How to connect Bluetooth earbuds to a laptop, Windows and Mac
Before you start
Charge the buds a little and put them into pairing mode. On most true wireless buds, pairing starts when you open the case for the first time; if they have been paired with your phone, you may need to put them back into pairing mode, as the manual describes.
If the phone is nearby, the buds may connect to it before the laptop finds them. Switch off Bluetooth on the phone for a moment, or disconnect the buds from it.
On Windows
On Windows 11: open Settings, then "Bluetooth & devices", click "Add device" and choose "Bluetooth". When the buds appear in the list, choose them and wait for the confirmation.
On Windows 10: Settings, then "Devices", "Bluetooth & other devices", "Add Bluetooth or other device", "Bluetooth".
On some Windows versions the buds appear twice in the sound list: once for music, once for calls. For music choose the entry without "Hands-Free"; in meetings the app uses the other one automatically.
On a Mac
Open the Apple menu, then "System Settings" (or "System Preferences" on older versions) and choose "Bluetooth". When the buds appear under "Nearby Devices", click "Connect".
Once connected, choose the buds as the sound output from the sound icon in the menu bar or from "System Settings", "Sound".
In Teams, Zoom and Meet
Meeting apps have their own audio settings. In the app's device settings, choose the buds as both speaker and microphone. Make a test call, if the app offers one, to hear how you sound.
For long calls, comfort matters: the EA16 are open-ear at 7.4 g a bud and do not press into the ear even after a day of meetings.
Laptop and phone at once
Ordinary buds connect to one device at a time: to switch to the phone, you disconnect them from the laptop. Multipoint buds such as the Pro2 stay connected to both: you follow a meeting on the laptop and take a call on the phone without touching the settings.
For the Buds4, which connect by themselves when you open the case, the simplest way is to pair them once with each device and connect them from the Bluetooth menu of the one you are using.
If the laptop cannot see them
Check that the laptop's Bluetooth is on and that airplane mode is off. Put the buds back into pairing mode and keep them close to the laptop.
If they were paired before and no longer connect, remove them from the laptop's device list and pair them again. On some older laptops, the Bluetooth adapter needs an updated driver, which you will find on the laptop maker's website.
Sound quality on a laptop
Laptops usually use the SBC or AAC codecs, which all TESNA earbuds have. For music and films the sound is good; for meetings the buds switch to a voice mode, poorer for music but made so your voice comes through clearly both ways.
If you notice a delay between picture and sound in a film, pause for a few seconds and start again; many players sync the sound by themselves.
On a tablet and a TV
On tablets the steps are as on a phone: Bluetooth settings, then the buds in the list. Some smart TVs have Bluetooth too and can connect to earbuds; look in the TV's sound settings for Bluetooth devices. Older TVs need a separate Bluetooth transmitter.
When you switch devices often
If you use the buds with the laptop in the morning, the phone on the way and the tablet in the evening, pair them once with each. Then, on the device you want to use, choose the buds in the Bluetooth menu and click "Connect"; the others let them go.
On Windows, the buds also appear in the quick sound menu in the corner of the screen, where you connect them with one click. On a Mac, you find them in the Bluetooth menu in the top bar.
Every model is in the shop, under true wireless earbuds.