XP and Vista: Put or Remove the Bluetooth Icon in the System Tray

Contributor Icon Contributed by davak Date Icon September 25, 2005  
Tag Icon Tagged: Windows

Having quick access to your bluetooth connection is very handy. Other people probably do not like it there. Here is how to control the behavior of your bluetooth icon in your system tray.


Now that you know how to transfer files to and from your bluetooth phone, you may wish to have quick access to your bluetooth devices. Here’s how to place the bluetooth icon in the system tray.

    1. Click Start
    2. Click Control Panel
    3. Click Bluetooth Devices
    4. Click the Options tab
    5. Click Show the Bluetooth Icon in the notification area
    6. Click OK

If you ever want to remove it, just repeat the process and uncheck the box.

Alternatively, in Vista you can just type Bluetooth in the Start Search textbox in the Start Menu and select Bluetooth Devices from there.

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  • Phil
    If this still makes the bluetooth icon reappear try the following:

    I actually disabled BTTray.exe from ever starting doing this. I would do everything possible but that icon would keep reappearing.

    Click on start and open up all programs. Navigate to the startup folder and delete the shortcut for BTTray.exe. Hit ctrl-shift-esc and pull up the task manager. Navigate to the processes and end BTTray and the problem is solved.
  • Kevin
    What if you don't have Bluetooth connection in your communication folder? Can you download it somewhere? Running XP and its not there...

    Thanks, Teddy
  • Quincy
    ^^ same problem here, only with vista =D
  • Eric Aunan
    When I first received my laptops AND when I recently rebuilt (Laptop2 - Restore Factory Settings) one of them, the Bluetooth desktop icon and its system tray icon would NOT go away.

    To remove the desktop icon, I used the following information:

    Link: http://translocator.ws/2005/10/23/removing-the-... which states:

    1. Login as an administrator.
    2. Open the Registry Editor (Windows Key + R; Run “regedit.exe”).
    3. Navigate to
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
    Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace
    4. Expand NameSpace and look for a key named {6af09ec9-b429-11d4-a1fb-0090960218cb}. Verify the key’s default value is My Bluetooth Places, and then delete it. Note: You may want to backup this key before deleting it.
    5. Refresh the desktop (Click on the desktop, Press F5).


    To remove the system tray icon (bttray.exe), I had to use Toni Art’s EasyCleaner Startup Inspector…no other method could identify the bttray.exe as a start-up file. I removed the entry and the icon went away.

    This link discusses bttray.exe http://www.auditmypc.com/process/bttray.asp - but removing it from start-up is not a problem.

    Please note: Many people experience this problem; however in researching it, most have an “Options” tab from Control Panel  Bluetooth Devices that allows on-off indication of an icon in the system tray. The T61 from the factory and subsequent re-install via Restore Factory Settings does NOT provide this…instead in Control Panel there is a Bluetooth Configuration (not Bluetooth Devices) which does NOT have an “Options” tab at all. And therefore, NO toggling of the system tray icon.

    Additionally, a right-click on the system tray icon produces no option pertaining to the system tray icon. More options are available via right-click when the Bluetooth Radio is turned-on (via Fn+F5), but none that allow mastery of the system tray icon.

    One idea researched was to right click on the Task Bar Properties, click Hide Inactive Icons  Customize and then uncheck the Bluetooth entry. But I did NOT want this method – I did not want the process executed and then hidden – I wanted the tray icon to NOT run. So, as I said above, I removed it via EasyCleaner from Startup.

    (…Toni Art’s EasyCleaner http://personal.inet.fi/business/toniarts/eclea... - I found this by accident several months ago, it is a great tool…I’m not associated with Toni Art’s, I think he’s in the Netherlands, but what a great tool – and it actually works…)
  • still searching
    Doesn't work for me: I don't have "Bluetooth Devices" listed in the control panel, only Bluetooth Configuration (which has neither an Options tab nor anything to click about the notfication area. :o(
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