The Best Bluetooth Adapters for PC in 2021

The 21st century came up all wireless. Tossing out your landline for wireless phones, going with a laptop and a router instead of a PC and a dial-up modem, mostly anything that will make spaces less cluttered and vital electronics more mobile. That being said, if you want the firepower of a PC and the connectivity of a laptop, you need to find the best Bluetooth adapter for the job.
A wireless mouse and wireless keyboard need the best wireless adapter to work properly. Throughout this list, we’ll be discussing some of the most popular Bluetooth USB adapters for gaming, productivity, on a budget, and anything else you need.
Choosing a bluetooth adapter might seem straightforward, but you need to consider range, compatibility, price, bandwidth, and more. We’ve compiled a list of adapters fit for different needs, so make sure to check it out.
Contents
Best Bluetooth Adapters for PC
Techkey Bluetooth 5.0 Adapter for PC
Great for Headsets and Speakers

- Plug-n-play
- Bluetooth 5.0
- Up to 3Mbps data transfer
- Up to 10 meters or 33 feet of coverage
Being a gamer is all about customizability. Picking the best processor, having the right amount of clankyness on your mechanical keyboard, picking a mouse with the best palm feel. Finding the best Bluetooth adapter for PC should let you customize your rig without any extra wires.
The Techkey Bluetooth 5.0 adapter is small, runs on USB 5.0, so you know you have good range. Because it’s small, it’s low energy, so you can use it for a PC or a laptop with a faulty Bluetooth adapter. The 5.0 device has EDR (enhanced data rate) properties, making your device less susceptible from 2.4 and 5.0 GHz frequency interference, making your data transfers more reliable.
The Techkey Bluetooth 5.0 adapter is plug-n-play, meaning you just plug it and your device will recognize it without any drivers. This bad boy will let you connect wireless keyboards, headsets, Bluetooth speakers, all with a few clicks. In ideal conditions, this adapter will land you with a range of 33 feet or 10 meters. This product is perfect for an apartment since the range will cover most of your livable space.
- Compact
- Driverless installation
- Very affordable
- Bottlenecked by USB 2.0
- Might not work with all gaming controllers
TP-Link UB400 USB Bluetooth Adapter for PC
The Best Bluetooth Adapter for PC on a Budget

- Bluetooth 4.0
- 65 foot coverage (or 20 meters)
- Plug-n-play (with Windows 8 and above)
TP-Link is an industry leader when it comes to wireless devices. Routers, modems, wifi dongles, Bluetooth dongles, you name it! Their UB400 USB Bluetooth adapter for PC is a slick little piece of engineering that will allow you to connect wireless headsets, controllers, or to enable you to transfer files between Bluetooth-compatible devices wirelessly!
If you’re rocking an OS that’s Windows 8+, this bad boy will work without any additional drivers. That being said, if your rig is sporting Windows 7 or earlier (Vista, XP), you can download the drivers from the manufacturer’s website.
The TP-Link UB400 has a coverage of up to 65 feet (or 20 meters). For an apartment or a house, this is perfect (if not a bit overkill). The product is very affordable, goes on sales pretty often, and brings a lot of value to the user. The wide coverage and bandwidth from the Bluetooth 4.0 technology lets you connect multiple devices and use them simultaneously. Overall, great pick.
- Compact
- Very affordable
- Backed by a two-year warranty
- Bottlenecked file transfers (USB 2.0)
Avantree DG40S USB Bluetooth Adapter
Good Bang for Your Buck

- 12-month warranty
- Bluetooth 4.0
- EDR and low-energy design
With a 12-month warranty, an affordable price, and a 10-meter coverage, the Avantree DG40S USB Bluetooth adapter brings a lot of utility to Windows-based devices. The Bluetooth 4.0 device is not compatible with 2.4 GHz mice and keyboards, but anything else flies.
The dongle is compatible with most Bluetooth peripherals, including PS4 and Xbox One controllers and wireless headsets. It’s low-energy and has EDR technologies, making the transfers smooth regardless of what other wireless devices are running in your proximity.
While this is a solid pick, it does have its faults. It’s not plug and play unless you’re using Windows 10. For Windows 8 and lower, you need to download a driver for your device to recognize the Bluetooth adapter. Furthermore, connecting it to gaming controllers will require further tinkering, so if you’re not very tech-savvy, you should stick to a different product.
- Affordable
- Backed by a good warranty
- Compact
- Not compatible with older OS
- Not compatible with gaming controllers out of the box
ASUS USB-BT400 USB Bluetooth Adapter
The Best Bluetooth Adapter for PC Gaming

