Top 5 Methods to Fix Windows 10 Network Adapter Missing

Here are 3 major situations below when it comes to the Windows 10 network adapter missing issue:

• Windows 10 Wi-Fi not showing up under Network Connections
• Wireless adapter missing in Device Manager
• Network adapter not detected or not found in Windows 10

Why Windows 10 network adapter missing happen? The outdated or incompatible network drivers are mainly responsible for the problem. In addition, the current system updates or corrupted programming data can also lead to the wireless adapter missing issue.

Many people reported that they fixed the issue by simply restarting the computer. Perhaps you may have a try. If a simple restart fails to work, you can take the following measures.

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Method 1. Run Built-in Network Troubleshooter in Windows 10

The network troubleshooter is the most commonly used tool to handle various network issues such as no secured Wi-Fi connection error, IPv6 no network access, wireless adapter missing Windows 10, etc. Here you can follow the guide below to run the troubleshooter.

Step 1. Type troubleshooting in the search box and select the Troubleshoot option from the context menu.

Step 2. In the pop-up window, scroll down the right sidebar to the Network Adapter section, double click it and click on Run the troubleshooter.

Then this tool will detect the issues with the network adapter automatically. You need to wait a moment for this tool to complete this operation. If this method can’t help you fix the Windows 10 wireless adapter missing issue, move on to the next ways.

Method 2. Update the Driver for Wireless Network Adapter

If the network adapter drivers get outdated or corrupted, the wireless adapter missing Windows 10 may also happen. Follow the steps below to update the driver for the wireless network adapter.

Step 1. Right-click the Start menu and select Device Manager from the context menu.

Step 2. Expand the Network adapters section, right-click the wireless adapter (here we take the Intel for example) and select the Update Driver Software option.

Step 3. In the pop-up window, you can select an update the network adapter driver automatically or manually based on your demands. After selecting the way to update the driver, follow the on-screen prompts to complete the update.

This method should help you fix the outdated network driver issue. If it still fails to resolve the Windows 10 Wi-Fi not showing up issue. Don’t worry. Here are 3 methods to try.

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Method 3. Show Hidden Network Adapter in Device Manager

In addition to the above reasons mentioned, the wireless network adapter may be hidden in Device Manager. The hidden devices can also cause the Windows 10 Wi-Fi adapter missing issue. Here’s how to show the hidden devices in Device Manager.

Step 1. Open the Device Manager window, click the View tab on the top and select the Show hidden devices option from the drop-down menu.

Step 2. Then navigate to the Network adapters section, and click the Action on the top and click on Scan for hardware changes option from the drop-down menu.

Step 3. Then the hardware changes will be scanned automatically. Once the scan completes, expand the Network adapters and check if the wireless network adapter appears on this list.

If the wireless network adapter not showing up among the list, please continue the following methods.

Method 4. Reset the Winsock Data

Winsock plays an important role in supporting your Windows network software to access network service. It is a supporting program in the Windows operations system as well as a programming interface. Once its data get corrupted, the network issue may occur.

Here you can try resetting the Winsock data to fix the Windows 10 network adapter missing. For that:

Step 1. Press Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box, and then type cmd in it and press the Ctrl + Shift + Enter keys simultaneously to open an elevated command prompt.

Step 2. Type netsh winsock reset command in the elevated command prompt and hit Enter.

Step 3. Restart your computer to take the operation into effect.

After that, you can check if the Windows 10 wireless adapter missing issue still persists.

Method 5. Perform a System Restore

If you find the wireless adapter missing issue just occurs after you install the Windows 10 updates, you can perform a system restore to undo these changes. To restores your Windows system, the system restores point is commonly used. Alternatively, you can use other free tools to restore your system.

To know more detailed steps, you can refer to this post “how to perform s system restore from command prompt”. If there is no system restore point in your Windows system, just click here to get an instruction. After restoring the system, you can check if this issue is fixed.