Disappearing notification icons are actually a common occurrence in Windows 10, with the internet and Wi-Fi icons being primary among them. For some reason, what should be a very simple element of Windows 10 is more problematic than it should be. If your internet or Wi-Fi icon has disappeared from the notification tray, here’s how to fix it.
Return the internet icon to the notification tray in Windows 10
Getting the icons back into the notification tray should be as simple as re-enabling them. However, first we should check that your network and/or Wi-Fi are actually working.
- Navigate to Control Panel, Network and Internet and View status and tasks.
- Click ‘Change adapter settings’ on the left to bring up a new window with all your network hardware.
- Check your Ethernet and Wi-Fi cards are enabled.
If they are enabled and seem to be working correctly, check the notification area itself.
- Navigate to Settings, System, Notifications & actions.
- Make sure ‘Show app notifications’ is turned on.
- Click the ‘Turn system icons on or off’ text link.
- Select Network and switch it off then back on again.
- Select Wi-Fi (if enabled) and switch it off then back on again.
In the vast majority of cases forcing Windows to turn network notifications on and off again is enough to bring the icons back to the notification area. The icons should now behave normally, for a while at least!
