How to turn on Wi-Fi on a laptop. How to turn on Wi-Fi on a laptop How to set up Wi-Fi on a laptop

08.06.2023

Every Lenovo, Asus, Acer, HP, Samsung, Toshiba, DNS, Dell or MSI laptop has a wifi function - you just need to turn it on to start using it.

Through Wi-Fi you can use the Internet, which has conquered our lives. He is with us at work, at school, in entertainment and in communication with friends.

The Internet has become a virtual reflection of everyday reality and an increasing number of people cannot imagine their lives without it - only first you must launch it.

What do you do when the hardware refuses to cooperate and the network is not available or worse, you have no idea how to connect Wi-Fi on your laptop?

To help you find a solution to this problem, below you will find a guide on the simplest ways to enable wireless connection and setup.

This is a step-by-step instruction for Windows 7 and 8 - now hardly anyone uses old Microsoft systems.

Check the function keys or how to turn on Wi-Fi on your laptop

I am fully aware that lack of sufficient knowledge is a serious problem, however, often the solution is simpler than you initially think.

So don't panic and read on calmly. Every laptop purchased over the past 5 years has a set of function keys.

They are used for volume control, media pause, screen saver, touchpad lock, etc.

Among them there are also those responsible for enabling/disabling the wireless wifi network.

By default, they are usually assigned to the F2 button - just press the Fn + F2 key combination, if these do not work on your laptop, then the WLAN control can be assigned to another button.

The simplest methods are usually the most effective - but if the keyboard shortcut above doesn't produce any results, move on to further reading

How to enable WiFi on your Windows 7 laptop

Windows 7 has been the main system pre-installed on most laptop manufacturers for the past few years—and it's likely on yours, too.

Below are the steps to help you learn how to enable Wi-Fi on your laptop - "on the seven"

Go to Control Panel

Just click on it to see a list of all available wireless networks in your area. From the drop-down list, select the network you want to connect to.

How to enable WiFi on your Windows 8 (8.1) laptop

In addition to Windows 7, another popular system comes pre-installed on most new laptops: Windows 8 or 8.1.

Since its interface has been significantly changed due to the “metro” steps for it, turning on WiFi on a laptop is slightly different.

Enable network settings

Move your cursor to the bottom right edge and click on the icon: “Settings”. I have Windows 8 in English, so your inscriptions will be different than in the pictures - in Russian.

Go to your wireless network and turn on WiFi

When you are in the computer settings go to Wireless and change the wireless device from the Off position to the ON position.

Enabling Wi-Fi by laptop model

As mentioned above, some laptops may have “non-standard” settings.

Therefore, below I will give the most popular solutions for various models - I think this will be useful for many, especially if they do not have instructions from the manufacturer.

Please note that in addition to keyboard shortcuts, there may also be special buttons on the case.

How to enable wifi on acer

Keyboard shortcut – Fn + F5
Aspire 1000 / 1640Z / 1690 - button above the keyboard
Aspire 16xx - button above the keyboard
Aspire 2000 Series - switch on the front of the laptop
Aspire 2012 Button - above the keyboard
Aspire 3005 - switch on the right side of the laptop
Aspire 3500 - on the front of the laptop
Aspire 5610 - on the front of the laptop
Aspire 5612 – laptop side button
Aspire 9302 - blue button on the left side of the laptop
Aspire 94xx - button below the lock key
Aspire One [Older Models] - Antenna button in the lower right corner of the palm rest
Aspire One [New Models] - Fn + F3 keys
Extensa 2000/2500 Series Button - button in the upper right corner of the keyboard
Ferrari 3000/3020/3400/4000 - buttons on the front of the laptop
Travelmate C Series Button - Top Left Key, Screen Menu will appear on the screen, select WLAN

