If your Windows 10 is stuck in Airplane mode, you can’t connect to any wireless network. All wireless communication on your PC will stop, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular. You may not even have internet connectivity on your device to troubleshoot the issue.
If you’re in a similar situation, you’re probably using another device or an Ethernet cable to read this. While the situation is extremely annoying, there are some easy ways to fix a faulty airplane mode; here’s how.
1. Methods to Turn off Airplane Mode
Before you troubleshoot the issue, try restarting your computer. Often, this will fix everything and spare you the trouble of going through the troubleshooting process. If a restart doesn’t work, check if you have tried all the ways to disable the Airplane mode.
Method 1: Use the Airplane Mode Button in Action Center
This is the most common way of turning the Airplane mode on and off. First, locate the dialog icon at the bottom-right corner of your screen. Click on it to open the Action Center. You will find a button for Airplane mode. If not, click on Expand, and it should appear now.
If the button is highlighted in blue, the Airplane mode is turned on. Simply click on it to turn it off. If this doesn’t work, try the next method.
Method 2: Use the Physical Switch or Fn Key Combo
If you’re using a laptop, it may have a physical switch that enables and disables Airplane mode. Have a look around for an Airplane mode switch and flip it if you find one.
Alternatively, there might be an Fn key combination that disables Airplane mode. The key you need to press in combination with the Fn key will usually have a wireless network symbol on it. This combination may differ among manufacturers, so if you can’t find an appropriate key to use, refer to the manual.
Method 3: Turn Airplane mode off from the Windows Settings
To turn off Airplane mode from the Windows settings, navigate to Settings > Network & Internet. If you’re struggling to find the Settings menu, click the Start button on your taskbar, then the cog icon on the left.
When you arrive at the Network & Internet page, look at the left pane, then click on Airplane mode. Next, use the toggle button at the top to turn Airplane mode off. You will find the toggle button in the right pane right below the text that reads Turn this on to stop all wireless communication such as Wi-Fi, cellular, and Bluetooth.
If this doesn’t work either, try the following fixes to resolve the issue.
2. Reset Your Network
Windows 10 has a handy network reset feature that can help you solve almost any wireless network issue by resetting the settings to default.
However, you should know that a reset will clear all your network settings. This means you will need to re-enter passwords for all your wireless networks. If you don’t remember your Wi-Fi password, find the password from within Windows 10 and jot it down so you can use it after the reset.
To use Network reset, go to Settings > Network & Internet. Here, you will see the Network reset option in the right pane.
Click on it. The next screen will ask for your confirmation. Click on Reset now. After the restart, check if the Airplane mode issue has been resolved.
3. Change Your Wi-Fi Adapter’s Power Management Settings
Another possible fix is to change your network adapter’s power management settings. By default, the device is set to turn off to save power. To change this, open Device Manager by pressing Win + X and choosing Device Manager from the menu.
In the list of devices, look for Network adapters. Click on the little arrow to expand the list. Look for your wireless adapter in the expanded list, right-click on it, and click on Properties. Navigate to the Power Management tab from the top.
You will see that the box next to Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power is checked by default. Uncheck the box and press OK. Reboot your system and see if this resolves the issue.
4. Disable the Radio Management Service
Radio Management Service is a Windows service required for airplane mode. Disabling this service may fix the Airplane mode being stuck on your PC.
To disable the Radio Management Service, open Services by pressing Win + R and running services.msc. Look for the Radio Management Service in the list. 3
Right-click on it and select Properties. You will find Startup type under the General tab set to Manual by default. Change this to Disabled.
Restart the PC and verify if this resolved the issue.
5. Check for Driver Updates
If the problem persists, it may be worthwhile to check for outdated drivers and update them. To check for driver updates, open Device Manager and look for your wireless network adapter. Right-click on it and select Update driver.
If you have the updated driver downloaded on your computer, select Browse my computer for drivers. Navigate to the location where you have downloaded the drivers and complete the installation.
Alternatively, you could let Windows Search automatically for drivers. Then, reboot after updating the driver and see if this turns off the Airplane mode.
6. Try Flushing the DNS Cache
Some users have been able to resolve the Airplane mode problem by flushing the DNS cache. Next, launch an elevated Command Prompt to begin the process. To do this, search for cmd in Start Menu, right-click on it, and select Run as administrator.
Run the following commands in this order:
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /renew
ipconfig /registerdnsExit the Command Prompt and restart your computer. See if this fixes the issue.
Your Wi-Fi Is Ready for Take-Off
It can feel frustrating when you have to get your work done quickly, but your Windows is stuck in Airplane mode. Hopefully, one of these fixes resolved the issue, and you got your wireless network working. However, if you’re unable to connect to your Wi-Fi even after disabling the Airplane mode, you may have another Wi-Fi problem on your Windows.
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