we can connect AirPods to Windows 10 PC in a few quick steps:
- Make sure your Apple Airpods are inside their charging case and fully charged.
- Now open the lid, then press and hold the circular button on the rear side of the Airpods charging case, till you see the white light blinking. Your AirPods are now in pairing mode and are ready to be paired to a new Bluetooth-enabled device.
- Now onto your Windows 10 PC, open Windows settings > Devices > Bluetooth and other devices to access Bluetooth settings.
- Inside Bluetooth Settings, click on Add Bluetooth or other devices.
- This will open up an ‘Add device‘ window, click on ‘Bluetooth‘ to start the pairing process. You will now see all the nearby Bluetooth devices. Once you see your Airpods discovered, click on them to initiate the pairing between your AirPods and your Windows 10 PC.
- This pairing setup will take a couple of seconds and once the Bluetooth connection is established between your Airpods and PC, you will see a confirmation window. Click on ‘Done‘ to complete the setup.
- Now remove your Airpods from their charging case and tune into your favorite music on your Windows PC.
How to re-connect paired Airpods to Windows PC?
Now every time you remove the AirPods from the charging case, it will automatically get connected to your Windows PC. But if you are using your AirPods on multiple devices, you might have to reconnect them again every time you switch to a different device. To re-connect paired AirPods to Windows PC, just follow the steps below.
- Open Windows Settings and navigate to the Bluetooth Settings inside the Settings app. [Windows settings > Devices > Bluetooth and other devices] You can also access Bluetooth settings directly from the Bluetooth system icon on your Windows taskbar. Right-click on the Bluetooth icons and click on Show Bluetooth Devices.
- On the Bluetooth settings page, you will see all your paired Bluetooth devices. Now remove your Airpods from their charging and look for the ‘AirPods‘ under Audio, click on it to expand the Airpods card, and then click the ‘Connect‘ button to connect your Airpod.
- After a second or two, it’ll re-connect Airpods to your Windows PC and you will be able to tune into your favorite songs again.
Wrapping up: How to connect Apple AirPods to Windows?
Thankfully, Airpods aren’t just limited to Apple ecosystems and you can use them as well on Windows without any major hiccups. So yeah, if you are planning to buy or have already brought Apple Airpods but don’t have a Macintosh or an iPhone, you can very well pair them on your Windows PC.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can Airpods connect to PC?
Yes, you can connect AirPods to a PC. This guide explains how you can connect and use your AirPods with your Windows PC. AirPods works on all versions of Windows, even the latest Windows 11. However, you will need an Apple device to change the default AirPods settings and controls.
Can we connect Apple Airpods to multiple Windows PCs?
Yes, you can connect Airpods to multiple PCs, but you won’t be able to automatically switch between devices. Unlike, Apple devices, you will have to re-connect manually every time you want to connect your Airpods to a different device.
Can I change my default AirPods settings on my Windows 10 PC?
Nope, you won’t be able to change any AirPods settings from your PC To change any setting, you will have to connect it to an Apple device first. Then change the desired setting and pair it back with your PC, the Airpods will retain those settings on your PC as well. This also means that all basic AirPods gestures like Play/Pause will work just fine even on a Windows PC. (and for obvious reasons, you won’t be able to trigger Siri on a Windows machine, nor it will trigger Cortana)
How can I get AirPods popup animation on Windows?
By default, Windows will not show any popup animations whenever you connect your Airpods. However, there is a 3rd party app on Microsoft Store that you can install on your Windows PC to get similar popup animation. It is a paid app and we have already done an extensive article on the same, you can read it here.
