Wi-Fi or Bluetooth has disappeared
The adapter has vanished from Windows entirely, or will not connect. Ordered checks.
Safety level: safe diy · Time: about 15 minutes · Level: beginner
Wi-Fi gone from the system tray, or Bluetooth missing from Settings. Usually software, occasionally a switch nobody remembered.
Applies to
Windows 10 and 11, desktop or laptop.
Steps
- Check the physical switch. Many laptops have a hardware switch or a function key (often F2, F10 or F12, marked with an aerial symbol). Flight mode does the same thing in software — check it is off in Settings → Network & Internet.
- Restart properly. On Windows, Shut down and Restart are not the same: fast startup means Shut down does not fully reinitialise drivers. Choose Restart specifically.
- Check Device Manager. Right-click Start → Device Manager.
- Under Network adapters, look for the Wi-Fi adapter.
- A yellow triangle means a driver problem.
- Absent entirely — choose View → Show hidden devices. Still absent points at hardware, a disabled adapter in the BIOS, or a card that has come loose.
- Re-enable it. If the adapter shows as disabled, right-click → Enable.
- Reinstall the driver. Right-click the adapter → Uninstall device. Tick *Delete the driver software* only if you already have a replacement to hand. Restart; Windows usually reinstalls it. On a laptop with no other connection, download the driver on another machine first and copy it across — uninstalling your only network adapter with no replacement is an easy trap.
- Get the maker's driver rather than Windows Update's. For a laptop, the model's support page. For a desktop, the motherboard's page. These are frequently newer and more stable than the generic one.
- Reset the network stack if Wi-Fi is present but will not connect. Settings → Network & Internet → Advanced → Network reset. This forgets saved networks, so have the password ready.
- For Bluetooth specifically, check the Bluetooth Support Service is running: Windows+R,
services.msc, find it, set to Automatic and start it.
Expected result
The adapter is listed cleanly in Device Manager with no warning icon, and networks appear.
If it does not work
- After a Windows feature update — a driver replaced by a generic one is very common. Reinstall the maker's driver.
- Works in safe mode — something else installed is interfering, often a VPN or security suite.
- A desktop with a plug-in card — power off, unplug, and reseat it. Cards work loose.
Stop and ask a technician if
- The adapter is absent from Device Manager even with hidden devices shown
- It disappears and reappears by itself
- It stopped after a liquid spill — stop using the machine and bring it in
- A laptop needs opening to reach the card
On many laptops the Wi-Fi card is a replaceable M.2 module, so this is often an inexpensive fix rather than a new machine.
Read this next
- Verify a serial number, an invoice and India warranty — If the adapter has failed and the machine is still in warranty.
- Track a repair or service job — Booking it in, if reinstalling the driver does not bring it back.
Still stuck?
If anything here does not match what you are seeing, stop rather than force it. Contact us · Book a repair
Last reviewed 2026-08-19.