Follow these steps to get started diagnosing your car using Windows.

1. Locate the OBD-II port and prepare the car

This step is explained in a separate article: How to locate the OBD connector and prepare the car for diagnostics?

The next step depends on your adapter type.

2. A — Bluetooth adapter

Pair the adapter

All BLE adapters must be paired with Windows before the software can find and communicate with them. Likewise, it’s also recommended to pair classic Bluetooth adapters the same way.

Pair the device using Windows utilities:

• Windows 10: Settings -> Devices -> Add Bluetooth or other device.
• Windows 11: Settings -> Bluetooth & devices -> Add device.

If a pairing code for the adapter is requested, refer to the adapter user guide for the code. The most common codes are 0000 and 1234.

Select your OBD Bluetooth adapter

In OBD Auto Doctor, navigate to File -> Open connection, and select Bluetooth as the Connection method. Then click Search Bluetooth devices and pick your adapter from the list.

2. B — USB adapter

Verify driver and operating system support

Most of the USB adapters work out of the box on Windows. However, in some cases, the adapter might need separate drivers to be installed. In this case, please refer to the adapter user manual for the correct drivers.

All supported USB adapters use a USB-to-serial converter. As a result, the operating system will detect them as COM ports or Serial ports.

OBD Auto Doctor can detect and communicate with the adapter only after Windows has appropriately identified the hardware.

Select your OBD USB adapter

In OBD Auto Doctor, navigate to File -> Open connection, and select Serial port as the Connection method. Then select the correct port from the COM port dropdown.

2. C — WiFi adapter

OBD WiFi adapters are a bit tricky because they require that you connect your computer to the WiFi hotspot they provide. So while connected to the adapter hotspot, you can’t use the Internet in a usual way.

Using the Windows network tools, connect to the adapter hotspot. Please refer to the adapter user manual for the proper network (SSID) name.

Select your OBD WiFi adapter

In OBD Auto Doctor, navigate to File -> Open connection, and select WiFi as the Connection method. The default IP address and Port should be fine for most, if not all, adapters. Change these only if you know what you are doing.

3. Connect to the adapter and car

When all proper connection settings are adjusted, click Connect to start connecting to the car.

While opening the communication channel and detecting components, the software shows you the progress.

After a while, the software should notify that it is connected. If you have problems connecting, continue to troubleshooting.