How to disable or enable Wi-Fi in Windows 11
To disable Wi-Fi in Windows 11, press Windows + A to open Quick Settings and click the Wi-Fi tile; click it again to turn Wi-Fi back on. You can also use Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi, disable the wireless adapter in Settings or Device Manager, or run netsh interface set interface name="Wi-Fi" admin=disabled in an elevated Command Prompt.
This guide covers every built-in method, from the one-click toggle to the command line, and explains the difference between turning Wi-Fi off and disabling the Wi-Fi adapter. Wi-Fi is on by default in Windows 11, and Windows reconnects to known networks automatically until you switch it off.
Turn off Wi-Fi in Windows 11 Quick Settings
Quick Settings is the fastest way to turn Wi-Fi off or on in Windows 11, and it works on every edition without admin rights.
- Click the network icon in the system tray on the right side of the taskbar, next to the volume icon, or press Windows + A.
- Click the Wi-Fi tile. A highlighted (colored) tile means Wi-Fi is on; a plain tile means it is off.
- Click the tile again to turn Wi-Fi back on.
The arrow on the right side of the Wi-Fi tile opens the list of nearby networks. Use it to switch to a different access point; the list has its own Wi-Fi toggle at the top. If the network icon is missing from the taskbar, check which icons Windows hides in the overflow area with this guide on showing all system tray icons in Windows 11.
Keyboard shortcut to turn off Wi-Fi in Windows 11
Windows 11 has no dedicated keyboard shortcut that toggles Wi-Fi by itself; the closest built-in shortcut is Windows + A, which opens Quick Settings with the Wi-Fi tile at the top. Microsoft lists Windows + A in its official Windows keyboard shortcuts as the shortcut that opens this panel.
Many laptops add a hardware option on top of that:
- A function key with a wireless antenna or airplane symbol, often pressed together with the Fn key. What it does depends on the manufacturer: some keys toggle Wi-Fi, others toggle airplane mode.
- A physical wireless switch on the side or front of older laptops. Microsoft notes in its Wi-Fi troubleshooting guide that some laptops have one, and it must be on for Wi-Fi to work.
- Airplane mode, which turns off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and cellular at once. It sits in Quick Settings and under Settings > Network & internet > Airplane mode.
Check the key labels or the manual of your device to find out which wireless key it has.
Disable Wi-Fi in the Windows 11 Settings app
The Settings app offers the same on/off switch as Quick Settings, plus a timer that turns Wi-Fi back on automatically.
- Press Windows + I, or select Start > Settings.
- Open Network & internet.
- Turn the Wi-Fi toggle off, or on to reconnect.
Click the Wi-Fi entry itself (not the toggle) to open the full Wi-Fi page. When you turn Wi-Fi off here, Windows shows a "Turn Wi-Fi back on" menu where you can choose to restore Wi-Fi after 1 hour, 4 hours or 1 day. That is handy for a focused work session or a meeting without network notifications.
The same page lets you open the properties of the active connection, show available networks, use Manage known networks to forget saved networks, view the hardware properties of the adapter and enable random hardware addresses for better privacy. To give a saved connection a clearer label, see how to change network names on Windows 11.
How to disable the Wi-Fi adapter in Windows 11
Disabling the Wi-Fi adapter switches off the wireless hardware for Windows completely, so no app, toggle or shortcut can turn Wi-Fi back on until you enable the adapter again. Use it when a PC should stay on Ethernet only, or to reset a misbehaving wireless card.
Option 1, Settings: Go to Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings. Under Network adapters, click Disable next to the Wi-Fi adapter. Click Enable to restore it.
Option 2, Device Manager:
- Right-click Start and select Device Manager.
- Expand Network adapters.
- Right-click the wireless adapter (it usually has "Wireless", "Wi-Fi" or "802.11" in its name) and select Disable device, then confirm with Yes.
- Right-click it and select Enable device to turn it back on.
Option 3, Control Panel: Open Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings, right-click the Wi-Fi connection and select Disable.
