If you guys have recently upgraded to Windows 10 then chances are you might not be able to connect to Wifi actually. In short, the Wifi icon is greyed out and you guys don’t see any available WiFi connections. This happens whenever the Wifi toggle switch built-in into the Windows is greyed out. No matter what you do, you can’t also seem to turn on the Wifi. Few users were so frustrated with this issue that they completely reinstalled their OS however, that also didn’t seem to help. Just read this article to know all about How to Fix WiFi Greyed Out in Windows 10. Let’s begin!
Whenever running the Troubleshooter will only show you the error message “Wireless capability is turned off”. That means the physical switch present on the keyboard is turned off and you have to manually turn it ON in order to fix the issue. But sometimes this fix also doesn’t seem to work as WiFi is directly disabled from BIOS. Thus you see there can many issues leading to the WiFi greyed out. So without even wasting any time let’s see how to actually Fix the WiFi is greyed out in Windows 10 along with the below-listed troubleshooting steps.
Note: Make sure the Airplane mode is not ON due to which you can’t access the WiFi settings.
Contents
- 1 How to Fix WiFi Greyed Out in Windows 10
- 1.1 Turn on Your WiFi Connection
- 1.2 Run Network Troubleshooter
- 1.3 Enable WiFi from BIOS
- 1.4 Turn on the Physical Switch for WiFi on Keyboard
- 1.5 Enable the WLAN AutoConfig Service | WiFi Greyed Out
- 1.6 Uninstall Wireless Network Adapter Drivers
- 1.7 Update BIOS
- 1.8 Registry Fix | WiFi Greyed Out
- 1.9 Conclusion
How to Fix WiFi Greyed Out in Windows 10
Turn on Your WiFi Connection
- Right-tap on the network icon in the notification area.
- Choose Open Network and Sharing Center.
- Then tap on Change adapter settings.
- Again right-tap on the same adapter and this time select Enable.
- Again try to connect to your wireless network and now see if you’re able to Fix the WiFi greyed out in Windows 10.
Run Network Troubleshooter
- Right-tap on the network icon and choose Troubleshoot Problems.
- Just follow the on-screen instructions.
- Now click on Windows key + W and then type Troubleshooting hit enter.
- From there choose “Network and Internet.“
- On the next screen just tap on Network Adapter.
- Just follow the on-screen instructions in order to Fix WiFi icon is greyed out in Windows 10.
Enable WiFi from BIOS
Sometimes none of the above steps would be useful since the wireless adapter has been disabled from BIOS. In this case, you have to enter BIOS and set it as default, then log in again and head to “Windows Mobility Center” via Control Panel and you guys can turn the wireless adapter ON/OFF.
If this doesn’t fix then Reset the BIOS to default settings as well.
Turn on the Physical Switch for WiFi on Keyboard
You may have accidentally tap the physical button to switch off WiFi or some program may also have disabled it. If this is the case you can easily fix the WiFi greyed out with just a press of a button also. Search your keyboard for the WiFi icon and tap it to turn on WiFi again. In many cases it’s Fn(Function key) + F2.
Enable the WLAN AutoConfig Service | WiFi Greyed Out
- Tap on Windows Key + R and then type services.msc and click on Enter.
- You can find the WLAN AutoConfig Service then right-click on it and choose Properties.
- Make sure the Startup type is all set to Automatic and the service is running, if not then tap on Start.
- Tap on Apply followed via OK.
- Reboot your PC in order to save changes.
Uninstall Wireless Network Adapter Drivers
- Tap on Windows Key + R then type “devmgmt.msc” and click on Enter to open Device Manager.
- Now expand Network Adapters and then find your network adapter name.
- Just make sure you note down the adapter name just in case something goes wrong.
- Right-tap on your network adapter and then uninstall it.
- If ask for confirmation choose Yes.
- Restart your PC and then try to reconnect to your network.
- If you guys are not able to connect to your network and then it means the driver software isn’t automatically installing.
- Now you have to visit your manufacturer’s website and then download the driver from there.
- Just install the driver and reboot your PC.
With reinstalling the network adapter, you can Fix the WiFi i greyed out in Windows 10.
Update BIOS
Performing BIOS updates is actually a critical task and if something goes wrong. Then it can seriously damage your system, thus, expert supervision we recommend you actually.
- The first step is basically to identify your BIOS version. In order to do this, just press Windows Key + R and then type “msinfo32” (without quotes) and click on enter to open System Information.
- When the System Information window opens locate BIOS Version/Date then note down the manufacturer and BIOS version as well.
- Next, head to your manufacturer’s website for e.g in my case it’s Dell so I will head to the Dell website and then I will now enter my computer serial number or tap on the auto-detect option.
- Now from the list of drivers shown I will tap on BIOS and will also download the recommended update.
Note: Just do not turn off your computer or disconnect from your power source however, update the BIOS or you may harm your PC. During the update, your PC will restart and also you will briefly see a black screen.
- When you download the file, just double-tap on the Exe file in order to run it.
- At last, you guys also have updated your BIOS and this may be able to Fix the WiFi greyed out in Windows 10.
Registry Fix | WiFi Greyed Out
- Tap on Windows Keys + R and then type Regedit and click on Enter to open Registry Editor.
- Now navigate to the following registry key:
Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\TrayNotify
- Now make sure you have highlighted TrayNotify in the left window pane and then in the
right window. Also, find Iconstreams and PastIconStream registry keys as well. - When you find it, right-tap on each of them and select Delete.
- Now reboot your PC in order to save changes.
Conclusion
Well, That is all from my side. If you want to know more about this article or have any queries. Then feel free to ask me anything in the comments section below.
Have a Good Day!
Also See: How to Restore Chrome Tabs – User Guide