My Bluetooth mouse kept disconnecting until I changed one Device Manager setting

Published Jul 20, 2026, 8:30 AM EDT Zunaid Ali first became interested in technology after using a computer for the first time in 2006. He's been producing how-to content since 2018, reaching thousands of people in the process. As a kid, Zunaid used to read tech tutorials and troubleshooting guides on popular blogs. That made him want to start his own writing career. After the coronavirus pandemic, he finally decided to jump into the tech writing world. Before joining How-To Geek, he had written for HecticGeek, Distroid, and UbuntuPIT, among others. Zunaid first tried Linux when he wanted to learn Web Development in 2021. Due to his inexperience, he messed up his laptop trying to dual-boot Ubuntu with Windows. Frustrated, he went all-in with Linux and removed Windows completely. And that's when he fell in love with it. He's been actively experimenting with Linux since then. After finding his first writing gig on Linux in April 2022, he decided to specialize in it so he could share his knowledge and insights with fellow open-source enthusiasts. He joined How-To Geek in September 2023 and has been writing as a freelance contributor since then. Zunaid is currently pursuing his Bachelor's degree in Information & Communication Technology. When he's not writing, he's reading tech blogs, coding fun projects, or learning about new technologies. Other than Linux, he also has an interest in Android Development and Cybersecurity. He has experience in C/C++, Java, HTML/CSS/JavaScript, and Python. You can find some of his hobby projects on his GitHub. My Bluetooth mouse would cut out every few minutes on my Windows laptop, usually right in the middle of an intense working session. Then reconnecting it over and over got old fast. While digging around for a fix, I came across common Bluetooth bugs on Windows and realized my issue wasn't the device at all. It was a single power setting buried a few clicks deep in Device Manager. Turn off power saving for your Bluetooth adapter Credit: Zunaid Ali / How-To Geek Windows lets your Bluetooth radio manage its own power budget. That option sits inside a menu most people never touch unless something goes wrong first. I only found it because I was scrolling through Device Manager looking for anything Bluetooth-related. It turned out to be exactly what was quietly kicking my Bluetooth devices offline. Here's how you turn it off: Right-click the Start button and open Device Manager. Expand Bluetooth, then right-click your Bluetooth adapter and select Properties. In my case, it's Intel(R) Wireless Bluetooth(R). Switch to the Power Management tab. Uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power. Click OK, then reconnect your Bluetooth device. If you're using a USB Bluetooth dongle instead of a built-in adapter, do the same thing for the USB Root Hub it's plugged into. Otherwise, Windows can still cut power to the port itself and cause the same dropouts. Try to use your Bluetooth device as you do and see if you can find any difference. Why this actually works Windows prioritizes battery life over consistency This setting exists because Windows would rather save a sliver of battery than keep every device running at full power. It applies that logic even when your laptop is plugged in. By default, Windows treats your Bluetooth adapter like most other hardware on your laptop. Something that can power down whenever it assumes you're not using it. The problem is that "not using it" is a guess, and Windows guesses wrong constantly, especially during light Bluetooth activity like a paused podcast or an idle mouse. Every time it powers the radio down, your connection drops, and it takes a second or two to reconnect once the radio wakes back up. That's the stutter you hear or the disconnect notification you keep dismissing. On most laptops, this power-saving behavior is turned on by default and never gets flagged during setup. It's quietly working against you from day one. A few more tips to keep your connection stable This one setting doesn't always cover it The power management fix solves the problem for most people, but Bluetooth interference has more than one cause, so it's worth checking a few other things if dropouts creep back in. Update your Bluetooth driver An outdated driver can reintroduce the same instability even after you've fixed the power setting. Open Device Manager, expand Bluetooth, right-click your adapter, and select Update driver, then choose Search automatically for drivers. It only takes a minute, and it rules out a common cause before you go looking elsewhere. Reduce interference from USB 3.0 ports USB 3.0 ports can emit interference in the same frequency range Bluetooth uses, which is especially noticeable if you're using a USB Bluetooth dongle. If your dropouts happen mostly when other USB devices are plugged in nearby, try moving the dongle to a port farther away from them, or use a short USB extension cable to get some distance from the laptop chassis. Watch out for Battery Saver mode Battery Saver mode can undo the fix from earlier by throttling background hardware again, including your Bluetooth radio, once your battery drops below a certain threshold. If your laptop mostly runs unplugged, it's worth checking your battery optimization settings to make sure Battery Saver isn't kicking in more aggressively than you'd like. One tweak beats a dozen half-fixes If you spent way more time re-pairing devices and restarting your laptop than you ever needed to, now you know a quick fix. It took only a few seconds once I knew where to look, and it's held up for weeks now without a single dropout. If you're still having trouble after trying all of the above, it might be worth a broader look at your Windows battery settings.