How to solve the problem of grayed out Wi-Fi icon in Windows 11 and 10?

Many Window users have reported that the wi-fi icon on their system is suddenly disabled or grayed out, preventing users from changing wi-fi settings or wi-fi options from the available list. This can be very frustrating for those who are completely dependent on Wi-Fi and don’t have any other internet options (e.g. USB tethering, LAN connection (Ethernet)).

There could be many factors for this issue, some of which we have mentioned below:

• Outdated Wi-Fi driver
• Manually disabled Wi-Fi by mistake -Fi Adapter
• Network issues within the system
• Windows is not updated.

So, keeping all the above points in mind, we have compiled some fixes mentioned below in this article that will definitely resolve your issue.

NOTE: We strongly recommend users to create a restore point on their system before proceeding with the solution. If no points are available, it's a good idea to create restore points periodically.

Source 1:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meiX286nT-U

Source 2: https://techcult.com/fix-wifi-icon- is-greyed-out-in-windows-10/

Source 3: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/missing-wifi-icon-and-greyed -out/78fc8090-e2ed-47ff-b90d-e5423b58218e

Fix 1: Make sure the WLAN Auto-Configuration Service is enabled

Step 1: Simultaneously press Windows R on your keyboard key to open the Run dialog box.

Step 2: Then, type services.msc in the Run box and press Enter to open the Services window ,As follows.

Step 3: In the Services window, scroll down the list of services and find the WLAN Auto-Configuration Service at the bottom.

Step 4: Double-click it to open its Properties window.

Step 5: Then, make sure that Startup type is selected as Automatic.

Step 6: If the service is stopped, click on the Start button as shown in the screenshot below.

Step 7: Click OK to reflect the changes and close the Properties window.

Step 8: When finished, close the Services window.

Step 9: Restart the system once.

Now check if the Wi-Fi icon is activated so that it can be accessed on your system.

If this fix doesn’t work for you, check out the other solutions given below.

Fix 2: Run the Network Adapter Troubleshooter on your system

Step 1: Press simultaneously on the keyboard that opens the Run box Windows R key.

Step 2: Next, type

control.exe /name Microsoft.Troubleshooting in the Run box and click OK directly in the Settings application Open the Troubleshooting page as shown below.

Step 3: Then, click on the

Additional Troubleshooting option on the page as shown below.

Step 4: Scroll the page and click the

Run button of the network adapter, as shown in the figure below.

Step 5: Since we are trying to resolve a WiFi issue, select the

Wi-Fi radio button and click Next to continue troubleshooting the network adapter as shown in the image below.

Step 6: Then, follow the on-screen instructions to troubleshoot and ultimately try to resolve the issue.

Step 7: Once completed, check to see if the Wi-Fi icon appears again on your system.

That’s all. Hope this solves your problem.

Fix 3: Check if the Wi-Fi adapter is disabled

Step 1: Open the

Run command box by pressing the Windows R keys simultaneously on your keyboard.

Step 2: Type

ncpa.cpl in the run box, and then click OKOpen the Network Connection page, as shown below shown.

Step 3: In the Network Connections page, check the Wi-Fi network adapter listed there.

Step 4: See if it is disabled or enabled.

Step 5: If it was disabled by an error or other reason, right-click on the Wi -Fi adapter.

Step 6: Then, select the Enable option from the context menu as shown in the screenshot below.

Step 7: Once enabled, check if you can access the Wi-Fi icon.

Hope this solves the problem. If not, check the other fixes given below.

Fix 4: Disable Airplane Mode

Sometimes, for some apparent reason, we don't realize that Airplane Mode is activated, which does not give the user access to all network connections on their system. Therefore, it is better to check if airplane mode is activated. If it is enabled, disable it and see if the Wi-Fi icon appears again on your system. Please follow the steps given below.

Step 1: Press the Windows I keys simultaneously to open the Settings application on your system.

Step 2: Then, click on the Network & Internet option from the left menu of the Settings app.

Step 3: After selecting Network and Internet, check the Airplane Mode option on the right.

Step 4: If it is enabled, click the Airplane Mode toggle buttonto turn it off as shown in the screenshot below.

Step 5: Once disabled, close the Settings app and check if the Wi-Fi icon appears on your system.

Hope this resolves the issue.

Fix 5: Restart Windows Explorer

Step 1: Open Task Manager by pressing the CTRL SHIFT ESC keys simultaneously on your keyboard.

Step 2: If it opens in compact view, click the More Details button at the bottom of Task Manager.

Step 3: In Task Manager, make sure the Processes tab is selected.

Step 4: Then, right-click on Windows Explorer and select the Restart option from the context menu as shown in the screenshot below.

Step 5: This will restart Windows Explorer.

Now check if the Wi-Fi option appears again on your system.

Fix 6: Use Device Manager to reinstall the Wi-Fi network adapter

Step 1: Press the Windows key on your keyboard and type Device Manager, then select Device Manager from the search results ,As follows.

Step 2: This will open the Device Manager window on your system.

Step 3: Double-click on the Network Adapters option to expand it from the list of devices given in Device Manager.

Step 4: Now, right-click on the Wi-Fi adapter and click on Uninstall Device option from the menu as shown in the screenshot below.

#Step 5: Once completed, close the Device Manager window and restart the system.

Step 6: When the system boots, it will reinstall the wifi driver on your system again.

Step 7: After turning on the system, check if the problem has been resolved.

Hope this solves the problem.

Fix 7: Use Registry Editor to delete the Iconstreams and PastIconStream registry keys

Step 1: Press the Windows R key simultaneously to open Run the command frame.

Step 2: Then, type regedit in Run and press the Enter key to open Registry Editor on your system .

NOTE: Please click "Yes" to continue accepting the UAC prompt.

Step 3: Copy and paste the following path in the address bar and press the Enter key to reach the TrayNotify registry items, as shown in the screenshot below.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\TrayNotify

Step 4: Make sure TrayNotify is selected on the left side of the Registry Editor window.

Step 5: Then, on the right side of the window, hold down the CTRL key while selecting the IconStreams and PastIconStreams binary values.

Step 6: Now, right click on them and select Remove option from the context menu as shown below.

Step 7: Click Yes in the Confirm Value Deletion window, as shown below.

Step 8: Close Registry Editor and restart the system.

Step 9: After the system is turned on, check whether the problem is solved.

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