Bluetooth on the IdeaPad Slim 5 shares a card with Wi-Fi, so a Bluetooth fault often arrives with a Wi-Fi fault, and a faulty WLAN card can cause both. For a Slim 5 Light 14ABR8, an owner asked why Bluetooth would not connect, and the answer on iFixit and Lenovo's pages is the same sequence: run the Bluetooth troubleshooter from Settings, check the driver in Device Manager, and reinstall it from Lenovo. If the Bluetooth adapter has vanished from Device Manager, the driver has been lost or the card has failed. Check that Bluetooth is on and Airplane mode off, that the Bluetooth Support Service is running in services.msc, and that the device is in pairing mode and not connected to another host.
Forget the device and pair again. Restart the laptop with a full shutdown, since Fast Startup can keep a stuck adapter alive. Some Slim 5 owners find Bluetooth fine for a mouse and unreliable for a headset, which suggests interference or the headset's own firmware. A USB Bluetooth dongle is a cheap test that tells you whether the internal radio is the cause, since the dongle bypasses the laptop's card. The IdeaPad's Bluetooth radio also drops when the lid is nearly closed over an external monitor, because the antennas sit in the display frame, so keep the lid open a little during tests. Windows' own Bluetooth troubleshooter can also restart the service for you and report a fault code that you can quote to Lenovo support.
Differential
Likely causes of “Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 family Bluetooth is missing, will not pair or disconnects”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A missing Bluetooth driver
What separates it The adapter is not in Device Manager
How to confirm Reinstall the driver from Lenovo
- 2
A stopped service
What separates it Devices will not pair
How to confirm services.msc: Bluetooth Support Service to Automatic and running
- 3
A stale pairing
What separates it The device shows but will not connect
How to confirm Forget it and pair again
- 4
A card fault
What separates it Wi-Fi and Bluetooth both fail
How to confirm Contact Lenovo about the WLAN card
- 5
Fast Startup
What separates it Bluetooth fails after shutdown
How to confirm Turn off Fast Startup and shut down fully
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Whether Bluetooth appears in Device Manager
- Whether Wi-Fi also fails
- The device that fails
- The model such as 14ABR8
Try in this order
0 of 10 completedRun the Bluetooth troubleshooter
ReversibleSettings, System, Troubleshoot, Other troubleshooters.
Check Device Manager
ReversibleLook for the Bluetooth adapter.
Check the service
Reversibleservices.msc, Bluetooth Support Service.
Forget and pair again
ReversibleSettings, Bluetooth and devices.
Reinstall the driver
ReversibleFrom Lenovo's page.
Shut down fully
ReversibleWith Fast Startup off, then start.
Test with a USB Bluetooth dongle
ReversibleIf a cheap USB adapter works, the internal radio or its antenna is at fault.
Check the headset on another device
ReversiblePair the headset with a phone to see whether the accessory is the problem.
Check Windows Update's optional drivers
ReversibleSettings, Windows Update, Advanced options, Optional updates, often lists a newer Bluetooth driver.
Keep the lid open during tests
ReversibleAntennas in the lid frame lose signal when it is nearly closed.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Shared card
- A single card carries Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
- Troubleshooter
- Windows can repair some Bluetooth faults itself.
- Dongle test
- A USB radio separates the laptop's card from the settings.
- Headsets
- Some headsets need their own firmware updated for newer Windows versions.
- Optional drivers
- Windows lists extra drivers under Optional updates.
- Lid and antennas
- The Bluetooth antennas are in the display frame.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If Bluetooth and Wi-Fi both fail after driver reinstalls, contact Lenovo
- !If only one accessory fails, ask its maker
- !If the adapter never appears, the card may be faulty
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Exact questions
Common questions
Why does my IdeaPad Bluetooth not work?+
A lost driver, a stopped service or a card fault.
Does Wi-Fi share the card?+
Yes.
What is Fast Startup?+
A hibernation-based start that can keep an adapter stuck.
Where is the driver?+
On Lenovo's support page.
Can a USB dongle replace the internal Bluetooth?+
Yes, as a workaround.
Why does my mouse work but not my headset?+
Audio profiles are more demanding and more affected by interference.
Does closing the lid affect Bluetooth?+
It can weaken the signal.