Wi-Fi not showing in Windows 11: how to fix it

Applies to Windows 11 laptops and desktops with built-in or USB Wi-Fi. The steps follow Microsoft’s own Wi-Fi troubleshooting article, reordered for the case where Wi-Fi is missing rather than slow or dropping. Where a step is our addition and not in Microsoft’s article, we say so.

Match your symptom

What you see	Likely cause	Start with
No Wi-Fi button in Quick Settings and no Wi-Fi page in Settings	Adapter off, disabled or not detected	Fix 1, Fix 3
Wi-Fi adapter shows a warning icon in Device Manager	Driver problem	Fix 6
No wireless adapter in Device Manager at all	Adapter switched off in firmware, failed driver or hardware	Fix 4, Fix 5
Wi-Fi is on, but the network list is empty	Router, band or service problem	Fix 7, Fix 4
Other networks show, but not yours	5 GHz band, hidden name or router	Fix 7
Wi-Fi disappears after sleep	Power saving turns the adapter off	Fix 8
Started right after an update	Driver or known issue	Fix 6, Known issues

Have a cable or a phone hotspot handy if you can. Several fixes go faster when the PC can download a driver, and a working Ethernet port also tells you the rest of Windows networking is fine.

Fix 1: Check the Wi-Fi switch, key and Airplane mode

Some laptops and tablets still have a physical wireless switch on the side or front, and many have a function key with a wireless symbol. Microsoft’s first check is to make sure any physical switch is on. A key press can turn the radio off without you noticing, especially on a crowded keyboard.

Then open Settings > Network & internet > Airplane mode and make sure Airplane mode is off. If Wi-Fi now appears, turn it on from the network icon on the taskbar or under Settings > Network & internet.

Fix 2: Run the network troubleshooter

In Windows 11, Microsoft points to the Network and Internet troubleshooter in the Get Help app. It runs diagnostics and tries automatic fixes, such as restarting the adapter. It rarely finds a missing driver, but it takes a minute and sometimes brings a disabled adapter back.

Fix 3: Enable the adapter in Device Manager

A disabled adapter is the most common reason the Wi-Fi option disappears completely, because Windows hides Wi-Fi controls when no adapter is active.

1. Right-click Start and select Device Manager.
2. Expand Network adapters. The Wi-Fi adapter usually has Wireless, Wi-Fi, WLAN or 802.11 in its name.
3. If its icon has a small down arrow, right-click it and select Enable device.

If you see no Wi-Fi adapter, try two Device Manager options that are not in Microsoft’s Wi-Fi article but often help: View > Show hidden devices to reveal an adapter Windows has lost track of, and Action > Scan for hardware changes to make Windows look for it again.

Fix 4: Restart the WLAN AutoConfig service

WLAN AutoConfig is the Windows service that finds and connects to wireless networks. If it has stopped, the adapter can look fine while Wi-Fi controls and the network list stay empty.

1. Press Windows + R, type services.msc and press Enter.
2. Find WLAN AutoConfig, right-click it and select Restart.
3. If Restart is greyed out, open the service, set Startup type to Automatic, and select Start.

Microsoft’s article covers the restart; the Startup type change is our suggestion for a service that was stopped by a tuning tool or a previous fix.

Fix 5: When the adapter is missing completely

If no wireless adapter appears even with hidden devices shown, find out whether Windows sees the hardware at all. Microsoft’s wireless network report lists every adapter, including hidden ones, with its driver version, driver date and a problem number. Open Command Prompt as administrator and run:

netsh wlan show wlanreport

Windows saves the report as an HTML file; the command output should tell you where. Open it in a browser and look at the Network Adapters section. Microsoft says a problem number there matches a Device Manager error code, which points you to the cause.

If the adapter is not in the report either, Windows cannot see it. Then check these, in order:

• USB Wi-Fi adapter: unplug it, try a different USB port and avoid hubs.
• Manufacturer driver: Microsoft notes that if Windows doesn’t list the adapter, you may need to install the driver from the PC or adapter maker yourself. Download it on another device or over a cable.
• Firmware setting: some PCs let you turn the wireless card off in the BIOS or UEFI setup. This is not in Microsoft’s article, and menus differ by maker, so check your PC maker’s manual before changing anything there.
• Hardware: if the card still doesn’t appear after all of the above, the card or its antenna connection has failed. A USB Wi-Fi adapter is a cheap workaround.

Fix 6: Reinstall the Wi-Fi driver

A damaged or mismatched driver can leave the adapter with a warning icon or make it vanish after an update. Before you start, download the current Wi-Fi driver from your PC maker’s support site, because you may have no Wi-Fi until it is reinstalled.

