How to turn wireless Wi-Fi on or off - Windows 10 and 11

This article introduces how to easily turn wireless Wi-Fi on or off on Windows 10 and 11.

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This article introduces how to easily turn wireless Wi-Fi on or off on Windows 10 and 11.

Description

There are several ways to turn the wireless on or off.

  • Taskbar
  • Software settings
  • Physical switch

For general issues with wireless, see this Microsoft link - Fix network connection issues in Windows.

Applicable Brands

  • Lenovo Laptops & Desktops
  • ThinkPad
  • ideapad
  • ideacentre
  • ThinkCentre

Operating Systems

  • Windows 11
  • Windows 10

Solution

Turn Wi-Fi On or Off from the Taskbar

Windows 11

The Wi-Fi icon is located at the bottom-right corner of your taskbar. Click on the Wi-Fi button and select your Wi-Fi name to connect. 
taskbar icon

[Video] How To Turn Wi-Fi On or Off in Windows 11 - Lenovo Support Quick Tips

Windows 10

The Wi-Fi icon is located at the bottom-right corner of your taskbar. Click the Wi-Fi button and select your Wi-Fi name to connect. 
taskbar icon

Wi-Fi

Turn Wi-Fi On or Off using Software Settings

Windows 11

  1. Click Start and Settings.
    Settings
  2. Select Network & Internet.
  3. Slide Wi-Fi to On, then click Wi-Fi to see the list of available networks. Slide Wi-Fi to Off to turn Wi-Fi off.

    Wi-Fi option in Win 11

[Video] How To Turn Wi-Fi On or Off in Windows 11 - Lenovo Support Quick Tips

Windows 10

  1. Click the Windows button (Start) and Settings.
    Settings
  2. Select Network & Internet.
    Network and Internet
  3. Select Wi-Fi.
  4. Slide Wi-Fi On, then available networks will be listed. Click Connect. Disable/Enable Wi-Fi.

    Wi-Fi option

    If there is no Wi-Fi option present, follow Unable to detect any wireless networks in range Window 7, 8, and 10 or Fix Wi-Fi connection issues in Windows.

Turn Wi-Fi On or Off via Physical Switch

Lenovo/idea Machines

Search for keyboard keys or wireless in the user manual to find the location of any wireless keys, see How to find and view manuals for Lenovo products - ThinkPad, ThinkCentre, ideapad, ideacentre

Method One - Fn+F5

  1. Press Fn+F5 (or F5). The Lenovo Wireless Device Settings window will show. If the window fails to display, the energy management may not have been installed correctly. Please install Lenovo Energy Management or Lenovo utility from support website. Check Why "Lenovo Wireless Device Settings" window does not show after pressing "FN+F5" for details. The software interface will vary on different versions.

    Interface

    Interface

    Interface
  2. On the Lenovo Wireless Device Settings window, set Wireless Network Card On to enable the Wi-Fi, Off to disable it.
  3. Or press Win+X on the keyboard to open Windows Mobility Center, and click Turn wireless on.

    Wireless

Note:
For machines (mostly manufactured before 2010) configured with the physical switch of WLAN, the button must be switched on first before pressing Fn+F5, to get Lenovo Wireless Devices Settings window to turn on or off the Wi-Fi; otherwise, the wireless network cannot be used.

physical switch

Method Two: F7

As shown below, press F7 on the keyboard to turn on or turn off Wi-Fi.

WiFi

WiFi

Lenovo ThinkPad\ThinkCenter Machines

For latest ThinkPad

Press F8 WiFi to enable or disable the wireless features.

WiFi

For Older ThinkPad

Press Fn+F5, or use the wireless radio switch to enable or disable the wireless features.

Switch

Quickly turn the wireless features of the computer on and off using this switch.

Switch

Check to see if the BIOS has a Wireless setting

If the previous options do not work, check the BIOS to see if the Wireless setting is Disabled.

Check under Config and Network to see if there is a Wireless setting in the BIOS, and only enable the network wireless setting. For more information, see Lenovo BIOS Simulator Center: An interactive BIOS Setup utility - Windows.

For information about how to get into the BIOS, see Popular Topics: BIOS, UEFI.

Turn Wi-Fi On or Off when there is no Wi-Fi icon

If the previous options do not work, it is likely you have an Ethernet cable connected to your computer, or the Wi-Fi adapter is switched off.

Windows 10

  1. Right-click Start and select Settings.
    Settings
  2. Select Network & Internet.
  3. Select Wi-Fi/Status and click Change adapter options.
    adapter options
  4. Right-click Wireless Network Connection and select Enable.
    status

Windows 11

  1. Right-click the Start button and select Settings.
    Settings
  2. Go to the Network & internet tab.
    Network and internet
  3. Scroll down to the last option Advanced network settings.
  4. Under the list of Network Adapters, you will find your Network Adapter and the option to Enable or Disable it.

Document ID:HT500407
Original Publish Date:05/27/2016
Last Modified Date:02/03/2025