Archived - Bluetooth: About Bluetooth Icons

If your computer has built-in Bluetooth or a Bluetooth USB adapter, you may see a Bluetooth icon in the menu bar. You can turn this menu on or off in Bluetooth preferences. The icon for the Bluetooth menu bar item changes to reflect the current status of Bluetooth devices.

To turn the Bluetooth status menu on or off:

1. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.
2. From the View menu, choose Bluetooth.
3. Click Settings.
4. Select or deselect "Show Bluetooth status in the menu bar".

Bluetooth icons

Icon	Where It Appears	Description
	Menu Bar	Gray B You see a gray B icon when a Bluetooth adapter is connected to the computer but turned off. To turn on the computer's Bluetooth adapter, choose Turn Bluetooth On from the menu bar item.
	Menu Bar	Black B The black B icon means that the Bluetooth adapter is turned on but that no devices are paired and communicating with the computer.
	Menu Bar	B with dots You see a B icon with three dots through it when Bluetooth is on and a paired Bluetooth device is communicating with your computer.
	Menu Bar	B with wavy line The gray B icon with a black wavy line through it means that no Bluetooth adapter is connected to the computer. This icon appears if you disconnect your Bluetooth USB adapter, for example.
	Menu Bar	Flashing B battery icon The battery on one of your Bluetooth devices is low (such as Apple Wireless Mouse or Keyboard).
	System Preferences	Heart icon This means the paired device is a Favorite. See technical document  TA21371.
	System Preferences	Key icon The paired device uses encrypted communication. See technical document TA21370.