The Wi‑Fi icon has been missing from the taskbar for more than a month. I've tried reinstalling the Intel Wi‑Fi 6E AX211 drivers and reinstalling Windows, but nothing fixed it. HP support suggested using its cloud recovery tool, though it repeatedly failed to create a bootable USB drive, and Windows Media Creation Tool did not resolve the problem either. The adapter still appears under Network Adapters in Device Manager, but it has an error icon next to it and no longer appears in the normal Wi‑Fi menu. Has anyone dealt with this or found a solution?
2 Answers
First, check Device Manager under Network Adapters. If the Intel AX211 is listed with a yellow warning icon, the adapter is being detected but its driver or device configuration is failing. The missing taskbar icon is probably just a symptom of that underlying error. The exact Device Manager error code would help identify whether this is a driver, firmware, or hardware problem.
Some HP laptops can toggle wireless networking with Fn+F12, so it’s worth checking that shortcut and the wireless indicator. However, if the AX211 remains visible in Device Manager with an error icon, this is more likely a driver or device issue than Wi‑Fi simply being switched off.
It isn’t just turned off—the adapter shows an error in Device Manager, so it seems to be a driver-related problem.
The adapter does appear in Device Manager, but it has an error symbol beside it. It has disappeared from the usual taskbar network menu as well.