Disable Wi-Fi with Command Prompt (netsh) or PowerShell
The command line disables the Wi-Fi interface in one line, which is useful for scripts, remote sessions and desktop shortcuts. Open Command Prompt or Terminal with Run as administrator.
First, find the exact interface name. The default wireless interface is usually called "Wi-Fi", but it can be "Wi-Fi 2" or a custom name:
netsh interface show interface
Then disable or enable the WLAN interface with the netsh interface command:
netsh interface set interface name="Wi-Fi" admin=disabled
netsh interface set interface name="Wi-Fi" admin=enabled
In PowerShell, list adapters with Get-NetAdapter and use the Disable-NetAdapter cmdlet. It asks for confirmation by default; -Confirm:$false skips the prompt:
Disable-NetAdapter -Name "Wi-Fi" -Confirm:$false
Enable-NetAdapter -Name "Wi-Fi"
Both commands disable the adapter, not just the radio, so the Quick Settings tile disappears until you enable it again. Do not run them over a remote session that depends on the Wi-Fi connection: you will lose access to the PC.
Check which Wi-Fi protocol your Windows 11 PC supports
To see which Wi-Fi standards your adapter supports, run netsh wlan show drivers in Command Prompt or Terminal and check the Radio types supported line. According to Microsoft, 802.11ax stands for Wi-Fi 6 and 6E, and 802.11be for Wi-Fi 7. The same output lists the supported authentication methods, including WPA3 Personal and WPA3 Enterprise.
For the network you are connected to, open Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi and select the properties of your network. The page shows connection details such as the network band and channel.
FAQ
What is the difference between turning off Wi-Fi and airplane mode?
Turning off Wi-Fi only stops wireless network connections. Airplane mode turns off all wireless radios at once, including Bluetooth and mobile data, and Microsoft recommends checking that it is off when Wi-Fi will not connect.
Why is the Wi-Fi tile missing from Quick Settings?
The tile disappears when the Wi-Fi adapter is disabled or its driver is not working. Enable the adapter in Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings or in Device Manager, and check that any physical wireless switch is on.
Does turning off Wi-Fi disconnect an Ethernet connection?
No. The Wi-Fi toggle and the Wi-Fi adapter commands only affect the wireless interface, so a wired Ethernet connection stays online.
Related: display all system tray icons in Windows 11, rename network profiles in Windows 11, fix broken taskbar icons by rebuilding the icon cache
C’est vrai qu’on est un peu limités lol
Sérieusement, merci pour l’article !
low quality article … what’s next? how can I pair a bluetooth device? come on!
You can cancel your subscription if you’re offended.
The WIFI can be disabled in the CMOS settings as well. Although it’s not in Windows, it is preferable if a person dual boots from a computer that is wired to the LAN.
You can also do it using netsh — useful if you want to write a macro or have something running in the background that automatically disables it when, say, you plug in an Ethernet cable. To do so, go to Settings > Network & Internet, or use the command “ipconfig” on the command line to find out the name of the wifi adapter (e.g.: “Wi-Fi”). Then type this command to disable wifi:
netsh interface set interface “Wi-Fi” disable
You can also re-enable with:
netsh interface set interface “Wi-Fi” enable
When I was setting up a printer, I discovered it was easier to connect the printer to the network via Wi-Fi rather than using an Ethernet cable to the modem/router. It was also easier to connect the other computers in the home to the printer using Wi-Fi. Meaning–the computers running Windows 11 have both Wi-Fi and Ethernet. Windows 10 is already on Wi-Fi. Linux is using either a USB Wi-Fi dongle or a PowerLIne adapter.
Fantastic. For my next lesson I would like to know how to turn off the computer. I am 173 years old and I always read this blog for solutions to these complicated issues. Also: I always put my sandwiches on the mousey thingy carpet, is that ok?
LOL
Perhaps the hard core sarcasm was a bit much, Bobo, but I’ll admit that my first thought when I read the Martin’s article was that it was certainly on the elementary side for this site. I mean if you had trouble figuring out how to turn on wifi: 1) you probably wouldn’t be reading gHacks; and 2) you might have trouble using the internet at all.
very informative, thank you sir