This post explains how to activate bluetooth tethering from an Android device and then connect a Windows 10/11 computer to it, so it makes use of the Android’s device internet connection.
Steps on how to connect a Windows 10 computer to the Internet through an Android Bluetooth Hotspot
The main steps are:
- Activate bluetooth tethering on your Android device
- Pair your Windows 10 device bluetooth to the Android device
- Connect to the Android device as an access point from Windows 10
Remember that your Android device should be connected to the internet through the Wi-Fi or mobile network.
1. Activate Bluetooth tethering on your Android device
From your Android device, go to Settings > Bluetooth > activate Bluetooth (if it is not already done).
Go back to Settings > Mobile network > Tethering & portable hotspot > enable “Bluetooth tethering” (if it is not already done).
2. Pair your Windows 10 device Bluetooth to the Android device
From your Windows 10/11 device, go to Start > type “Bluetooth and other device settings”.
Click on “Add Bluetooth or other device”.
Select your Android device and pair it.
3. Connect to the Android device as an access point from Windows 10
From your Windows 10/11, locate the system tray on the bottom right of your desktop. Find a Bluetooth icon (you may need to expand all system tray apps) for “Bluetooth Devices”, right-click on the icon and click “Join a Personal Area Network”.
Find your phone on the new screen, right click on it and select “Connect using” > “Access point”.
The first time you do this, it will ask you whether you want to consider this network public or private. It only asks this the first time, and it never asks again if you disconnect and connect again.
Then your Windows 10/11 computer should have access to the same WiFi connection as the Android device but communicating between them with Bluetooth.
4. Set personal area network to private (in case you made it public)
This step only applies if you did not set the network to private in the previous step.
If you reconnect and connect the personal area network (PAN), it does not ask you again whether you want to make it public or private.
There may be alternatives ways to achieve this, through Registry Editor and PowerShell. You probably need administration privileges to do this. Check this post with hints about this, though the post refers generally to WiFi connections and not bluetooth personal area networks.
If you know an alternative way that does not require admin tools like RegEdit or PowerShell commands (for example, deleting the PAN connection profile completely), please leave a comment or contact me.
Method 1: change keys from Registry Editor
Network profiles are stored in Registry Editor on this path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\NetworkList\Profiles
Values in Registry keys:
- Public: 0
- Private: 1
- Domain: 2
Method 2: change Windows Registry
To know whether your current connection is private or public through the Windows PowerShell (PS):
PS C:\> Get-NetConnectionProfile
To make a network profile private from the PS:
PS C:\> Set-NetConnectionProfile -Name "NetworkName" -NetworkCategory Private
To make a network profile public from the PS:
PS C:\> Set-NetConnectionProfile -Name "NetworkName" -NetworkCategory Public
You may need to activate the administrator. You can do it by introducing in the Command Prompt (CMD):
> net user administrator /active:yes
External references
- Wendy May; “Bluetooth tethering Android to PC“; Driver easy
- Lee Stanton; “How to change a Wi-Fi Network“