1. In Device Manager, expand Network adapters.
2. Right-click the Wi-Fi adapter and select Uninstall device.
3. Tick Attempt to remove the driver for this device and select Uninstall.
4. Select Start > Power > Restart. Windows should reinstall the driver. If it doesn’t, run the driver package you downloaded.

To check whether the driver is current, open the adapter’s Properties, go to the Driver tab and compare the version and date with the maker’s site. If the problem began right after a driver update, the Roll Back Driver button on the same tab, when it is available, returns to the previous version. Rollback is our suggestion; Microsoft’s article does not cover it.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth often share one combo card. If Bluetooth vanished at the same time, the card or its driver is almost certainly the cause; our Bluetooth guide covers that side.

Fix 7: Wi-Fi is on, but no networks show

When the Wi-Fi toggle works but the list is empty, or your own network is missing, look outside the PC first:

• Test another device. If phones can’t see the network either, the router is the problem.
• Restart the modem and router. Microsoft’s method is to unplug the router, then the modem, wait at least 30 seconds, plug the modem back in and wait until its lights stop blinking, then plug the router back in and wait a few minutes.
• Check the band. Older or cheaper adapters cannot see 5 GHz networks. If your router offers both bands, connect to the 2.4 GHz network, or check the router’s documentation.
• Check the driver’s band setting. In Device Manager, open the adapter’s Properties, go to Advanced and make sure the Wireless Mode or Band setting allows your network’s frequency. Names vary by adapter maker.
• Hidden network name. If the router doesn’t broadcast its SSID, it will not appear in the list. Add it by name under Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi > Manage known networks; this step is not in Microsoft’s article. See our SSID guide for finding the exact name.

If your network shows but won’t connect, Microsoft suggests forgetting it under Manage known networks and joining again with the password.

Fix 8: Stop Windows turning the adapter off

If Wi-Fi disappears after sleep and comes back after a restart, power saving may be switching the adapter off. In Device Manager, open the adapter’s Properties, go to the Power Management tab and clear Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power. Not every adapter shows this tab. The trade-off is slightly shorter battery life on laptops.

Fix 9: Install Windows updates

Microsoft lists checking for Windows updates as a standard step, and Windows Update can also deliver newer network drivers. Go to Settings > Windows Update and install what is offered, then restart. If the problem started right after an update, also read the Known issues section below.

Fix 10: Use network reset as a last resort

Warning: network reset removes every network adapter and its settings, then reinstalls them with defaults. You may need to reinstall VPN software or virtual switches such as Hyper-V, re-enter Wi-Fi passwords, and your networks may switch to the public profile. On a work PC, ask IT first.

1. Go to Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Network reset.
2. Select Reset now, confirm with Yes and let the PC restart.

Microsoft also lists the commands netsh winsock reset and netsh int ip reset, run in that order from an administrator Command Prompt. They repair the network stack when Wi-Fi connects but nothing loads, so they rarely bring back a missing adapter. If ipconfig shows the Wi-Fi adapter as Media disconnected, see our ipconfig Media disconnected guide.

Known issues in 2026

When we checked Microsoft’s release health pages in early November 2026, none of the listed issues for Windows 11 versions 25H2 and 26H1 involved Wi-Fi adapters or a missing Wi-Fi option. The closest was a resolved March 2026 issue in which Microsoft account sign-ins in apps such as Teams Free reported no internet connection although the PC was online. It came with KB5079473 and was fixed by KB5085516 on March 21, 2026, as listed on the resolved issues page for 25H2.

One planned change does affect Wi-Fi at work: since October 2026, office or campus Wi-Fi that signs in with MS-CHAPv2 can stop connecting automatically. Those networks still appear in the list; they just fail to join. Our NTLMv1 and MS-CHAPv2 guide explains it. Check the Windows 11 release health status again if Wi-Fi vanished after a recent update.

Related guides

• ipconfig Media disconnected in Windows 11: what it means and how to fix it
• SSID: what your Wi-Fi network name is and how to find it
• Bluetooth not working in Windows 11: how to fix it
• Wi-Fi or VPN stopped connecting after the October 2026 Windows update: the NTLMv1 and MS-CHAPv2 change
• Mobile hotspot not working in Windows 11: how to fix it

Official sources

• Microsoft: Fix Wi-Fi connection issues in Windows
• Microsoft: Analyze the wireless network report
• Microsoft: Windows 11, version 25H2 resolved issues