In Intune, create a Windows 10 and later Settings Catalog profile, add the Bluetooth setting Set minimum encryption key size, enter an integer from 1 to 16, and assign the profile to the intended device group. The policy is device-scoped. Pilot it with the Bluetooth devices your users rely on before broad deployment, because weaker or incompatible devices may fail to pair or connect.
What the policy controls and which devices support it
The underlying Windows Policy CSP setting is ./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/Bluetooth/SetMinimumEncryptionKeySize. Microsoft classifies it as a device policy, so configure it for devices rather than individual users. The documented support floor is Windows 10 version 2004 (build 19041), with Pro, Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise editions listed as supported. Microsoft’s Bluetooth Policy CSP reference documents the path, scope, and supported platforms.
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The CSP accepts an integer from 1 through 16; its documented default is 0. The setting establishes a minimum encryption key size for Bluetooth pairing. Microsoft explains that the policy is intended to help prevent weaker devices from being used cryptographically in high-security environments. The documentation does not identify a universally recommended value, so select a threshold based on your security requirements and compatibility testing rather than treating any one value as Microsoft’s recommended setting.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteConfigure the setting in Intune
Use a Settings Catalog profile for Windows 10 and later. Microsoft describes the Settings Catalog as the place in Intune to browse and configure available device settings. The following picker sequence is reported by a technical walkthrough; labels can vary slightly by portal view, so confirm the displayed name in your tenant.
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- In the Microsoft Intune admin center, go to Devices > Windows > Configuration and create a new policy.
- Choose Windows 10 and later as the platform and Settings catalog as the profile type, then select Create.
- Enter a profile name and, if useful, a description. Open Configuration settings and choose Add settings.
- Search for or browse to Bluetooth, then select Set minimum encryption key size. Some views may render the label as Set minimum, encryption key size.
- Close the settings picker, enter the required integer from 1 to 16 for the setting, and continue through scope tags and assignments.
- Assign the profile to the intended device group, review the configuration, and select Create.
Microsoft’s Windows device restrictions reference lists other Bluetooth controls, including discoverability, pre-pairing, advertising, proximal connections, and allowed services, but does not list this key-size setting. For this policy, use the Settings Catalog rather than looking for it among those device restrictions. See Microsoft’s Windows device restrictions reference.
Pilot before enforcing the threshold broadly
Enforcement can affect interoperability. Microsoft’s Bluetooth support guidance on key-length enforcement warns that incompatible devices, radios, or drivers may have difficulty pairing or connecting. That guidance concerns a historical registry-based mitigation, not the Intune configuration procedure; use it as compatibility context, not as a substitute for the Settings Catalog steps. Microsoft’s support guidance describes the compatibility concern.
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- Start with a small representative device group and the threshold chosen for your environment.
- Test the actual Bluetooth peripherals, radios, and drivers used by that group, including pairing and reconnecting after policy applies.
- Check policy application and user reports before expanding assignment; investigate connection failures against the affected device and driver combination.
- If a required device cannot operate under the threshold, reassess compatibility and the required security level before expanding enforcement.
This policy sets an encryption key-size threshold; it does not disable Bluetooth or control which Bluetooth services are allowed. Those are separate controls in Windows device management.
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