Ubuntu – Cant access in-built Bluetooth for Windows in Virtual Box

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Do anyone know how to access in-built Bluetooth in Virtual Box. I am using Ubuntu and have installed VM(virtual box) and Windows 10 in it but somehow I am not able to access the Bluetooth. Bluetooth is not getting displayed in Device manager.

Best Answer

First make sure the following is correctly working:

  • The BIOS / UEFI has Bluetooth enabled (Just in case)
  • Your host (Ubuntu in this case) detects the Bluetooth correctly
  • You have tested the Bluetooth with a bluetooth device and can confirm it is working correctly. This 3 points are to avoid issues with the guest that might not be the guest at all.

Then make sure the following is correctly set up:

  • Latest VirtualBox version installed (As of this answer it is 5.1.28)
  • Latest VirtualBox Extension installed for VirtualBox (Host). This one you get either from the VirtualBox site or by upgrading from a previous Extension to the latest.
  • Latest VirtualBox Extension installed in Windows 10 (Guest). This one will show as a CD on Windows 10. Just simply install it from the Virtual CD and reboot.

This last 3 points are to make sure that the Bluetooth can be detected and used correctly in your virtual environment.

Now follow this steps:

  1. Right click your USB Devices on VirtualBox (Not inside Windows 10, but on the VirtualBox bar below it) and Enable the Bluetooth device detected by VirtualBox. At this point, if you follow everything and the bluetooth does not show, on some cases it is because it can't be in use before sharing it with VirtualBox.

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  2. Windows will not try to install the proper drivers for it. If the drivers are not found, I suggest going to the companies website and downloading the drivers through Windows 10 and then proceeding on installing them manually.

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  3. After installation click on the Bluetooth Device Manager to Pair your Windows 10 with a real device:

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  4. Click on the Device found that you wish to pair and then click on the Pair button that will show.

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  5. Then simply test out sending something to the device

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That's it. So the common issues that could be found are:

  1. Missing the VirtualBox Extension (In the Host, Guest or both)
  2. Bluetooth not working on your Host, hence, it will not work on your Guest.
  3. Missing Drivers for the Bluetooth device in Windows 10

On most cases it will just work if you follow the steps. In the ones that don't, you can solve this 3 cases by installing the corresponding package / driver for it.

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