How to Fix Can’t Turn Off Airplane Mode in Windows 10 1. Try Physical Function Key: 2. Try Option Network Reset: 3. Enable and Disable Wireless Adapter: 4. Update Network Drivers: 5. Modify Power Settings. Airplane mode is enabled automatically, how do I turn it off? Even if your PC has a hardware switch for airplane mode, it is recommend to use the following steps instead. Some hardware switches might turn off your wireless connection in a way that lets certain apps turn the connection back on without telling you.
Over the past few days, I had to turn on the Airplane mode in Windows 10 a couple of times. As you likely know, the Airplane mode can be turned on or off quickly by clicking the Action Center icon in the system tray and then clicking Airplane tile.
What’s Airplane or flight mode?
The Airplane mode in Windows was first introduced with Windows 8. The Airplane mode does nothing but simultaneously turns off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. On a mobile phone, the Airplane or flight mode disables Wi-Fi, mobile network, FM radio, and Bluetooth connections simultaneously.
Although the Airplane mode is a handy feature available in Windows 10, the problem with this feature is that, at times, it’s hard to turn off the Airplane mode. Yes, when the Airplane is turned on, clicking the Airplane tile on the Action Center should turn off the mode but that doesn’t happen always on Windows 10.
The other problem with this feature is that the Airplane icon continues to appear in the system tray on the taskbar even after disabling the Airplane mode. In other words, the Airplane icon which appears once you turn on the Airplane mode, refuses to go way even after turning off the mode.
If you’re unable to turn off or disable Airplane/flight mode in Windows 10, here is how to turn it off and connect to your Wi-Fi connection.
Method 1 – turn off Airplane mode under Settings
Method 2 – turn on Wi-Fi when Airplane mode is on
Method 3 – Get rid of Airplane mode icon from system tray
Method 1 of 3
Turn off the Airplane mode via Settings
If you have tried this method already, please scroll down to see Method 2.
Step 1: Open Settings app by clicking or tapping Settings icon in the left-pane of the Start menu. Settings can also be launched using Windows logo + I hotkey.
Step 2: Once Settings launched, click or tap Network & Internet.
Step 3: Click or tap Airplane mode. Change the toggle button position under Turn this on to stop all wireless communication to off position to turn off the Airplane mode. Once the Airplane mode is turned off, make sure that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth switches under Wireless devices section are turned on.
Method 2 of 3
Turn on Wi-Fi under Settings
Windows 10 Cannot Turn Off Airplane Mode
If you are unable to turn off the Airplane mode from Action Center or Settings (by following instructions in Method 1) and want to connect to a Wi-Fi connection right away, you can do so by following given below directions.
Step 1: When the Airplane mode is refusing to go off, open Settings by clicking or tapping the Settings icon on the left-side of the Start menu as shown in the picture below.
Step 2: Once Settings app is launched, click or tap Network and Internet.
Step 3: Click or tap Wi-Fi. Turn on the Wi-Fi by changing toggle switch to On position to see all available Wi-Fi connections.
Step 4: Click or tap on the Wi-Fi connection that you would like to connect to and then click or tap Connect button. If you have configured Windows 10 automatically connect to a Wi-Fi connection, your PC will automatically connect to that connection as soon as you turn on the Wi-Fi.
Method 3 of 3
Remove Airplane mode icon from system tray
As mentioned before, the Airplane mode doesn’t go away even after turning off the mode. If you want to get rid of the icon, follow given below directions.
Step 1: Open Windows Explorer (any folder), if it’s not already running.
Step 2: Right-click on the empty area of the taskbar and then click Task Manager to open the same. Alternatively, you can use Ctrl + Shift + Esc hotkey to quickly open the Task Manager.
Step 3: If the taskbar is opened with limited details view (refer to the picture below), click More details button go the full view.
Step 4: Under Processes tab, right-click on the Windows Explorer entry, and then click Restart option to restart the File Explorer including the taskbar.
Restarting Windows Explorer will refresh icons on the taskbar. The Airplane mode icon should go away now.
Airplane mode is a great feature for using your laptop or mobile during flights. Airplane mode in Windows 10 also enables you to get rid of many annoying features and takes you off grid if you want to focus and enjoy solitude. However, it becomes a nuisance when it gets stuck. A lot of users have reported Windows 10 stuck at Airplane mode problem. When users try to get rid of Airplane mode, the option is grayed out and airplane mode won’t turn off. In this article, we will tell you a number of ways using which you can fix this problem and turn off airplane mode in Windows 10.
Fix Windows 10 Stuck at Airplane Mode: Turn off Airplane Mode
Disable Save Power Feature
Open Device manager. You can do this by right clicking on the start button and then clicking the “Device Manager” option.
Head over to the Network Adapter section and expand it. You can expand it by clicking on + sign or double clicking over it.
Go to the network adapters section. In this area, find out what your wireless network is and go to its properties by right clicking on it.
You will see the Properties dialog box of your adapter. Now go to the power management tab.
Now uncheck the option which says Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power as shown in the image below.
Press ok button and apply changes.
This solution will fix unable to turn off Airplane mode in Windows 10. If this solution doesn’t solve the problem, move on to the next solution.
Using Function and PrintScreen Key
Another great and easy solution is luring around on the internet which fixes the Windows 10 stuck at airplane mode, and turns off airplane mode. You can disable airplane mode by pressing the function key ‘fn’ along with the print screen ‘PrtSc’ key and keep pressing until you see the Airplane mode disable message.
Using the Physical Button
There are many laptops in the market which have physical buttons for the airplane mode. You will never be able to turn off airplane mode in Windows 10 if that button is turned off. For example, some users said they found out a small button responsible for airplane mode just under physical switch just below the mouse pad. You must look around the see if there is any button on your laptop. There is another button on the keyboard, mostly with the plane picture on it which turn on or off the airplane mode.
Unplug USBs
Some users were also fix unable to turn off airplane mode by unplugging my USB cable from USB battery or usb ports and restarting the computer. After restarting you will see that the airplane mode is no longer active.
Press Wifi Key/Button
Many users, especially those of Dell Inspiron laptops, were able to turn off airplane mode in Windows 10 by using the Wifi button from the keyboard. On Dell, it is on the right side of F12 key and on other laptops, the position could vary. Just try pressing the Wifi button and see the magic.
Update Drivers
You must update network, wireless drivers by going to the device manager.
These were the ways using which you can fix Windows 10 stuck at airplane mode. You can turn off Windows 10 airplane mode by trying the above steps one by one. In case the problem isn’t solved, comment on this post with the details of your machine and we will get back to you.
Images: howto-connect