If you are facing Network Adapter missing Windows 10 or Network Adapter not working issues on your PCs/Laptops, then you are not alone. Here, we are discussing about this problem in details and providing some recommended methods to fix it. One possible solution to fix this issue is to reinstall Network Adapter Windows 10.
Many Windows users reported about this problem on various online platforms including Microsoft Official forum sites and other popular platforms, and asked for the solution.
Users explained that are unable to detect Network Adapter in their Windows OS based devices and also stated that this problem happened many times while they work on their PCs/Laptops.
Some users reported that “Network Adapter missing Windows 10” problem usually occurs after installing a new cumulative update on their Windows 10 devices.
What is Network Adapter missing error?
“Network Adapter Driver” is software required to communicate your Network Adapter (Ethernet or WiFi) with your Operating System version which you have. For example, if you have Realtek Network Adapter on your Windows 10 OS based computer, then you must have compatible Network Adapter driver for your Network Adapter. In case if Network Adapter driver is not installed properly, or missing, corrupted or outdated driver can cause several issues related to Network Connections.
In this case, you need to update or reinstall Network Adapter Driver on Windows 10 to fix this problem. To check Network Adapter driver whether it is properly installed or not, go to “Device Manager” and expand “Network Adapters” category. Check if “Yellow Exclamation Mark” on your “Network Adapter”, then it is sure that driver update is needed.
Reasons behind Network Adapter missing Windows 10
- Some users reported that recently installed Windows update or cumulative update are causing several issues like Network Adapter missing issues
- Missing or corrupted Windows update can cause this type of problem
- Missing, outdated or incompatible Network adapter drivers cause this issues on PCs/Laptops
- Viruses or malware attack can cause Network Adapter not working issues on your machine.
[Tips & Tricks] How to Fix Network Adapter missing Windows 10?
Procedure 1: Automate WMAN AutoConfig
Step 1: Press “Windows + R” key from keyboard and type “services.msc” and then hit “OK” button
Step 2: In the opened “Services” window, locate “WMAN AutoConfig” in the list of services
Step 3: Double-click on it to see its properties
Step 4: Check if “Service Status” is “Running”. If not, click on “Start” under “Service Status”
Step 5: Under “Startup type:”, select “Automatic”
Step 6: Finally, click on “Apply” and “Ok” to save the changes
Step 7: Restart your computer and please check if the problem is resolved.
Procedure 2: Show hidden devices in “Device Manager”
Step 1: Press “Windows + R” key from keyboard and type “devmgmt.msc” and then hit “Enter” key to open “Device Manager”
Step 2: In the opened “Device Manager” window, click on “View > Show hidden devices”
Step 3: Now, click on “Network Adapters” in the list of devices
Step 4: Click on “Actions > Scan for hardware changes”
Step 5: Now, expand “Network Adapters” and please check if the Network adapter is missing on your computer or not
Procedure 3: Reset WinSock using Command Prompt
Step 1: Press “Windows + X” key from keyboard and select “Command Prompt as Administrator”
Step 2: In the opened “Command Prompt” window, type “netsh winsock reset” command and hit “Enter” key to execute it
Step 3: Once done, close Command Prompt and reboot your computer. Once done, please check if Network Adapter missing problem is resolved.
Procedure 4: Perform a cleanup of Network devices
Step 1: Press “Windows + X” key from keyboard and select “Command Prompt as Administrator”
Step 2: Type “netcfg -d” command in Command Prompt and hit “Enter” key to execute
Step 3: Wait to complete the process. Once done, reboot your PCs and check if the issue is resolved.
Procedure 5: Update and reinstall Network Adapter Windows 10
Step 1: Press “Windows + X” key from keyboard and select “Device Manager”
Step 2: Locate “Network Adapters” in the list of devices and expand it
Step 3: Right-click on your Network Adapter driver and select “Update Driver”
Step 4: In the next window, select “Search automatically for updated driver software”
Step 5: This process will automatically reinstall Network Adapter Windows 10 with its latest & updated version. Once done, restart your PCs/Laptops and please check if Network Adapter missing problem is resolved.
Procedure 6: Uninstall and reinstall Network Adapter Windows 10
Step 1: Press “Windows + R” key together to open “Run Dialog Box”
Step 2: In the opened “Run Dialog Box”, type “devmgmt.msc” and hit “Ok” button
Step 3: In the opened “Device Manager” window, look for “Network Adapter” and expand it
Step 4: Right-click on your Network Adapter driver and click on “Uninstall”
Step 5: Once uninstalled, restart your computer and go to “Action” from Menu and click on “Scan for hardware changes”
Step 6: This process will automatically reinstall Network Adapter Windows 10 on your computer. Once done, restart your computer to save the changes
Procedure 7: Rollback Network Adapter driver
Step 1: Press “Windows + X” key from keyboard and select “Command Prompt as Administrator”
Step 2: Find “Network Adapters” in the list of devices and expand it
Step 3: Double-click on your Network Adapter driver to see its “Properties”
Step 4: In the “Properties” window, go to “Driver” tab and click on “Roll Back Driver” and then click on “Ok”
Step 5: This process will replace your Network Adapter driver with older version of your driver.
Step 6: After that, restart your computer and please check if the problem is resolved.
Procedure 8: Perform System Restore
Step 1: Press “Windows + R” key from keyboard to open “Run Dialog Box”
Step 2: In the opened “Run Dialog Box”, type “sysdm.cpl” and hit “Ok” button
Step 3: Go to “System Protection tab > System Restore > Choose a different restore point > Next”
Step 4: In the next window, choose “System Restore Point” you want and then click on “Next > Finish” to finish the process
Step 5: Restart your computer to restore your computer. Once done, please check if Network Adapter not working problem is resolved.
Procedure 9: Reset Network Settings
“Network Reset” feature in Windows 10 allows you to reset all the network settings to their default values. This will fix your network Adapter missing issue and several other known issues.
Step 1: Press “Windows + I” keys together from keyboard to open “Settings” App
Step 2: Click on “Network and Internet” and click on “Status > Network Reset”
Step 3: Confirm your decision by clicking on “Reset Now” button. This will remove then reinstall all your Network Adapters, and set other networking components back to their original settings, you might need to be reinstall other networking software afterwards, like VPN Client Software and Virtual machines
Step 4: Wait to complete the process. Once done, restart your computer to save the changes.
Conclusion
I am sure this article helped you to fix Network Adapter missing Windows 10 or reinstall Network Adapter Windows 10 with several easy methods/procedures. You can choose/follow either one or all procedures mentioned above as per System requirements and your technical knowledge.
If you are unable to fix Network Adapter missing Windows 10 or reinstall Network Adapter Windows 10 with the solutions mentioned above, then it might possible that your System has infected with malware or viruses. According to security researchers, malware or viruses cause several damages in your computer.
