Trying to Des play list of available networks

Question

My laptop does not allow me to view network adaptors while in device manager. I’m trying to discover why my laptop will not list available networks to go on line

Answer 1

Hi Frank Thompson,

Thank you for reaching out.

If network adapters do not appear in Device Manager, Windows is unable to detect the networking hardware, which prevents available Wi‑Fi or Ethernet networks from being listed. This is commonly related to driver visibility, required services not running, or the adapter being disabled at the system level.

In addition to Q&A Assist's answer, here are some verified checking steps that you can try to resolve the issue:

1, Show hidden devices

• Open Device Manager
• Select View > Show hidden devices
• Check Network adapters again and enable any listed but disabled entries

2, Restart required Wi‑Fi service

• Press Win + R, type services.msc
• Locate WLAN AutoConfig
• Set Startup type to Automatic and select Restart

3, Scan for hardware changes

• In Device Manager, select Action > Scan for hardware changes

4, Reinstall the network driver

• Download the latest Windows 11 network/Wi‑Fi driver from the laptop manufacturer
• Install the driver and restart the device

5, Use Network Reset (if needed)

• Go to Settings > Network & Internet
• Select Advanced network settings > Network reset
• Restart after completion

If network adapters still do not appear after these steps, the wireless adapter may be disabled in firmware or not being detected by the system. In that case, checking device firmware settings or running manufacturer diagnostics would be the appropriate next step.

Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

---

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Answer 2

If you are unable to expand the Network Adapters section in Device Manager, that may indicate the network drivers are not installed correctly.

Open the old Control Panel (click your start button, then just type control and press Enter).

Set View at the top of the old Control Panel to large icons.

Open the Network and Sharing Center applet.

Click 'Change Adapter Settings' on the left.

Please provide a screenshot of that window.

Answer 3

To troubleshoot a Windows 11 laptop that does not show available Wi‑Fi networks and does not show network adapters in Device Manager, follow these steps in order:

1. Check that Wi‑Fi is turned on

• Open Settings > Network & internet.
• Make sure Wi‑Fi is turned On.
• If Wi‑Fi is off or missing entirely, continue with the steps below.

2. Verify the wireless adapter is visible and enabled in Device Manager
3. Select Search on the taskbar, type Device Manager, and open it.
4. Expand Network adapters.
   • If a wireless adapter is listed (for example, Intel, Qualcomm, Marvell, or similar Wi‑Fi adapter):
     • Press and hold (or right‑click) the adapter and select Enable device if the option is available.
     • If it is already enabled, double‑click it, go to the Driver tab, and confirm it shows a driver version and date.
   • If no wireless adapter is listed at all under Network adapters, see step 4 below.
5. If the adapter is present but no networks are found If the adapter appears in Device Manager but Windows shows no Wi‑Fi networks:

• Confirm the adapter and router use compatible frequency bands:
  • Some adapters only support 2.4 GHz. If the router is broadcasting only 5 GHz, no networks will appear.
  • Check the router documentation for its Wi‑Fi band (2.4 GHz vs 5 GHz).
• Check the adapter’s band settings:
  1. In Device Manager, expand Network adapters and double‑click the wireless adapter.
  2. Select the Advanced tab.
  3. Look for Wireless Mode or Band.
  4. Make sure it allows the same frequency band your router is using (for example, not restricted to 5 GHz if the router is 2.4 GHz only).

4. If no network adapters are detected or enabled If Network adapters is empty, or only non‑Wi‑Fi devices appear:
5. Generate and review the wireless network report (if possible) and check the Network Adapters section for a Problem number that maps to a Device Manager error code.
6. Verify the driver is current:
   • Run Windows Update to get the latest network drivers.
   • In Device Manager, expand Network adapters, right‑click the wireless adapter (if present), select Properties, then Driver, and compare Driver Version and Driver Date with the versions on the PC manufacturer’s website.
7. Make sure the adapter is not disabled:
   • In Device Manager, expand Network adapters, right‑click the wireless adapter, and select Enable device if available.
8. If the wireless adapter is not listed at all in Device Manager:
   • Windows is not detecting it. Manually install the correct Wi‑Fi driver from the device manufacturer’s website.
   • If the laptop cannot get online, download the driver on another device, copy it to a USB drive, and install it on the laptop.
9. Reinstall the network adapter driver If the adapter appears but Wi‑Fi still does not work or no networks are listed, reinstall the driver:
10. Download the latest Wi‑Fi driver from the PC manufacturer’s website on another device and copy it to a USB drive (as a backup).
11. On the laptop, open Device Manager.
12. Expand Network adapters and locate the Wi‑Fi adapter.
13. Right‑click it and select Uninstall device.
14. Check Attempt to remove the driver for this device, then select Uninstall.
15. Select Start > Power > Restart.
16. After restart, Windows will try to automatically reinstall the driver.
    • If it does not, install the backup driver downloaded from the manufacturer.
17. If Wi‑Fi settings are missing (Surface devices) If this is a Surface device and Wi‑Fi settings are missing:
18. Open Device Manager.
19. Expand Network adapters and confirm that one of the supported Surface Wi‑Fi adapters (Intel, Qualcomm, or Marvell AVASTAR as listed in the Surface documentation) appears.
20. Double‑click the adapter, go to the Driver tab, select Disable Device, confirm with Yes.
21. Then select Enable Device.
22. Restart the device: Start > Power > Restart (or Update and restart if updates are pending).

If, after these steps, no wireless adapter appears in Device Manager and installing the correct driver does not change that, the Wi‑Fi hardware may be failing and the device manufacturer’s support should be contacted.

---

References:

• Fix Wi-Fi connection issues in Windows
• Troubleshooting Wi-Fi connection on your Surface