Mon Sep 14 10:28:35 AM EDT 2026 tech.linux.debian.bluetooth.md
Created Tuesday 23 September 2025
Installed Debian 13 on my ancient dinosaur Lenovo x131e after upgrading its ssd and ram, wanted to connect bluetooth stuff like speakers and my car. Here’s how to set up bluetooth on debian 13 + mate
sudo apt install bluetooth blueman [1] Then I ran
blueman-applet and it showed up in the panel, then I was able to use it
to open the gui and connect to headphones and it all worked.
I unplugged the usb adapter and replugged it and it detected it and started working again. That was cool.
It seems to have issues when my laptop is suspended and resumed a lot. Restarting the blueman-applet fixes it but it also stops working eventually. I can probably script detecting and restarting that.
References 1 https://www.reddit.com/r/debian/comments/178nzq5/no_bluetooth_debian_12_xfce/
See also https://wiki.debian.org/BluetoothUser