- Bluetooth 4.0
- 10-meter coverage
- Compatible with Windows XP and newer
ASUS is a big name in both gaming and productivity-oriented applications. The BT400 Bluetooth USB adapter brings a lot of use in the right hands. It’s compatible with 2.4 GHz devices, Bluetooth 4.0 (and backward compatible with Bluetooth 3.0 and lower devices), it’s compatible with Windows XP and newer out of the box, and supports most Bluetooth devices.
With USB 2.0, you get 3Mbps transfer rates from your Windows device to your Android smartphone or tablet. Otherwise, it’s pretty standard. You get 10 meters of coverage, a modest warranty, and an affordable price. The big selling point for this product is its ability to work with most devices without requiring any sort of drivers. This makes it the go-to adapter for gaming.
- Good compatibility with a lot of devices
- Bluetooth 4.0 makes for stable data transfers
- Affordable
- Not the best warranty
Plugable USB Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy Adapter
The Best Bluetooth Adapter for Linux Devices

- Compatible with a wide range of devices
- Bluetooth 4.0
- 10-meter coverage
Plugable is a reputable company. Their Bluetooth 4.0 low energy adapter works out of the box with Linux and Windows devices. Compatibility with Linux is rare, so having a device that supports Linux and Linux-based OS’ is a big deal. With that in mind, the Plugable dongle also supports Windows 7+ devices natively, and older versions with drivers.
The 2-year warranty is enticing, especially since these adapters can get toasty if you’re using them across multiple devices or for data transfers. The dongle supports printers, smartphones, headsets, and more. Great pick!
- Compatible with Linux and Linux-based OS’ (Ubuntu, Mint, etc)
- Low-energy (great for laptops and cooling)
- Not the best coverage
Kinivo USB Bluetooth 4.0 Adapter
Amazing Compatibility

- 2-year warranty
- Low energy
- Bluetooth 4.0
- Compatible with Linux, Raspberry Pi, and Windows machines
The Kinivo USB Bluetooth 4.0 adapter is one of the most used dongles out there. If you own a Linux, Raspberry Pi, or Windows-based machine, then this little guy will allow you to connect a plethora of peripherals. From printers to joysticks and more, the Kinivo USB dongle unlocks a big number of devices without the need to browse third-party forums for drivers.
The class 2 Bluetooth 4.0 technology makes this adapter very energy-efficient. Additionally, you’re also getting reliable data transfers, with very little wifi interference. You’re getting a 2-year warranty, good features, and great compatibility with other devices.
- Compatible with a wide range of devices
- Compatible with a lot of operating systems
- Affordable
- Not the best coverage
How to Pick the Best Bluetooth Adapter for PC
Picking the best Bluetooth adapter is pretty easy. If you want to connect a certain device to your desktop or laptop but don’t have a Bluetooth adapter, pick a dongle that supports your device. Gaming controllers, for instance, are troublesome when it comes to Bluetooth connectivity. For maximum compatibility, check to see what devices are supported on the manufacturer’s page. For instance, Asus specifically states that their dongle is compatible with PS4 and Xbox One gaming controllers, so that means that you can connect said controllers to your Windows-based machine put of the box with no additional drivers.
That being said, there are other factors that can influence your decision. Let’s take a few minutes and go through them, as they all will affect one aspect of your experience.
Range
If you’re like me, popping some tunes turns a shower or a bath into an instant jamming session. Having a dongle that’s capable to go through a few concrete walls and closed doors means that your dongle needs a strong signal. With better range, your tunes will sound clearer and crisper even if you go to the bathroom.
Of course, this rule applies to different applications. Sure, if you have a wireless keyboard or mouse, range probably isn’t that important (unless you’re planning on pranking someone), but if you’re constantly on calls, then having good range means being able to keep your call quality crisp while you’re moving from room to room.
Price
There’s no reason you should pay too much money for a Bluetooth dongle. If you own a desktop and want to splurge some money, then go for a Bluetooth adapter (basically a board that you mount on one of the expansion slots). Bluetooth adapters work better, with more range and bandwidth for data transfers.
That being said, if you’re looking for a cheap alternative or just want something to use with a wireless speaker, then don’t spend a lot of money. Look at a few products, most of them are similarly priced, and pick the one that has the best connectivity and range for your needs.
Compatibility with Operating Systems
If you have Windows 10, then this shouldn’t be an issue for you, but if you’re running an older operating system or a version of Linux, then you need to make sure that your future dongle either supports your OS out of the box or has drivers that unlock it. In a nutshell, check the manufacturer’s page and go through their list of supported systems. Before installing the dongle, download the driver and run the setup.
How did you get the TP-Link to work plug and play? I wound up having to uninstall all the old bluetooth drivers to get it to work like that and even after doing that only audio worked. The Amazon page is full of comments by people with the same issue. I happen to have an old Toshiba Stack disc that allowed everything to work, like with my old adapter, but it’s for Windows 7, so I’m sure I’m missing some benefits of the new adapter.
Hi Adam. We are sorry to hear that you had problems with the TP-Link BT adapter. It should work plug n play and a lot of users comment that it does. Unfortunately, there are always some particular cases when the hardware and peripherals don’t work as intended. There isn’t much we can advise here other than just contact the manufacturer or return the product.