How to connect AirPods to a Lenovo laptop

You have an upcoming video call with your boss in thirty minutes. The problem: you're not sure how to connect your Apple AirPods® to your Lenovo® laptop. Without the earbuds, the audio quality may be poor—and that's not something you want to risk.

Asurion Experts to the rescue. Whether sharing how to reset your AirPods or restart a Lenovo laptop, our team is always on hand to answer tough tech questions. Here's how to connect AirPods to a Lenovo laptop without sacrificing your sanity. 

4 steps to connect AirPods to a Lenovo laptop

Connecting AirPods to a Lenovo laptop takes less than a minute. Follow these steps to sync your devices.

Make sure Bluetooth is enabled

Turn on the Bluetooth® settings for your Lenovo laptop. 

1. Click the Network, Sound, or Battery icon in the right-hand corner of the laptop's taskbar.
2. Click the right-facing arrow next to the Bluetooth icon.
3. Toggle Bluetooth on.

You can also enable a Bluetooth connection through the Windows™ Settings menu. 

1. Click the Start menu.
2. Click Settings > Bluetooth & devices. 
3. Toggle the Bluetooth switch on.

Put AirPods in pairing mode

Pairing mode tells your AirPods to look for Bluetooth devices to connect to. The process for enabling Pairing mode depends on which model of AirPods you're using.

• AirPods 1, 2, 3, or AirPods Pro: Confirm the AirPods are in their charging case and open the lid. Press and hold the setup button on the back of the case for at least five seconds until the status light turns white.
• AirPods 4: Put your AirPods in the charging case, and hold it close to your Lenovo laptop. Double-tap the front of the case and wait for the status light to turn white.
• AirPods Max: Press and hold the noise control button until the status light begins flashing white. 

Find and connect AirPods on your Lenovo

Return to the Lenovo laptop to connect the AirPods.

1. Click the Network, Sound, or Battery icon in the right-hand taskbar corner.
2. Click the right-facing arrow next to the Bluetooth icon.
3. Wait for your AirPods to appear in the list of available devices. Click their name to turn on the connection.
4. A pop-up confirmation window appears. Click Done. 

Confirm connection and test audio

Try playing a video or streaming music through your Lenovo laptop. If the sound plays through your AirPods, you've successfully connected them to your device.

Troubleshooting Lenovo and AirPods connection errors

If you're still having trouble connecting AirPods to a Lenovo laptop, there may be a system or app conflict. Try the following solutions to resolve the issue.

Reboot your laptop and AirPods

Restarting both devices clears any temporary files that may impact the connection. 

1. Click the Start menu on the Lenovo laptop.
2. Click the Power icon > Restart.

To restart your AirPods, simply place both earbuds back in the case. Wait up to 30 seconds before reopening the case, then try to set up a connection with the Lenovo laptop again.

Reset your AirPods

Resetting your AirPods may resolve issues that prevent you from establishing a Bluetooth connection with the Lenovo laptop.

1. Put both earbuds in the charging case and close the lid. Wait at least 30 seconds.
2. Open the charging case lid.
3. Press the setup button on the back of your case for 15 seconds until it flashes white.
4. If you have AirPods 4, double-tap the case front while the status light is white. Perform a second double-tap when the light starts flashing. Double-tap for a third time when the flashing light speeds up. You can try reconnecting the AirPods once the light flashes amber and then white. 

Confirm the AirPods don't have any other Bluetooth connections

Most Bluetooth-enabled devices can only support one connection at a time. If your AirPods are connected to any other device, such as a smartphone, computer, or TV, they won't connect to the Lenovo laptop.

Disable all Bluetooth connections between the AirPods and your other devices. When you're sure the AirPods aren't connected to anything else, try enabling the connection with the Lenovo laptop again.