How to enable wifi on asus

Keyboard shortcut – Fn + F2
One click: turn on Bluetooth / turn on Wifi
Two presses: turn off Bluetooth / turn on WiFi
Three presses: turn on Bluetooth / turn off WiFi
Four presses: turn off Bluetooth / turn off WiFi
Older models - [antenna icon] button above the keyboard, press and hold
New models - bottom button to the left of the keyboard
Compaq Armada - Enable Built-in Wireless
Compaq Pavilion ZX5190 - [Wireless icon] switch on keyboard
Compaq Presario - button on the back
Compaq Presario CQ Series - (antenna icon) above keyboard
Compaq Presario M2000 - (antenna icon) above keyboard
6910p - HP/Compaq button on the top left of the keyboard
HP 600 – in the lower left corner of the keyboard
HP nc4000/4010 - button above the keyboard
HP NC4220 - on the left side of the laptop [near the USB Port]
HP NC6000/6220 - above the keyboard
NX9010 - on the front side of the laptop
HP Omnibook 6200 - on the left side of the laptop

How to enable wifi on Dell

In most cases, the keys are Fn + F2 or Fn + F8 or Fn + F12
600 m - Fn + F2
E6400 - right side of laptop above headphone port
Inspiron - FN+F2
Inspiron 1510 / 500M / 600M / 1150 - FN + F2
Inspiron 1505 - system tray icon right click and turn on
Inspiron 1521 - right side of the laptop
Inspiron 1525 - [wireless icon] button on the front of the laptop
Inspiron 1720 - switch on the left side of the laptop
Inspiron 5100 - Built-in Wireless Networking
Inspiron 6000/8600/9300 - Fn + F2
D400 / D500 / D600 / D610 / D400 / D500 / D600 / D610 / D620 / D800 - Fn + F2
Latitude D630 (D640 and newer) - toggle switch on the left side of the front
Latitude E6400 - FN+F2
X300 - FN + F2
Vostro 1500 - Large buttons on the left side of the back

How to enable wifi on Lenovo

In DV series laptops there is a button in the form of an antenna above the keyboard
R40 - Fn + F5
Thinkpad - buttons on the left side of the laptop
T43/X32 - Fn+F5 opens OSD menu, select "Turn On"
X61 switch on the front right side of the laptop
Lenovo T-61 – switch on the front of the laptop

How to enable wifi on MSI

The button next to the power button
U100 - Fn + F11

How to turn on wifi on Samsung

Blue button in the middle of the keyboard

How to turn on wifi on Toshiba

Keyboard - Fn + F5 or Fn + F8
A100-078 – switch on the right side of the case
Equium - on the front of the body
Libretto – on the front of the body
M1 and M2 – switch on the left side of the housing
M40 and M70 – button on the front of the laptop
Portege & Qosmio – on the left side of the case
Quantium - on the left side of the laptop
R100 – switch on the right side of the case
Satego - on the right side of the laptop
Satellite - switch to the lower left corner of the keyboard Fn + F8 shows the status
L355D-S7825 - switch below the keyboard just to the left of center
Satellite A60-S1662 - switch on the right side next to the USB port
Satellite Pro button on side or front
TE2000 - switch on the left side of the case
Tecra 2100 – switch on the left side of the case

What to do if the instructions above did not help

If you have done everything written above and nothing helps, then the problem can only be one thing - the lack of the correct driver.

Where can I get the driver? It’s best to download it from the manufacturer’s website, but you can do it differently, especially if you can’t find it there.

The driver can be downloaded from . I won’t describe how to do this again - here are detailed instructions.

Very, very rarely there are situations when it is impossible to turn on Wi-Fi at all.

Yes, this is rare, but it happens - I’m not saying that the module failed, it’s just that the manufacturers themselves do not intentionally make mistakes.

Or, for example, you have an old laptop, you installed Windows 7 or 8 on it, but there may not be drivers for such OS on it, since the manufacturer has long forgotten about it. Let's hope that this is not your case and everything went well. Good luck.

Hello! Today we’ll look at enabling Wi-Fi on laptops that run Windows 7. For some reason, many people ask these questions. But as a rule, Wi-Fi on a laptop is turned on by default. That is, if the driver is installed, you can immediately connect to Wi-Fi networks. You don’t need to make any special settings, and you don’t have to turn on Wi-Fi on your laptop in any special way. No, of course, there are different cases and problems when you can’t connect to Wi-Fi without dancing with a tambourine. Now let's look at everything in detail.

