Bluetooth that keeps disconnecting is usually a power saving setting turning the adapter off, interference on the crowded 2.4 GHz band, or a stale pairing that never quite holds. The pattern matters: drops every few minutes point to power management, drops when you move point to range, and drops in one place point to interference.
Fix it, in order
Stay in range and clear the path. Keep the device within a few feet of the PC during testing. If the drops stop up close, the cause is range or obstruction, not software.
Move interference away. Bluetooth shares 2.4 GHz with Wi-Fi, microwaves, and USB 3 devices. Move USB 3 drives and hubs away from the PC, and switch the PC's Wi-Fi to 5 GHz if the router offers it. If you have to stay on 2.4 GHz, use the Wi-Fi channel planner to pick a less crowded channel.
Stop Windows turning off the adapter. In Device Manager, expand Bluetooth, right-click the adapter, select Properties, open the Power Management tab, and uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power. Do the same for the USB Root Hub entries under Universal Serial Bus controllers if the adapter is USB connected.
Check the device battery and sleep settings. Low battery makes headphones and mice drop first. Also check the device's own auto-off or sleep timer, since many headphones power down after a few idle minutes by design.
Remove the device and pair it again. In Settings, Bluetooth and devices, Devices, select the three dots next to the device, choose Remove device, and pair it fresh. A corrupted pairing can connect and then drop repeatedly.
Update the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi drivers. Install the latest wireless driver package from the PC maker's site for your exact model. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi share a card on most laptops, and an old Wi-Fi driver is a frequent cause of Bluetooth drops.
Restart the Bluetooth Support Service. Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter. Right-click Bluetooth Support Service and select Restart, and make sure its Startup type is not Disabled.
Run the Bluetooth troubleshooter. Open Settings, System, Troubleshoot, Other troubleshooters, and select Run next to Bluetooth. It can catch service and driver states that the manual steps miss.
Do not confuse a disconnect with the device going to sleep. Headphones and mice that power down when idle are working as designed, and the fix there is the device's own settings, not Windows.
If it still happens
If the drops happen on a strict schedule, such as every few minutes or whenever the screen locks, a power plan or a USB selective suspend setting is the cause. Set the power plan to Balanced or High performance for testing, and in the advanced power settings turn USB selective suspend off. Drops that survive all of this on one PC but not on a phone point to the PC's wireless card.
Common questions
Why does Bluetooth disconnect after a few minutes of use? Windows power management is the usual cause. The Power Management tab on the Bluetooth adapter lets Windows turn it off to save power, and unchecking that box stops the timed drops.
My mouse disconnects but my headphones stay connected. Why? Different devices use the link differently, and a low battery or a sleep timer on the mouse itself is the likely cause. Replace or charge the battery and check the mouse's own power settings first.
Bluetooth drops every time I start a download. What is happening? Wi-Fi and Bluetooth share the 2.4 GHz band and often the same card. A heavy 2.4 GHz download crowds Bluetooth out, so move the PC's Wi-Fi to 5 GHz or pause the download to confirm.