were you able to solve this issue? I'm having the same problem with the same scenario.

I didn't even realize Bluetooth was still listed as a separate option when ordering Dell systems, because as you say, the Intel 8265 includes both WiFi and Bluetooth, and that has been the case on Intel WiFi cards for the last several generations.  Have you already gone through all of the pages in the BIOS setup looking for options to enable and disable Bluetooth?  If so, does Device Manager in Windows show anything related to Bluetooth or even any unknown devices with drivers missing?  If you've ruled all of that out, then the only thing I can think of is that although WiFi and Bluetooth exist on the same card, they do not interface with the system the same way.  The M.2 slot that the card plugs into offers both PCIe and USB, and WiFi runs over PCIe, while Bluetooth runs over USB.  I suppose it's possible that Dell offers a variant of the system motherboard that does not have a USB connection wired to the M.2 slot, perhaps for security-conscious customers who want to make it impossible to run Bluetooth there (presumably in conjunction with software that prevents USB Bluetooth devices)?  I wouldn't have guessed that was available, partly because such a configuration might technically violate the M.2 slot spec, but if you've already tried a card that offers Bluetooth in another system and it doesn't offer Bluetooth in this new one, AND you've eliminated BIOS and driver-related possibilities, that might be it.

Unfortunately, that would also mean that there isn't an easy fix like paying for an activation license  In terms of solutions at this stage, even if you could find a Bluetooth-only card that fits into an available slot, which is doubtful (AND that slot might have the same problem I'm theorizing above), then you'd have an antenna problem.  WiFi uses both of the antennas connected to the 8265 card, so you wouldn't want to just move one from there over to a Bluetooth card, but running new antennas into the display would be a pain.  Your best options are probably to either get a USB Bluetooth dongle (which in fairness have gotten quite small these days) or to return the system and order one to your desired specification.

Hi jpughan. Yes unfortunatley the bluetooth options in the BIOS are greyed out, and in Windows there is no mention of anything bluetooth related in Device Manager.

In this case the laptop WITH working bluetooth has the same # of antenna cables as the laptop WITHOUT working bluetooth (these are the two laptops I swapped cards with). So antenna cables in this case are not of any concern.

Its very perplexing thats for sure. I still have to figure this out, and with the limited # of USB ports on laptops these days we'd rather not take up one of those ports with a BT USB dongle... we are having to take one up for a wireless 2.4GHz mouse also now, since we cannot use a BT mouse. Frustrating :) And yeah, totally crazy that they'd even sell laptops without BT. It must be for security reasons, some companies I'm sure have policies against certain types of wireless I guess? Oh well, I'm not giving up hope yet...

With respect to antennas, note that cards that handle both WiFi and Bluetooth use BOTH antennas for WiFi and one (or maybe both?) for Bluetooth.  Bluetooth and older WiFi both operate at 2.4 GHz, which makes this possible.  They do NOT just use one antenna for each type of traffic, so you couldn't just remove one of the antennas from your 8265 because you didn't intend to use Bluetooth with that card; you would end up significantly degrading its WiFi performance, which is why I said that installing an internal card isn't really a viable option even if you could find one.

All I am saying is that the antennas that COME with a Latitude laptop WITH bluetooth is identical to one that comes WITHOUT bluetooth. There is physically nothing different between the two, so the problem of days past of not having antenna wires installed does not apply here (both have the exact same antenna wires attached to the card).

Oh, yes of course that's true.  I mentioned the antennas only because you originally floated the idea of installing an additional Bluetooth-only card, and my point is that that would have been problematic because you can't steal either of the current antennas from the WiFi card without compromising WiFi performance, and routing new antennas to this hypothetical new Bluetooth card into the display assembly would be a huge pain, if it's even possible at all.

Incidentally, have you tried testing the WiFi card from the "no-Bluetooth" system in a system that WAS ordered with Bluetooth to see if its Bluetooth works when installed in that system?  If so, the only possibilities would remain either a physically different motherboard that cuts off USB from the M.2 slot, or else a firmware-level restriction, but not all of those can be reversed after the fact.  The Intel vPro Advanced Features for example have to be ordered at the factory and cannot be retrofitted (or for that matter completely removed) after the fact.

So firmware on the motherboard I assume (BIOS firmware)? Not the WiFi/BT card, right? Or firmware somewhere else? Curious where exactly as perhaps I can replace the hardware component that this firmware is on to get BT working :)

Yeah it was discovered 6+ months after it was received, when it changed from the hands of one user (who couldn't have cared less about BT) to that of another user who wants to connect 8947289 things to BT. Unfortunately this was a special order to begin with for a power user so simply swapping the laptop with another inst possible.... but in the end it sounds like I'll just have to get him a new laptop ordered with the same specs or better + BT and then pass this one down to someone else. That or I'll have to make him happy with a USB based BT device... which after hearing the answer to all of this he might actually now agree to.

Anyways, thanks for your help on this. At least the mystery is solved.