If your laptop or desktop has a WiFi connection, you’ll need to turn it on to access the internet. Sometimes, you may want to turn off your WiFi, perhaps to save battery life or for troubleshooting. If you don’t know how to do that, we’ll show you two simple methods to enable or disable your WiFi on Windows 11. Let’s get started.
Turn WiFi On or Off from Quick Settings Panel
Windows 11’s Quick Settings panel allows you to quickly enable and disable your WiFi connection. To access it, press Windows key + A or click the network icon located in the system tray at the bottom right corner of your taskbar. In the Quick Setting panel, click on the WiFi icon to toggle your WiFi connection on or off.
This icon is a toggle button, meaning if the WiFi is currently on, clicking it will turn it off, and if it’s off, clicking will turn it on.
Once the WiFi is turned on, clicking on the right arrow icon next to the WiFi toggle icon shows all available WiFi connections. To connect to a network, click on the connection name, press Connection, enter the password, and press Next.
Troubleshooting
No WiFi icon in the Quick Settings panel.
If there is no WiFi icon in the Quick Settings panel, ensure that you’ve installed WiFi drivers and they are up to date. Additionally, make sure your WiFi adapter is enabled. Finally, restart your computer and try again.
WiFi icon greyed out in the Quick Settings panel.
If the icon is greyed out, it is possible that your WiFi adapter is disabled. Check the WiFi adapter settings and enable it if necessary. Additionally, if your laptop or desktop has a physical WiFi switch, switch it on and try again.
Turn WiFi On or Off Using Settings App
To enable or disable WiFi using the Settings app, start by pressing Windows key + I to open it. Next, go to the Network & Internet page and click on the Wi-Fi toggle to turn it on or off.
Clicking on the WiFi option itself takes you to the WiFi Settings page where you can manage all the wireless settings such as the network properties, show available networks, manage known network, and hardware properties.
To connect to a WiFi network, first, ensure the WiFi is enabled. Then, click on the Show available networks option. Next, click on the network of your choice, press Connect, enter the password, and press Next.
And there you have it! It’s that simple to turn WiFi on or off. I hope that helps.