If you are faced with the problem of turning on Wi-Fi, then your Internet connection status will most likely be like this:

If the network icon is simply crossed out with a red cross, then there are no Wi-Fi networks available for connection within the radius.

Before moving on to any instructions, let's understand what is enabling Wi-Fi on a laptop, and turning on Wi-Fi on Windows 7 (in the operating system itself), these are different things. Therefore, I will divide the article into these two points. This will make it much clearer and easier to understand this issue. What is our main goal? That's right, connect to a Wi-Fi network. You can do it! Follow the instructions.

Before you go to any settings and fill your head with unnecessary information, try connecting your laptop to a Wi-Fi network right now. According to these instructions: . You may already have everything turned on, configured, and you will connect without any problems.

If something doesn’t work out, then watch this article to the end, or the possible connection problems that I described in the article at the link above.

Turn on Wi-Fi on a laptop: using a keyboard shortcut or a switch on the case

Almost every laptop: Asus, HP, Acer, Lenovo, Del, etc., has either a special switch or a keyboard shortcut that turns Wi-Fi off and on. Honestly, I don’t know how it is on other laptops, but on my Asus, pressing the FN+F2 key combination turns off all wireless modules. The pop-up window says "all wireless device on". Which means that all wireless interfaces are enabled or disabled. At the same time, Wi-Fi does not disappear.

These keys, or switches, should be checked only in extreme cases, when nothing else helps. And manage wireless connections from Windows. Since the combination of special keys does not always work, or they work, but not as needed.

On the same Asus laptop, to turn off or turn on Wi-Fi you need to press the key combination FN+F2.

On laptops DEL, this is the key combination Fn+F2, or Fn+F12. On HP- Fn+F12. Lenovo- Fn+F5 (or, look for a special switch on the laptop case). If you have Samsung, then these are the Fn+F12 or Fn+F9 keys. And on Acer- Fn+F3.

As I already wrote, a special switch can also be used to turn on Wi-Fi. Look at the case of your laptop. And on the key that is used in combination with Fn, an antenna is usually drawn.

It is better not to touch these keys at all. As I wrote above, they do not always work adequately. And they are of little use. Everything is fine, in most cases, pressing keys simply indicates to the system that the Wi-Fi adapter needs to be turned off.

Turn on Wi-Fi in Windows 7

Let's now figure out how to manage the wireless adapter in the operating system itself. Let's start with the most important thing. And most importantly, this is an installed, properly working driver for Wi-Fi (Wireless adapter). If there is no driver, then no matter how hard we try, we will not be able to turn on Wi-Fi. But first things first.

First, let's check if our adapter is enabled. To do this, right-click on the Internet connection icon (in the lower right corner), and select Network and Sharing Center. On the left, select Change adapter settings.

If near the connection "Wireless network connection" written "Disabled", then right-click on it and select Turn on.

After these steps, the Internet connection status should change. And if there are Wi-Fi networks available for connection within a radius, they will be displayed in a list that can be opened by clicking on the icon itself. You can select the desired network and connect to it.

If you do not have a “Wireless Network Connection” connection, then most likely you do not have the driver installed for the Wi-Fi adapter. Install the driver and everything will work.

How to check the operation of the Wi-Fi adapter in Device Manager?

You can also go to Device Manager and see if there is a wireless network adapter there and how it works. To open the device manager, do this: go to Start, then Control Panel. Select a section Equipment and sound. On the tab Devices and Printers click on device Manager.

In the manager, open the tab Network adapters. The Wi-Fi adapter has something like this: "Atheros AR9485WB-EG Wireless Network Adapter". You can navigate by word Wireless. You should have something like this:

If you see an arrow icon next to the driver, then right-click on the adapter itself and select Engage.

If the adapter is not in the device manager at all (usually there is only one network card driver), then you need to install the driver. Again, you can look at the article.

That's all the Wi-Fi settings in Windows 7.

After you finally connect to the wireless network, another surprise may await you - “No Internet access” error. I wrote about the solution to this problem in a separate article.

