How to Restart Bluetooth in Ubuntu 20.04

We enjoy the stability and reliability that Ubuntu gives us. It works great in almost all scenarios but has some issues going on with Bluetooth connectivity such as if you terminate or wake your system up from seep, many times it won’t connect.

You might try universal methods such as pairing again or restarting the system but these ideas don’t go well with Ubuntu. After messing up with Ubuntu manual pages, we came up with 3 ways why which you can restart Bluetooth in Ubuntu.

Method 1: Restarting Bluetooth Using Kernel Modules

In this method, we are going to use kernel modules to achieve what we want. We are going to guide you with each step with appropriate Screenshots. Just follow them and you are good to go with your restarted Bluetooth services.

Step 1: Using Restart Command

Let’s restart our Bluetooth by using the following command:

sudo service Bluetooth restart

Step 2: Loading Kernel Modules

Once you restart your Bluetooth services successfully, we are ready to load kernel modules. Utilize the following commands:

sudo rmmod btusb

Step 3: Restarting Bluetooth

After loading kernel modules, you have to use the given commands to restart our Bluetooth utilities.

sudo service bluetooth restart

Step 4: Enabling Bluetooth

Once you restart Bluetooth, we can enable it by given command:

sudo systemctl enable Bluetooth

Step 5: Checking Status of Bluetooth Service

After completing the 4 steps, we want to be assured of everything is working fine as we have assumed. Use the given command to get the output of the current status of Bluetooth services:

sudo systemctl status bluetooth.service

As you can see, it is active and running fine.

Method 2: Restarting Bluetooth using Bluez

If you have used the above method and still can’t get your Bluetooth problem solved, the chances of your system lacking Bluetooth services are pretty much high. You can use Bluez.

Step 1: Downloading Bluez

Utilize the following commands to install Bluez

sudo apt install bluez*

As you can see, it has downloaded many tools which are required to work Bluetooth services properly.

Step 2: Loading Kernel Modules

Once you have installed all the required utilities, you can load kernel modules by given commands to proceed further:

sudo rmmod btusb

Step 3: Enabling Bluetooth Services

After installing and configuring Bluetooth, we have to check the status of Bluetooth Services before enabling it. Use the given commands to check the status:

sudo systemctl status bluetooth.service

As you can see, it is not active. So we are going to use the following command to activate Bluetooth

sudo systemctl enable bluetooth.service

let’s check the status again whether its correctly working or not

sudo systemctl status bluetooth.service

As you can see, it’s still not active. We are going to use the following commands to restart our Bluetooth services.

sudo systemctl restart bluetooth.service

Now, let’s check the status again for confirmation:

sudo systemctl status bluetooth.service

As you can see, it is active and running fine

Method 3: Restarting Bluetooth in Ubuntu using Rfkill

Rfkill is a subsystem in Linux that allows users to have an interface by which we can activate and deactivate radio transmitters such as Bluetooth.

Step 1: Downloading Remaining Updates (if any)

Let’s start with checking for any pending updates in Ubuntu.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

If you do have any pending updates, it would ask you for downloading them. In our case, there are no pending updates left so we can move further.

Step 2: Activating Bluetooth

Let’s start our Bluetooth services by given commands:

sudo systemctl start bluetooth

Step 3: Checking Status of Bluetooth

We have to check whether the Bluetooth services are working incorrect manner or not by the below commands:

sudo systemctl status bluetooth.service

It is working as it should be. Now, lets’ unblock Bluetooth with rfkill

Step 4: Unblocking Bluetooth Services using Rfkill

If somehow you are facing Bluetooth problems after each reboot, the chances of Bluetooth services have been blocked by rfkill. You can easily unblock them by the following command:

rfkill unblock Bluetooth

Method 4: Restarting Bluetooth in Ubuntu using Blueman

Blueman is a Bluetooth management utility for GNOME that uses Bluez D-bus at the backend. We can easily fix our problem with this Utility.

Step 1: Updating and Adding Repository

Let’s add the repository which will avail us required software to download. Utilize the given commands:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:blaze/rtbth-dkms

Now, let’s update our system to use an added repository.

sudo apt update

Step 2: Downloading Blueman and Rtbth-dkms

To download Blueman use the following command:

sudo apt install blueman

To download rtbth-dkms, use the following command:

sudo apt install rtbth-dkms

Step 3: Editing Configuration File

To make things work as we intended, we are required to make some changes in the configuration file located at /etc/modules.

As of making this simple, we are going to use nano as a text editor. Use the following command to open the configuration file

sudo nano /etc/modules

Once the configuration file is available to you, you have to add rtbth at the end of the file

Use CTRL + O to save the changes and CTRL + X to close the configuration file.

Step 4: Running Blueman-manager

Now, we are ready for launching our Blueman manager. Use the given commands and it will start services.

sudo blueman-manager

It will show all the prompts where it asks to activate Bluetooth automatically.

Now, it will show you all available devices which you can access now.

Frequently asked questions related to Bluetooth

How do I start Bluetooth on Ubuntu?

Open Activities and search for Bluetooth. Hit Enter on the first result. You can also access Bluetooth from the GNOME toolbar which is located at the top right corner. Click on that and you will see the option for Bluetooth.

How do I connect Bluetooth to Ubuntu?

Open Bluetooth settings by searching Bluetooth in activities

It will scan for available Bluetooth devices automatically

Once you find your device, click on that. Click on pair

The device is connected and paired

Conclusion

Restarting Bluetooth in Ubuntu 20.04 is easy only if you know the correct process. It was our take on how you can fix the issue with multiple methods.