Wi-Fi Connected means that your computer is connected to the Wi-Fi router selected in the Wi-Fi list.

Wi-Fi Not Connected means that your computer can connect to a Wi-Fi router if one is nearby.

Wi-Fi Disabled means that your Wi-Fi is disabled from connecting to any Wi-Fi router, which is sometimes used for troubleshooting connectivity problems or troublesome software.

Airplane Mode was originally designed for when travelling on an airplane and all radio devices must be disabled as not to interfere with sensitive airplane electronics. While this is still a valid use of the airplane mode, it is also commonly used to save battery power when Internet isn’t needed, or when you need to isolate your computer from the Internet. It is important to note that when airplane mode is enabled, everything that your computer radio normally uses including Wi-Fi, bluetooth, mobile hotspot or cellular data (4G/LTE) will all be disabled.

To switch Wi-Fi on an off, click the Wi-Fi icon in the Windows task bar, and either select a wireless network or click airplane mode.

If you are connected to the Internet using a wire connection, which may directly connect to your computer or to your laptop dock, and you unplug this wire or undock your laptop, your device usually automatically searches for a Wi-Fi network to connect to.

If a Wi-Fi router is within range of your device and at least one Wi-Fi network has Connect Automatically is selected, it will automatically connect. If there is not a Wi-Fi router within range and Connect Automatically is not selected, you can still select a Wi-Fi router by clicking the Wi-Fi icon in the Windows task bar.

Sometimes you may be connected to a Wi-Fi router, but you still cannot access the Internet. This is usually caused by a problem located somewhere in the network between the Internet provider and the Wi-Fi router.

To perform basic troubleshooting on a Wi-Fi connection:

Press and hold the Windows key and tap the R key once

A run box window will appear, and in the input line type cmd

In the Command Prompt window, type: control.exe /name Microsoft.NetworkandSharingCenter

Press the Enter key

A new window Network and Sharing Center will appear

You can now select your network connection on the right side, under the View your active networks section, just beside Connections:

When you click your network name on the right side, a status window will appear. Click Diagnose to start the step-by-step Windows automated network diagnosis tool.