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How to pair Apple AirPods with your Windows 10 PC in less than a minute

Connecting your Apple earbuds with your Windows computer really is that fast.

Matt Elliott Senior Editor
Matt Elliott is a senior editor at CNET with a focus on laptops and streaming services. Matt has more than 20 years of experience testing and reviewing laptops. He has worked for CNET in New York and San Francisco and now lives in New Hampshire. When he's not writing about laptops, Matt likes to play and watch sports. He loves to play tennis and hates the number of streaming services he has to subscribe to in order to watch the various sports he wants to watch.
Expertise Laptops, desktops, all-in-one PCs, streaming devices, streaming platforms
Matt Elliott
2 min read
Apple Airpods Pro

Ready, set, pair.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Apple AirPods pair magically with other Apple devices, thanks to Apple's H1 chip -- or W1 chip in the case of the original AirPods -- but you can pair them with other devices via plain ol' Bluetooth nearly as easily. (Just not as magically because a non-Apple device won't know to pause your music, podcast or video when you take an AirPod out of your ear.)

It took you all of three seconds to pair your AirPods with your iPhone and the rest of your Apple devices. Pairing your Apple AirPods with your Windows 10 PC requires a few extra steps, but shouldn't take more than a minute. We'll walk you through pairing your AirPods with your PC and how to reconnect. This story is updated periodically.

Pair AirPods with PC

On your PC, open the Settings app and choose Devices from the main menu. At the top of the Bluetooth & other devices page, first make sure that the toggle switch for Bluetooth is on. Next, click Add Bluetooth or other device at the top above the Bluetooth toggle switch. On the Add a device window, click Bluetooth.

Put your AirPods in their case and open the lid. Press and hold the button on the back of the case until you see the status light between your two AirPods start pulsing white, and then let go. Your AirPods should show up in the Add a device window. Click to pair and connect.

airpods-connect
Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET

Reconnecting once paired

After making the initial connection between your Windows 10 PC and your AirPods, you'll be able to reconnect your AirPods and your PC for listening to music, watching YouTube, video conferencing and so on by heading back to the Bluetooth & other devices page in Settings

You'll see all of your paired audio devices listed under the Audio header. Select your AirPods from the list and click the Connect button.

Read more: 11 tips and tricks for your Apple AirPods

Looking for more AirPod tips and tricks? Check out the best AirPods tips11 awesome AirPods Pro tricks and learn how to clean your Apple AirPods.

Watch this: 1 year with the AirPods Pro