wifi will not work can it be fixed?

[birhter]

wifi not working with HP Pavilion laptop. is there a fix... works fine with eithernet cable

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @birhter 

Welcome to the HP Support Community! We're here to help you get back up and running.

I understand your HP Pavilion laptop’s Wi-Fi isn’t working, but Ethernet works fine. That means the internet is okay, but the laptop’s wireless adapter / driver / settings are the problem. 

Let’s go step by step:

Quick Fixes

Check Wi-Fi switch or key

Some HP Pavilion models have a physical Wi-Fi button (F12 key with antenna icon).

If the light is orange, Wi-Fi is off → press it once (Fn + F12 on some models).

Enable Wi-Fi in Windows

Press Win + I → Network & Internet → Wi-Fi → make sure it’s turned ON.

Or click the network icon in the taskbar → enable Wi-Fi.

Airplane Mode

Make sure Airplane Mode is off (Win + A opens Quick Settings).

Driver Fix

Check Device Manager

Press Win + X → Device Manager.

Expand Network adapters.

Do you see something like Intel Wireless / Realtek / Broadcom?

If it has a ⚠️ yellow mark or ❌, the driver is missing/corrupt.

Update / Reinstall Driver

Right-click Wi-Fi adapter → Update driver → Search automatically.

If that doesn’t work:

Go to HP Support website → enter your Pavilion’s model → download the latest Wi-Fi driver.

Install and restart.

Advanced Checks

BIOS settings: Sometimes Wi-Fi gets disabled in BIOS. Restart → press Esc or F10 → check Wireless settings.

Network reset:
Settings → Network & Internet → Advanced → Network reset → Restart PC.

Windows Update: Ensure you have the latest cumulative update (some updates break Wi-Fi until patched).

Can you check Device Manager and tell me whether your Wi-Fi adapter shows up there, or if it’s missing? That will tell us whether this is just a driver issue or a hardware failure.

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Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye