No wifi adapter in device manager

How To Fix Wireless Adapter Missing In Windows 10

You might find yourself in trouble when the WiFi stopped working, and the wifi adapter is missing on your Windows 10 PC. You are trying to fix the WiFi issue, and you don’t find Wireless Adapter in the device manager.

Without a Wireless Adapter, you won’t find any WiFi signal on your computer and can’t connect to any wireless network. So it becomes important to fix the missing Wireless adapter in your Windows 10 PC.

In this article, you will find some simple and easy ways by which you can re-install the wireless adapter back.

Fix Wireless Adapter Missing in Windows 10 / 11

1. Accidentally uninstalled the driver from the control panel.
2. Failed Windows updates.
3. Failed driver update.
4. Third-party firewall.
5. Conflicting Apps.
6. Different types of malware.

Or it could be an unknown reason; here are some methods you should try.

1. Check the Device Manager

The very first thing to do is to check if the Wireless Adapter is hidden or not. You can do that easily:

1. Go to the Windows Search Bar, type “Device Manager” and hit enter.

2. Double-click on the ‘Network adapters‘ to expand it.

3. Now check if you can locate the Wireless adapter, it may be Broadcom, Atheros, Realtek, or any other.

4. If the WiFi adapter isn’t listed there, it might be hidden.

You can show the hidden adapters. Select ‘Network adapters.

5. Click on the ‘View’ tab from the top menu.

6. Now click on ‘Show hidden devices.

You might see your network adapter listed.

In case it is disabled for some reason, you can re-enable it. Here is how:

Step 1: Select your ‘Network adapters.’

Step 2: Click on the ‘Action’ tab.

Step 3: Now click on ‘Scan for hardware changes.

That’s it, and now your WiFi adapter will be re-enabled. If it was uninstalled, this method will reinstall it, and the wireless adapter missing issue will be fixed for you.

2. Take the Help Of Network Troubleshooter to get the WiFi adapter back

Windows inbuilt network troubleshooter can help you to find the reason behind this issue; if it can find the problem, you will see the recommended solutions.

Step 1: Go to the Windows search bar, type “Settings,” and hit enter.

Step 2: Open the ‘Network & internet’ option.

Step 3: Click on the ‘Troubleshoot’ button.

If it is not present there, navigate down, and you will find the option to troubleshoot network-related issues.

Step 4: Run the troubleshooter.

Now the troubleshooter will look for any potential problems. If it finds anything, you will get the option to fix it. You can apply the fix, and the issue will be solved for you. That way, you can get the WiFi adapter back.

3. Enable Network Services

There are multiple Windows services that need to be running in order to operate WiFi on your PC. If any of these services are stopped, then you need to enable them manually.

Step 1: Go to the Windows search bar, type “Services,” and hit enter. You will see a list of Windows services.

Step 2: Navigate down, locate, and select the ‘WLAN AutoConfig’ service.

Step 3: Right-click on it and click on ‘Properties.’

Step 4: Make sure that the ‘Startup type’ is “Automatic.” If it is set to Manual, then change it to Automatic. Now click on “Apply.”

Step 5: If the service isn’t running, click on ‘Start’ to run the service.

Step 6: Apply the changes and click on OK.

Step 7: Repeat all of the above steps for the ‘WWAN AutoConfig service.

That’s it, and now you can restart your Windows, and the wireless adapter missing issue should be fixed. If not, move on to the next method.

4. Fixing The Network Sockets & Ports

The network ports and sockets could have a bad configuration. You can reset it to fix any possible socket API errors.

1: Go to the Windows Search Bar, type “cmd,” and right-click to ‘Run as administrator.’

2: Type the following command and hit enter:

If there are any socket API errors, this command will resolve them. Just restart your computer and check if it is working or not. If it is still missing, follow the next steps:

1: Go to the Windows Search Bar, type “cmd”, and right-click to ‘Run as administrator’.

2: Type the following command and hit enter:

You should see a message reading, “Successfully removed all MUX objects”.

The above command will uninstall all the network adapters; you should see the “Removing device..” message. If not, execute the command again.

Now restart your computer. After the restart Windows will re-install the network adapters from the versions stored in the system.

5. Perform Network Reset to Fix Missing Wireless Adapter

Although the above method should fix the underlying issue. In case the above methods don’t work for you, it is better to perform a network reset.

1: Go to the Windows search bar, type “Settings” and hit enter.

2: Open ‘Network & internet.’

3: Navigate down and click on ‘Network reset’.

4: Now click on ‘Reset now’.

5: A confirmation pop-up window will appear; click on ‘Yes’ to confirm.

Let the process complete, restart your computer, and this will fix the wifi issue for you.

6. System Restore to Get back the WiFi Adapter

By performing a system restore, you can restore Windows to an earlier date. If there is any restore point when your WiFi was working as usual, then you can restore Windows to that date; this will revert the system changes made after that date.

1: Press the ‘Windows+R’ keys together to open the Run box.

2: Type “rstrui.exe” and hit enter.

3: The System Restore wizard will now open; click on Next.

4: Select a restore point when your network adapter was working fine. Click on Next.

Complete the process, and this will restore your system when the WiFi adapter was working fine. Just restart your computer, and this issue should be gone.

7. Download and Install Drivers

If this issue is caused by a driver malfunction, then you will have to reinstall the drivers. For this, you need access to another computer which has internet access. Once you have a computer with internet access, follow these steps:

1: Open the browser.

2: Now, simply search for your computer’s drivers.

Just enter the name of your computer manufacturer followed by “drivers” and hit enter.

3: This works differently for different manufacturers. Some ask for the serial numbers, and some ask for model and series.

The main goal here is to download the latest wireless drivers for your Windows 10 PC.

4: Once you have downloaded the latest wireless drivers for your computer, simply transfer it to the affected computer, install them, and restart your computer.

Closing Phrase

The wireless adapter may go missing due to failed updates or any other reasons; you can simply re-enable it to get it working. All of the above methods are tried and tested. Apply these methods one by one, and it should fix the issue now you will get the WiFi adapter back.

WiFi Adapter Missing in Windows 10 /11 FAQs

First, you need to find if the WiFi adapter is hidden; if yes, you can scan for hardware changes. Otherwise, proceed with network reset, check wifi services, fix socket API error, reinstall the wifi driver, or lastly, you can do the system restore. Follow all the methods given above.

There could be multiple reasons why your network adapter disappeared as –
1. Windows updates
2. Malware
3. Conflict between drivers
4. Failed driver updates
5. Accidentally uninstalled the wifi adapter
6. Improper shutdown.

Follow the given methods, and if those don’t work, then try to download the wifi driver on a working computer. Now transfer the driver to the affected PC and install the driver. Now you need to restart the PC. Also, check the network-related Windows services and make sure they are enabled.

Power Flush – It is a process to discharge all the capacitors of your motherboard. To perform the power flush, follow the below process-
1. If you have a desktop PC – Shutdown the PC and disconnect all the power, and remove the power cable from the wall outlet.
Now, press and hold the power button for 30 seconds to drain the static power from the PC. After that, connect the power cable and start the PC.

2. If you have a laptop, then shut it down and remove the battery. Now press and hold the power key for 30 seconds. After that, put the battery on and start the laptop.
3. If the laptop has a non-removable battery, then shut down and press and hold the power key for 30 seconds and then start it again. If that doesn’t work, then discharge your laptop completely and then do the power flush.

Power flush should help you to get back the missing wifi adapter.

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Fix Network Adapter Not Showing in Device Manager

When you found that you could not access internet suddenly, you assumed it was due to driver issues, so you checked for the driver status in Device Manager. In Device Manager, you didn’t see Network Adapter. You’re wondering how to get it back, right? Read on to find out the solutions.

There are several reasons causing network adapter not showing up in Device Manager. You can try the four solutions below to fix the problem. You may not have to try them all. Just start at the top of the list until you find the one that works for you.

Solution 1: Show hidden devices

Some devices may be hidden in Device Manager. When they’re hidden, you cannot see them. So your network adapter could be hidden. If that’s the case, to fix the problem, you just need to make all hidden devices shown in Device Manage.

Follow steps below to show the hidden devices.

1) Open Device Manager.

2) Click the View menu, and then click Show hidden devices.

3) Click Action menu, and then click Scan for hardware changes.

4) Check to see if the problem is resolved.

Solution 2: Update drivers

The network adapter may be displayed as Unknown device. Check to see if you see an Unknown device under Other devices as below image shown. If you see an Unknown device, update the driver. Though you don’t see an Unknown device, the problem could be caused by driver issues. To fix the problem, try to update the network adapter driver.

There are two ways you can update the network adapter driver: manual driver update or automatic driver update.

Manual driver update: You can update the network adapter driver by going to your PC manufacturer’s website to search for and download the latest network adapter driver. Be sure to choose driver that are only compatible with your variant of Windows 10 or 7.

Automatic driver update – If you don’t have the time, patience or computer skills to update your network adapter driver manually, you can, instead, do it automatically with Driver Easy. Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for your network adapter, and your Windows version, and it will download and install them correctly :

TIP: If you can’t access internet, use Driver Easy Offline Scan feature to update the network adapter driver.

1) Download and install Driver Easy.

2) Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.

3) Click the Update button next to the flagged network adapter driver to automatically download and install the correct version of that driver (you can do this with the FREE version).

Or click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system. (This requires the Pro version which comes with full support and a 30-day money back guarantee. You’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All.)

4) After updating the driver, check to see if the problem is resolved.

Solution 3: Reset BIOS

There may be problems with BIOS (Basic Input/Output Operating System) settings when network adapter doesn’t show up in Device Manager. If Solution 1 and Solution 2 don’t work for you, reset the BIOS to default.

IMPORTANT: Configure BIOS settings incorrectly could cause serious system problems. So be sure you know what you’re doing. If you’re not sure, consult your PC manufacturer or motherboard manufacturer.

Refer steps below to reset the BIOS:

2) Look for Load Setup Defaults, Standard CMOS Features, Reset to Default, Load factory Defaults, Clear BIOS Settings, Load Setup Defaults, or something similar.

3) Use the narrow key to Save and Exit and then press the Enter key on yoru keyboard. Or press the key you see next to Save and Exit.

4) Restart your computer and see if the problem is resolved.

Solution 4: Change the NIC card

When you don’t see network adapter missing in Device Manager, the worst issue could be the problem NIC (Network Interface Controller) card. In that case, you need to replace the card with a new one.

To make a further check, it’s recommended you take your computer to the near computer store. The computer store may charge you some fee for detection, but in order to chat with your friends, watch your love movies, it’s worthwhile.

Hope the tips above help you resolve network adapter missing in Device Manager issue. If you have any questions or ideas, please leave your comments.

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