I accidentally selected "Forget" for my Wi‑Fi network in Windows 11. Now my network—and apparently no other nearby networks—appears in the available Wi‑Fi list. How can I make Windows scan for networks again and reconnect?
3 Answers
Open the Wi‑Fi menu from the taskbar and toggle Wi‑Fi off and back on. You can also open Settings > Network & internet > Wi‑Fi and look for an option to show available networks or refresh the list. Once your network appears, select it and enter the password.
Forgetting a network only removes its saved password; it doesn’t disable Wi‑Fi. If the network is listed, select it and enter the password again. If no networks appear at all, restart the computer first and also restart the router.
My network isn’t showing up, and I don’t see any other networks either.
If a restart doesn’t bring back the network list, check whether Wi‑Fi is enabled and make sure Airplane mode is off. You can also open Device Manager, expand Network adapters, and check whether the wireless adapter is disabled or has a warning icon. If the adapter is missing entirely, its driver or hardware may need attention. A hidden network is possible, but it’s uncommon; in that case you would need to add it manually using its exact network name and password.
How can I tell whether the Wi‑Fi adapter has failed or is just disabled?
I’m using Windows 11. Where exactly do I refresh the list?