To connect devices to your computer you can use traditional cables like USB and 3.5mm jacks, but these can cause a mess of cables and limit how far you can move from your computer while still using it. Bluetooth offers a reliable wireless connection platform that doesn’t use too much power and works over a respectable range.
Linux Mint includes a Bluetooth control panel by default, although you’ll need to have a Bluetooth adaptor either built-in or plugged-in to your system for it to be of any use. To be able to open the Bluetooth control panel and manage your Bluetooth connections, press the Super key, then type “Bluetooth” and hit enter.
Tip: The “Super” key is the name that many Linux distributions use to refer to the Windows key or the Apple “Command” key, while avoiding any risk of trademark issues.
If the Bluetooth window says “No Bluetooth adaptors found” then your computer can’t find a local Bluetooth radio with which to connect to other devices. If this is the case, you will need to check that your Bluetooth device is correctly installed. If your Bluetooth adaptor is working, then you should see the statement ‘Visible as “<your device name>” and available for Bluetooth transfers’. To change your device name, click the burger menu icon in the top-right, then click in the “Name” field.
In the same burger menu, you can also configure if files can be sent to your device with “Receive files from remote devices”, and if a Bluetooth icon is shown in the system tray with “Show a tray icon”. You can also choose to disable the Bluetooth radio entirely by clicking the slider in the top-left of the main window to the “Off” position.
Under “Devices” you can see a list of Bluetooth devices that you can connect to. Click on a device in the list to start the connection process, then follow the connection instructions shown. Once you’re connected click on the device again to open the device control window. Here you can disconnect with the “Connection” slider, transfer files by clicking “Send Files” or forget the device by clicking “Remove Device”.
Tip: You don’t have to be connected to a device to forget the connection.
Seamus Padraig says
Hi! I just installed Mint 20 and can’t get Bluetooth to work. My Bluetooth control panel shows that I am visible and that everything is activated and turned on, but under Devices, it just says ‘Searching for devices …’ and hangs there forever. How can I make it detect my devices? (I used to have Windows installed on this computer and Bluetooth devices worked fine then. They also work fine with my other Windows computer.)