Bose is well-known as one of the leading electronics companies in the world, notable for their production of high-quality, noise-canceling headphones. However, while many users can intuitively connect their Bose headphones to their smartphone’s Bluetooth, I’ve seen many discussions regarding the difficulty in getting the Bose headphone mic to work on a PC. But what is the issue?
Below, I’ll cover how to successfully connect and use your Bose headphone mic with your PC, as well as troubleshooting steps to take if they don’t connect the first time.
How to Use Bose Headphone Mic on PC
To set up your Bose headphones on PC and get the mic to work properly, take the following steps:
- Disconnect all Bluetooth devices from your PC. It is important to start fresh every time you connect your Bose headphones to your PC. Go into the settings and disconnect any Bluetooth devices that are currently paired to the computer, including if your Bose headphones are already connected from a previous session.
- Open the Bose headphones. Move the slide bar on the earpiece to the center position to pop the headphones open and access the Bluetooth button.
- Enable pairing. Slide the power button all the way to the right to enable Bluetooth pairing. A blinking blue LED light on the earpiece will indicate that the headphones are ready to be paired.
- Pair the headphones. Pull up the system settings on your PC, click on “Add Bluetooth or other device.” This will provide a dropdown menu of all Bluetooth devices with which the PC is eligible to connect. Choose your Bose headphones to pair them with the PC. You should see a message that reads, “Connected voice, music.”
- Open your PC’s sound settings. On the task ribbon at the bottom of your PC, there will be a small icon in the shape of a speaker. Right-click on this icon and select “Open sound settings.”
- Select Bose headphones for audio input. Even when your headphones are connected, the computer’s built-in microphone is the default recording device. Under the Input heading, click the dropdown arrow beneath “choose your input device.” Select the option that says “Headset Bose Handsfree AG” to enable mic recording from your headphones.
- Check functionality. Once all of these settings have been configured, check the functionality of both your sound and input by hitting the “test” box on the system settings page. The soundbar should bounce blue if your headphones are working properly.
Troubleshooting Bose Headphone Mic Connection with PC
Although the steps mentioned above are straightforward, some users still report difficulty getting their Bose headphone mic to work with this PC. The following troubleshooting steps should resolve your issue:
Disconnect Bose Headphones from Bluetooth
The headphones are likely connected to your PC from a previous session or connected to a different Bluetooth device that superseding the new PC connection.
To disconnect Bose headphones from PC, you must:
- Click the Windows icon in the lower left-hand corner of the screen.
- Click on the Settings icon (it looks like a picture of a gear).
- Click Devices.
- Click Add Bluetooth or Other Device.
- A dropdown menu will appear with all Bluetooth devices in range. If any are connected, click on it to highlight, and select the Disconnect box.
There is also the possibility that your Bose headphones are still connected to another Bluetooth device, which could explain why the mic is not working, even when your headset is connected to the PC. To clear all Bluetooth connections from your Bose headphones, take the following steps:
- Download the Bose Connect app on your smart device.
- Power on your Bose headphones.
- Open the app and wait for it to locate available Bose Bluetooth devices.
- Tap the Bluetooth icon beneath the product image.
- Tap Edit on the connections screen.
- Click the “X” next to the device name to remove a device from memory.
- Tap Disconnect to confirm.
- Select All Done with the device memory has been cleared.
Double-Check Your Settings
If neither of the above troubleshooting steps work, consider this: When connecting your Bose headphones to a PC, it is essential to go into your sound settings and specifically select them as the sound input device. Even when the headphones are connected to the PC, the computer’s built-in mic is the default recording device, so the Bose headphones must be selected to get the mic to function.
Use a Microphone Adapter
Although the solution to this issue is relatively straightforward for most users, requiring nothing more than a few simple clicks in the sound settings, other users have reported continued difficulty getting their Bose headphone mic to record. In this case, we recommend a microphone adapter to help capture the high-quality sound coming from your Bose headphones.
Adding an Inline Microphone Adapter
In some of the older Bose headsets, such as the QC25, it is possible that the inline microphone is not compatible with your PC. When this is the case, the recording issues can be solved by choosing a replacement inline microphone adapter to connect your Bose headphones to the PC.
Conclusion
Bose is known for its high-quality headphones that allow for hands-free communication. However, some users report issues in getting the headphone mic to work properly with their PC.
When this is the case, it is essential to go into the system settings and make sure that the Bose headphones are chosen as the preferred input device. If this still does not solve the issue, take the above-mentioned steps to clear the headphones from all Bluetooth devices and start fresh with a new connection.
Trouble connecting your Bose headphones to a Mac? Check out this article for troubleshooting steps.