How to Play Music from Phone to Laptop via Bluetooth

Table of Contents

Introduction

We often stream music from our phones to Bluetooth speakers, but shouldn’t we do the same on our laptop? Laptops can be used to play Bluetooth audio from phones. Doing so will let you play your favorite songs from your phone directly to your laptop. By following a few simple steps, you can enjoy a wireless sound experience on your Windows Laptop.

How to Play Music from Phone to Laptop via Bluetooth

How to Play Music from Phone to Laptop via Bluetooth

Technique #1: Settings

This technique will show the best way to pair a phone to a laptop through Bluetooth:

Part 1) Go to the ‘’Settings‘ app (Press Start > type: Settings)

Part 2) Open ”Devices ”

Part 3) Select ”Bluetooth and Other Devices’’

Part 4) Toggle the switch to ”On”

Part 5) Add another device by tapping on ”add Bluetooth or other device’’

Part 6) Click on ‘’Bluetooth’’

Part 7) Pick the smartphone from the device options provided

Also Read: How to Clean Laptop Speakers

Part 8) Some phones require a PIN to confirm pairing, however, it is a quick process that takes a couple of seconds to do. A phone will connect just like wireless headphones or Bluetooth speakers, it will also turn into the default sound output when connected to your laptop.

Technique #2: Bluetooth Audio Receiver

The technique will help you install Microsoft’s own software, instead of having to rely on third party tools. The latest update of Windows 10 is required for this method to work. In mid-2020 Windows released an update that makes it easier for phones to be paired with laptops, for streaming music via the Chrome browser, YouTube or your smartphone’s default music player.

To check if your laptop is on the latest version go to ”Settings”, click on ”Update and Security”, select ”Windows Update”, and press on ”Check for updates’’. The reason that the latest updates support music streaming from phones is due of the Bluetooth A2DP Sink.

After updating the software, enable the Bluetooth feature on the smartphone and laptop. In order to enable Bluetooth on the laptop, do the following:

Part 1) Open the ‘’Settings ‘’application (Press Start > type: Settings)

Part 2) Then click on ”Devices ”

Part 3) Choose the option to add more Bluetooth devices

Part 4) Look for your smartphone from the list of devices displayed

Part 5) The smartphone should now be visible on the ‘’Bluetooth and other devices’’ window

Part 6) Once you have enabled Bluetooth and connected your phone, you need to download the Bluetooth Audio Receiver application from the Microsoft website and open it. The application is free and can be installed in minutes.

Part 7) Launch the Bluetooth Audio Receiver application and click on ‘’Open Connection’’. The smartphone device will be shown as being connected with the application. It will now be possible to play audio from the smartphone and it will play on the laptop.

Currently, the option to receive or make phone calls with this application is not available, but it might be possible in the future updates.

Also Read: How Hot is Too Hot For a Laptop

 

Technique #3: Windows Mobile Device Center

The Windows Mobile Device Center lets you utilize the A2DP functionality of your laptop to play audio through the smartphone. Follow the steps given below:

Part 1) Download the most recent version of the application ‘’Microsoft Windows Mobile Device Center’’ on your laptop. The version will vary for people on a 64-bit OS and 32-bit OS. This software was made for Windows Vista, which is why you need a workaround to get it to work in Windows 10. Check out this video for the process:

Part 2) Connect the Bluetooth on your smartphone and laptop.

Part 3) Open the ‘’Settings ‘’application

Part 4) Then click on ”Devices ”

Part 5) Choose the option to add more Bluetooth devices

Part 6) Look for your smartphone from the list of devices displayed, the smartphone should now be visible on the ‘’Bluetooth and other devices’’ window

Part 7) After the smartphone and laptop are paired up with one another, right click on the Bluetooth symbol in the Windows desktop and pick the option to ‘’Show Bluetooth Devices’’

Part 8)  The ‘’Devices and Printers’’ window should open, go to ‘’Bluetooth Operations’’. Windows should start scanning the smartphone for available functionalities. If A2DP is supported on the smartphone, the choice to ‘’Play Music’’ will show under the ‘’Audio and Video’’ tab.

Part 9) After the connection is made, a remote control display will show on your laptop screen. You can enable the remote manually as well by selecting the right-click menu from the taskbar and clicking on ‘’Bluetooth Remote Control’’ under the ‘’Toolbars’’ option. This will let you easily control the music that you play on your laptop.

This technique will let you listen to music as long as the two devices are paired with one another. The smartphones music player can be controlled by using the controller on the taskbar.  When you would want to not stream any more music, you can simply disconnect the Bluetooth on any of the devices.

You can also hook up 2 headphones to your laptop. Our guide on how to use two USB headphones at once for windows 10 has all the details.

 

Technique #4: Windows Media Player

To play music through Windows Media Player on your laptop you need to do the following:

Part 1) Open Windows Media Player, go to the ‘’Libraries’’ section. Select the ‘’Organize’’ menu which will drop down a couple of options. Select ‘’Manage Libraries’’ and click on ‘’Music, Pictures, or Videos’’.

Part 2) A ‘’Library Locations’’ window should now open, in which you can add folders by tapping on the ‘’ADD‘’ button and browsing through the folders.

Part 3) Select ‘’Stream’’ and then the option to play audio on media devices.

Part 4) Enable the option to stream music.

Part 5) If an error appears that the media stream has not been enabled, select ‘’Windows Service Administrative device’’, then choose the option to share the network service, and double click on it.

Part 6) Connect the smartphone to the laptop through Bluetooth.

Downloading music to your device is one of our recommended methods for How to Listen to Music on a Plane.

Do you have better speakers on your TV? You can cast Windows Media Player to a Chromecast-connected TV.

If after all this, it doesn’t work

Try an alternative – We have a guide on how to cast from your phone to a TV (no wifi), which can be used to play music.

Final Words

Now that you know how to play music from your smartphone to your laptop, you do not need to waste your time looking for any other solutions. You can simply connect your smartphone to your laptop and enjoy your favorite songs! We also have a guide that shows you how to connect 2 or more bluetooth speakers to your laptop for even better sound and how to convert your wired speakers to wireless.

You may also like:

How Hot is Too Hot For a Laptop

How to Clean Laptop Speakers