How to Connect Your Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons to a Windows 11 PC
So, trying to connect those Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons to a Windows 11 PC? It can be a bit of a pain, right? But it’s definitely doable, and it opens up a whole new world of gaming options. Just keep in mind that a bit of patience goes a long way.
First off, make sure that Bluetooth is turned on. Kind of weird, but if your PC doesn’t have Bluetooth, this entire process just grinds to a halt. To check, hit the Windows key, then click on Settings. From there, dive into Devices, and you should see Bluetooth & other devices. Just toggle that little Bluetooth switch to On. If you want a shortcut, you can also pop open the Action Center by clicking the network, volume, and battery icons all in one go—look for the Bluetooth icon there.
Okay, but what if that doesn’t work? You can confirm Bluetooth is alive and kicking through PowerShell. Open it up and type:
powercfg /list
This will give you a peek at your power plans. No direct command for enabling Bluetooth here, unfortunately. If it’s being difficult, you might want to check under Device Manager. Just right-click the Windows key, select Device Manager, find the Bluetooth dropdown, and make sure your adapter isn’t disabled. That’s a classic culprit.
Now, onto the Joy-Con itself. If you’ve used it with your Switch, detach it first. Locate that tiny black sync button on the Joy-Con (it’s usually near the shoulder button) and hold it until the LEDs start flashing. That’s the green light you want to see—means it’s hunting for a connection.
Once that’s done, jump back to your Bluetooth settings on Windows. Click on Add Bluetooth or other device, and select the Bluetooth option. Windows will start searching for nearby devices, and within seconds, your Joy-Con should pop up—might show as just Joy-Con or something like Joy-Con (L). If you’re lucky and have more than one in pairing mode, they’ll appear separately so you can connect them one at a time.
Now, hit the Joy-Con that shows up. Your PC will start the connection ballet, and if luck’s on your side, it’ll let you know once it’s successfully connected. You should see it listed as Connected in the Bluetooth menu.
After that, just to be safe, check again in Device Manager. Make sure it’s showing up under either Human Interface Devices or Bluetooth. If you spot any warning icons, that’s trouble, and might mean it didn’t connect properly.
If the Joy-Con’s playing hard to get, sometimes redoing the pairing or giving the Bluetooth service a little nudge helps. You can try this in PowerShell by running:
Get-Service bthserv | Restart-Service
That usually shakes things up enough to get the connection smooth again.
When all’s working, these controllers can make your PC gaming way more comfortable. Using tools like DS4Windows or BetterJoy can help too—Windows tends to treat Joy-Cons like generic input devices, so these programs will let you customize the controls better.
In a nutshell, connecting Joy-Cons isn’t rocket science, but it might take a few tries. Just remember to enable Bluetooth, pair the controllers, and check your settings if things go sideways.
Checklist:
– Bluetooth on?
– Joy-Con in pairing mode?
– Found it in Bluetooth settings?
– Connected successfully?
Hopefully this shaves off a few hours for someone.