Show Network icon in Taskbar on Windows 7/ Windows 10 [GUIDE]

September 2022 · 4 minute read
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    • Typically, the network or wireless icon appears in the taskbar/notification panel of your PC’s display (even when there is no internet connection or activity). However, at times, due to one reason or the other, the icon disappears from your taskbar. And there are a few ways to show network icon in Taskbar on Windows 7 and Windows 10 again.

    Why is the Network icon missing from the Taskbar? You can retrieve it easily by checking the hidden panel with minimized applications. If it’s there, just drag it back to the Taskbar. If that’s not the case reconfigure the taskbar in System settings or restart Windows Explorer.

    Read in detail about solutions below.

    Network icon is missing from the taskbar on Windows 7 and Windows 10

  • Check the Hidden Panel in the Taskbar
  • Reconfigure the Taskbar to Display Network Icon
  • Restart Windows Explorer

    • 1. Check the Hidden Panel in the Taskbar

    Most times, the network is actually hidden and not missing. When this happens, the user (or a third-party) has probably dragged the network icon into the hidden bar. To get it back, all you have to do is to drag and drop the icon from the hidden panel back to its original location.

    To do this, follow the steps below:

  • Expand the hidden panel in your taskbar. It is typically denoted by a triangular arrow (facing up).
  • In the hidden bar, locate the network/Wi-Fi icon.
  • Double click on the icon, and hold and drag it back to its original location in the taskbar.drag network icon to taskbar
  • You are all set!

    • Note: This method applies to both Windows 10 and Windows 7

    In the event that the network icon did not display in the taskbar and the hidden panel, you can try the next method to resolve the issue.

    2. Reconfigure the Taskbar to Display Network Icon

    If the network icon is not showing up in the taskbar, it is possible that your system has been reconfigured to remove the icon from the taskbar. This could have been done by a third party or even by yourself, unintentionally.

    To enable/add the network icon to the taskbar, follow the steps outlined below:

    On Windows 10

  • Click on the ‘Windows’ icon to open the ‘Start’ menu.
  • Click on the Settings icon in the ‘Start’ menu.
  • In the ‘Settings‘ window, click on the System menu.windows 10 system settings
  • Select Notifications & actions.windows 10 notifications & actions settings
  • Click on Add or remove quick actions.windows 10 add or remove quick actions settings
  • On the list of options, locate the Network and toggle it to On.windows 10 network quick actions enable
  • Close the window.
  • Check if the network icon is now displayed in the taskbar.

    • Windows 7

  • Navigate to the taskbar area and right-click on it.
  • Select Properties from the displayed options.
  • Go to the Taskbar section and navigate to Notification Area; click on Customize.
  • In the right-hand window, click on Select which icons and notifications appear on the taskbar
  • Now, navigate to the Icons and locate Network.
  • Go to the Behaviors subsection (beside Icons), click on the Show icon and notifications drop-down menu next to ‘Network’
  • In the menu, select On.
  • Follow on-screen commands to finish up the process.
  • Exit program.

    • Check if the problem is resolved. If not, you can try the next method.

    3. Restart Windows Explorer

    To run this procedure, follow the steps below:

  • Right-click on the ‘taskbar‘ area of your screen.
  • Select Task Manager from the list of options.task manager power user menu
  • In the ‘Task Manager‘ window, go to the Processes
  • Locate and right-click on Windows Explorer /exe.
  • Select Restart (on Windows 10) or select End Process (on Windows 7).task manager processes restart windows explorer
  • Follow the prompt commands to finish the process.

    • This should fix the issue.

    Closing Note

    If the above methods could not resolve the issue, you can try and reconfigure the taskbar display in “Registry Editor (Regedit)” and/or the “Group Policy Editor (gpedit)”. The latter – gpedit – is, however, only applicable (for fixing this particular error) on Windows 10.

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