To connect to the Internet on a laptop via a wireless network, you need not only a WiFi module, but also a working access point. To do this, you will need to buy a router at home, and to access the Internet while sitting somewhere in a cafe, it will be enough to turn on Wi-Fi on your laptop and enter the password for the desired network: installing an access point is the task of the owners of the establishment.

A WiFi module is installed in almost all modern laptops, and it’s easy to check whether your device has such a function. To do this you will need:

Open “Control Panel”;
Launch “Device Manager” (you can use the search bar);
Expand the “Network adapters” block.

An existing device with the word “Wireless” in the name means that your laptop supports wireless Internet.

Turning on Wi-Fi on a laptop using the keyboard

Most often, Wi-Fi can be turned on using hot keys, usually two, pressed simultaneously. Their combination may vary among different laptop manufacturers, but the main Fn key, as a rule, is always there. The second key required to turn it on has a special WiFi icon and is located on the keyboard in the function row F1-F12.

You can learn more about how to enable Wi-Fi on a laptop of a specific brand from the following table.

In devices of the previous generation, Wi-Fi is turned on using a special slider on the laptop body, but the network icon remains the same.

How to turn on Wi-Fi on Windows 10

On laptops with the “Ten”, “Wi-Fi” can be enabled either in the system parameters or using the notification area, and the second method is more convenient and faster:

1. From the taskbar, open system notifications.

2. Open the Network tab.

3. Turn on WiFi by clicking on the corresponding thumbnail.

To enable Wi-Fi on Windows 10 using the options menu, you must:

1. Open “Settings” and select the “Network and Internet” block.

2. Click on the WiFi menu and turn on the wireless network status slider.

After these steps, the laptop will begin searching for all available wireless networks. If it is already in memory, the connection will occur automatically; if the access point for your device is new and protected (you will see a lock icon), you need to select it and enter a password to connect to the Internet.

Connecting WiFi on Windows 7 and 8

For laptops on previous versions of Windows, the algorithm for software enablement of Wi-Fi is different.

1. Go to “Control Panel” – “Network and Internet”, or right-click on the computer icon in the notification panel next to the clock.

2. Select Network and Sharing Center.

3. Click on the “Change adapter settings” menu.

4. Using the right mouse button, turn on the wireless network.

When the Wi-Fi module is working, you need to select an access point (the list will open by clicking on the WiFi icon in the notification area) and, entering the password if necessary, connect to it.

If the Internet via Wi-Fi does not turn on

If Internet access on your laptop still does not appear after all of the above, connect the network cable to the computer directly, open Device Manager through the Control Panel, select the Network Adapters tab, find your Wifi module in the list and try updating the drivers. After that, disconnect the Internet cable and restart the laptop.

If you still cannot turn on the Internet after this, there may be either problems on the provider’s side, or incorrect router settings, or the Wi-Fi module is faulty. The cost of repairs at a service center ranges from 1000 to 2000 rubles, but you can get by with an external WiFi module - on Aliexpress such devices cost about 150 rubles.

When a user purchases a laptop, of course he wants to use all the features it provides. I chose the topic of today’s article, how to enable WiFi on a laptop in Windows 7 or 8, for a reason. It would seem that there is nothing complicated here, but if you do not know some of the nuances, then this procedure will not seem so trivial.

Problems can arise and, fortunately, they can be solved quickly and easily, you just need to know exactly how. In this article we’ll talk about some of the pitfalls that may arise when turning on Wi-Fi.

Is there wifi at all

The first thing we need to do is find out if your computer or laptop has Wi-Fi. Modern laptops, laptops, netbooks, phones and other devices have Wi-Fi. You can check whether your device has one on Google, but I can assure you right away that if you purchased it a long time ago, then the built-in receiver simply may not be there.

When you look for the technical characteristics of your device, look for the Wi-Fi inscription of the same name. For example, description of an Asus laptop:

Physically turning on Wi-Fi

Some laptops have a special slider that you move to turn Wi-Fi on or off. So that you understand what I'm talking about now, look at the image:

Next to it there may be the following inscriptions: “OFF” or “0” - turn off/off, as well as “On” or “1” - on/off. It is usually located on the right or left side of the laptop, and can also be on the front of it.

