Dell Latitude WiFi Not Working - How To Fix

Wireless connections are now the order of the day. You expect them to work. They must work.

But what if they suddenly don't work, then that's a problem.

Don't worry though.

Sometimes solving them is easier than you think, even if you're not a technical person.

Enable the Dell Latitude WiFi button

Before you embarrass yourself by calling tech support, read this quick and easy fix on how I discovered and fixed mine.

Most devices are configured to automatically connect to home or work networks. I have the same setup and one day a friend of mine decided to play a trick on me.

He intentionally disabled WiFi connectivity with the laptop's external button. I had the Dell Co i7 6230 latitude which has a button to disable WiFi connectivity on the right side of the laptop next to the external graphics card slot.

I was surprised that my laptop somehow didn't connect. . Tried Troubleshooting Wizard, WiFi key combination nothing. Until I remembered the Wi-Fi switch button.

Slide it down, that's all it took and the Wi-Fi connectivity issue is fixed.

Yes, I was crazy but good lesson learned, problem solved.

So don't make the same mistake

Where to find the Dell latitude WiFi button

If you own a Dell Latitude, be it an ultrabook or the e-series it's likely to have a WiFi button that you can turn on and off.

Location varies by model, look for a button like the Dell Latitude below

Dell Latitude WIFI Button. Toggle the button to enable or disable WiFi.

If the switch is off, you don't see the WiFi icon on the LED indicators when you turn it on, you should see the icon with the symbol below glowing white. If you look at it, it's so easy to slip it by mistake, even unintentionally.

Wi-Fi button, it turns white on a Dell Latitude laptop when it's streaming and your laptop can connect to the network

Enable WiFi with the Fn key combination

disable touchpad

, connecting to a projection, enabling and disabling connectivity, etc.

To enable WiFi with keyboard combinations press the function key labeled Fn on the keyboard simultaneously press the key with the network icon I showed above. On most laptops its Fn + F2

This should activate the network.

Note that some laptops do not support this feature.

Airplane mode disabled WiFi

Disable Airplane Mode in Windows 10

Yes, we have included it here. No, I don't think you are stupid.

It's easy to miss the little things when you're on a deadline and angry that your laptop won't connect to the internet.

With that says check if your laptop is not in airplane mode.

On Windows 10, it's easier to turn off airplane mode

First, click on Start and then on the Settings icon. (Note that you can also search for settings and click on the settings icon).

In the Settings window, select the option "Network & Internet Category"

Open Question: How to turn on wifi on DELL Inspiron Laptop? http://goo.gl/fb/NzTkR

— Aman Fri Apr 01 19:59:01 +0000 2011

At the top left of the page, there should be "WiFi" followed by the "Airplane Mode" menu options. Select the "Airplane Mode" menu.

Now look for the option that says Airplane mode off “Turn it on to stop all wireless communication”. If the switch is on, it means you won't be able to receive incoming connections, including Bluetooth. Disable it now, you should now have your connections restored.

Network adapter malfunction

In some cases it could be a system malfunction and your Dell latitude adapter just needs to be disabled and enabled.

To disable and enable the Dell latitude network adapter

Go to Device Manager.

Open This PC on your computer.

Right-click on an empty space and select Properties.

Device Manager.

Click and expand on the network adapter.

Right on your network adapter, for example Intel.

Select disable, the menu should fold and unfold as you change.

Now select Enable and then try to see if you can connect.

Windows Network Troubleshooter

Windows has a lot of nifty tools built in to help you troubleshoot. Network troubleshooting will also help you solve your network problems or give you ideas about potential problems.

To start the Troubleshooting Wizard, go to the system notification area. Right-click the Network icon, select Troubleshoot.

The wizard starts, follow the wizard instructions and select the scenarios that seem to occur on your computer.

WiFi Drivers

Pilots, Pilots, of course.

They always cause problems. They get corrupted, you install the wrong ones, they get misconfigured, all of these issues can lead to connectivity issues on your latitude.

I recommend downloading the drivers from the Dell website, or if you're really tech-savvy, figure out which WiFi card you have and download it from the manufacturer's website. Third-party sources for drivers should be the last option to avoid driver conflicts.

For

download dell drivers

from the Dell website

Go to the dell.com support page

Enter your

service tag to identify your computer

Select the operating system you are using

Download drivers

How did you resolve your connectivity issue

You have solved the WiFi connectivity problem, great, we would like to know which method you used. Share it in the comments below, maybe it can help someone.

We can also add it and/or improve this article