WiFi network not showing up can refer to two scenarios –either the WiFi doesn’t work at all, oryour device can’t find one specific network.
In the first case, you shouldtroubleshoot the network adapterto ensure it’s loaded properly and not disabled.
The second case mainly happens due to compatibility issues related to the WiFi generation, channels, and security mode.
To fix this problem, try tomanually add the networkfirst. If that fails, you may try the rest of the fixes as they’re helpful for both scenarios.
Join the Network Manually
New technologies like WiFi 6 and WPA3 are backward compatible to an extent. But many older devices struggle to connect to networks that use these techs.
Similarly, some networks don’t broadcast their SSID as a form of security by obscurity.
Manual setup sometimes helps in the first case, while it is the expected way to connect in the latter. To do this,
If your device uses an old network adapter, this method may not help as it could simply be incompatible with your router and WiFi. For instance, if the router isonly broadcasting 5 GHz WiFi, old adapters designed for 2.4 GHz WiFi won’t detect the network.
But beforeupgrading the adapter, you should at least try the fixes from this guide. They cover a lot of other potential causes.
Quick Networking Fixes
Depending on your circumstances, only some of these fixes may be relevant to you. Some people may be struggling to connect to a public network.
Or, others might not have a WiFi switch on their device. So, just try the ones applicable to you:
There are a few more helpful quick fixes, but these ones are destructive. You’ll have to reconfigure the settings after resetting (router setup, joining WiFi networks, etc.). If that’s a problem, feel free to come back to these after trying everything else:
Troubleshoot Wireless Drivers