There are laptop models where to turn Wi-Fi on or off you need to click on the corresponding button, which is in the image below (button on the left):

Often, laptop manufacturers make this button backlit: for example, when Wi-Fi is on, it lights up; if it’s off, the laptop will not light up this button.

Although this is not always the case, that is, this button is not illuminated when turned on, so you must determine for yourself whether Wi-Fi is turned on. To do this, pay attention to the indicators on the front of the laptop. If you turn on Wi-Fi, the indicator that is responsible for this device should light up, thus letting the user know that they can now use it.

Function keys (Fn +)

On laptops from different manufacturers, this procedure is slightly different. Let's look at the hotkey combinations that may be on your laptop:

Acer. Press and hold the keys: “Fn+F3”.
Asus. Combination "Fn+F2".
HP. Here we press “Fn+F12”.
Lenovo. Required buttons: “Fn+F5”.
Samsung. Either "Fn+F12" or "Fn+F9".

Listed above are ways to enable WiFi on the most popular laptop models. However, there is no guarantee that you have one of these laptops.

The Fn button may simply be missing. Then carefully examine all the keys on the keyboard. The WiFi network icon should be drawn on one of them, click it and the network will turn on.

Below you can see what the Wi-Fi icon looks like:

In the screenshot you can see that on this laptop you need to press “Fn” + “F2”.

Turn on Wi-Fi in Windows

If you did the methods described above, but did not succeed in connecting to Wi-Fi, do the following: go to the “Start” menu - “Control Panel” - “Network and Internet” - “Network and Sharing Center”. On the left, click on the item: “Change adapter settings.”

Right-click on: “Wireless Network Connection” and select “Enable”.

If there is no such item, but “Disable” is available, then Wi-Fi is enabled in Windows.

After this, Wi-Fi should work, but if it doesn’t help, or some error has occurred, or there is no network with that name, the question arises: “How to turn on WiFi on a laptop then?” Read on!

If our laptop is not automatically able to connect to the desired network, then the problem may be that the signal receiver device is disabled in the device manager. Now I will show you how to fix this using Windows 7 as an example.

Go to the Start menu, right-click on Computer and select Properties.

In the window that opens, click on “Device Manager” on the left.

From here you can see which components in the laptop can be controlled - activate or disable the necessary device. We find something that has the word in its name Wireless. Right-click on it and select “Engage”.

By the way, if there is a yellow triangle with an exclamation mark next to the service icon, this means that the driver for this device is not installed on the laptop. In this situation, use another device (computer, laptop, netbook, tablet, etc.) through which you download Wi-Fi drivers, transfer them to the laptop and install them.

Other nuances of turning on Wi-Fi

Above, I described in detail how to enable WiFi on a laptop. But so that you can see the full picture of how to turn it on and how to connect to Wi-Fi, please follow the link further, since in this article I talk about other nuances that may arise in your case. The article “” was written using a “live” example, so it will be extremely useful for you.

If you are not familiar with installing drivers, then read: “”. To find the driver, go to the official website of your laptop manufacturer and enter the model in the site search. Then look for the Wireless driver in the list.

I do not rule out that users who read this article do not know the Wi-Fi password. If you don’t know it, then you won’t be able to log into the secure network. To find out how to view the Wi-Fi password, I recommend reading: “”. I also assume that some will ask about hacking, yes, it is possible to hack, but I won’t write about it.

Situations are different and there is no need to exclude the possibility that none of the above tips will help you. What to do then? Luckily for you, there is third-party software that you can safely use. Its meaning is that after installation, this program will automatically turn on every time you start Windows and, when you press a certain key combination, perform certain actions. For example, turn on Bluetooth or WiFi.

There are a huge number of such utilities; I can give SoftSwitch as an example. In addition to the above functions, it can also turn on the camera and TouchScreen. For each of these functions there is a specific combination of keyboard buttons, which you can familiarize yourself with if you decide to download this creation of programmers. Finding this program on Google will not be difficult for you, since it has a Free Soft license (free license). Download it, install it and enjoy!

And that’s probably all I have on this issue. Thanks for reading and I sincerely hope I helped you.

For clarity, watch the video: