To see all the available networks in Windows 10, you can just click on the network icon on the taskbar. Alternatively, you can also create a shortcut. Follow these steps to create show available networks shortcut in Windows 10.
One of the advantages of creating a shortcut is that you can launch it with a keyboard shortcut. Moreover, if you like hiding your taskbar. Having a dedicated shortcut allows you to launch the network flyout without using the taskbar.
Create Show Available Networks Shortcut
1. To create the shortcut, right-click on your desktop and select “New -> Shortcut” option.
2. In the Shortcut window, enter the following command in the blank field and click on the “Next” button.
%windir%\explorer.exe ms-availablenetworks:
3. Now, name the shortcut. This is the name that appears on the desktop. In my case, I’m naming the shortcut as “Available Networks”. Click on the “Finish” button.
4. With that, you’ve created the available networks shortcut on the desktop.
5. Double-click on the shortcut and the Networks flyout menu should open instantly.
(Optional) Change Shortcut Icon
By default, the shortcut uses the regular File Explorer icon. This is fine. However, you can change the available network shortcut icon with just a few clicks. For this, we are going to use a built-in network icon.
Alternatively, you can also download a custom icon. Just make sure that the icon is at least 32×32 and in .ico format. Also, keep the icon somewhere safe in your hard drive. If you delete the icon after setting it up, the shortcut icon will revert back to default.
1. Right-click on the newly created shortcut and select “Properties” option.
2. In the shortcut properties window, click on the “Change Icon” button.
3. The above action will open the default icons window.
4. The network icon we are looking for is not in the default icon list. So, enter the following path in the field and press Enter.
%SystemRoot%\System32\taskbarcpl.dll
You might see white space and almost no icons. However, there are icons in the list. They are just not appearing to you because they are white color. Select the bottom left corner and you should see the Network icon. If not, select other places until you see the network icon just like in the image below.
Select the icon and click on the “Ok” button.
5. Click “Apply” and “Ok” buttons on the main window.
6. That is it. You’ve assigned a custom icon to the show available networks shortcut.
(Optional) Assign Keyboard Shortcut
Just like you can customize the shortcut icon, you can also set a custom keyboard shortcut. This is particularly useful if you want to launch the shortcut quickly. In case of available networks shortcut, Windows will automatically focus the top network on keypress. To select another network, you can use the arrow keys on the keyboard.
1. Right-click on the shortcut and select “Properties” option.
2. In the shortcut properties window, select the “Shortcut Key” field. Press the shortcut you would like to assign and click on the “Ok” button. In my case, I’m assigning the Ctrl + Alt + / shortcut.
That is all. It is that simple to create show available networks shortcut in Windows 10. If you are stuck somewhere and need some help, comment below.