How to Know if Your Laptop Has a Wi‐Fi Card

Most laptops made within the last 5 years are equipped with Wi-Fi. If you have an older model or you just want to be certain, it only takes a few clicks of the mouse to discover if your laptop has a WiFi card.

Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Checking the Model of Your Laptop

  1. Image titled Know if Your Laptop Has a Wi‐Fi Card Step 1
    1
    Look on the bottom of your laptop and find the model number. Your laptop will have a model number printed on the bottom--a series of numbers and letters. Copy them down onto a piece of paper.
    • If you can't find the model number on the bottom of your laptop, check the battery case. It may be located inside.
  2. Image titled Know if Your Laptop Has a Wi‐Fi Card Step 2
    2
    Search for the model online. Type the model number of your laptop into a search engine, and can easily find the specifications for your laptop. This will give you all kinds of detailed information, including whether or not your laptop has a WiFi card.
    • If your laptop has been modified since manufacturing, or you bought it second-hand and you're not sure, then you may want to use alternative methods.
    3. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Checking on Windows 7 or Lower

  1. Image titled Know if Your Laptop Has a Wi‐Fi Card Step 3
    1
    Open the Control Panel from the Start menu. The Start menu is located at the bottom left of the computer screen. Click on the Start button to open the menu, then click on "Control Panel."[1]
  2. Image titled Know if Your Laptop Has a Wi‐Fi Card Step 4
    2
    Find the Device Manager in System and Security. When the Control Panel opens, locate the icon that says "System and Security." Click the icon, then select "System." Within the System folder, you will see the Device Manager. Click to open.[2]
    • You may be prompted to enter an administrator password or confirmation when opening the Device Manager.
  3. Image titled Know if Your Laptop Has a Wi‐Fi Card Step 5
    3
    Click on "Network Adapters." The Device Manager shows you all the devices installed on your computer. Open "Network Adapters" to find a list of any Bluetooth, Ethernet, or WiFi Adapters.
  4. Image titled Know if Your Laptop Has a Wi‐Fi Card Step 6
    4
    Locate your WiFi Card. There is no one name for the WiFi card, so you will have to go through the list and look for something with "wireless," "802.11," or "WiFi" in the name.
    • If you don't see anything with "wireless" or "WiFi" in the name, then you do not have a wireless card.
    5. Advertisement
Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Checking on Windows 8 or Higher

  1. Image titled Know if Your Laptop Has a Wi‐Fi Card Step 7
    1
    Open the side menu at the top-right of your screen. Move your mouse to the top right-hand corner of the screen and swipe down. A side menu will pop up.
  2. Image titled Know if Your Laptop Has a Wi‐Fi Card Step 8
    2
    Click "Settings." You will find "Settings" at the bottom of the menu. Click to open the folder.
  3. Image titled Know if Your Laptop Has a Wi‐Fi Card Step 9
    3
    Look at the first of the six icons that appear. A new interface appears when you click "Settings," with six icons at the bottom and five clickable tabs. The first of the six icons should look like five bars, starting small and get larger. If you see this icon, you have a WiFi card in your laptop.
    4. Advertisement
Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

Checking on a Mac with OSX Yosemite

  1. Image titled Know if Your Laptop Has a Wi‐Fi Card Step 10
    1
    Open "About This Mac." Move your mouse to the Apple logo in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. Click to open a drop-down menu, then select "About This Mac" from the options.
  2. Image titled Know if Your Laptop Has a Wi‐Fi Card Step 11
    2
    Click on "System Report." There are different tabs at the top of the "About This Mac" window--stay in the tab labeled "Overview." Locate the button that says "System Report," and click to open.
  3. Image titled Know if Your Laptop Has a Wi‐Fi Card Step 12
    3
    Open "Network" to see your WiFi information. Scroll down on the left panel until you find the "Network" heading and click to expand. Click on "Wi-Fi."
  4. Image titled Know if Your Laptop Has a Wi‐Fi Card Step 13
    4
    Locate your card information under "Interfaces." If you have a WiFi card, it will appear here. It will say "Card Type" and then tell you the name of your card, such as "AirPort Extreme" (yours may be called something different).
    • If you don't have a card, you might also see the error Wi-Fi: No hardware installed on the top right corner of the screen, along with the date and day.
    5. Advertisement

Community Q&A

  • Question
    Should I disable WiFi card adapter if I can not connect to WiFi on my laptop?
    TheWikiHowFurry
    TheWikiHowFurry
    Community Answer
    No. Just reset it. Go to your device manager, find your WiFi card in the device manager, and then click "uninstall." After it uninstalls, restart your computer and it will reinstall the driver.
  • Question
    Can you gave me a name of a laptop that has both Bluetooth and WiFi?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    If you want a laptop with both Bluetooth and WiFi connection capabilities, one suggestion among many is the Lenovo ThinkPad T440s.
Advertisement

Warnings

  • You must never un-install a device unless you know what you are doing. The piece of hardware might not work without the proper files stored on your computer.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
Advertisement

You Might Also Like

Use Laptops
How to
Use Laptops
Connect to a Wireless Internet Connection
How to
Connect to a Wireless Internet Connection
Connect to WiFi on Windows 8
How to
Connect to WiFi on Windows 8
See Who Is Connected to Your Wireless Network
How to
See Who Is Connected to Your Wireless Network
Connect Your PC to Your TV WirelesslyMirror Your Screen to a TV: Miracast, Chromecast & Wireless HDMI
Connect a Router to a Modem
How to
Connect a Router to a Modem
Reset Your Router Password
How to
Reset Your Router Password
Set Up a Wireless Router10 Easy Steps to Set Up a Wireless Router
Install Canon Wireless PrinterHow to Connect a Canon Printer to Wi-Fi on Windows or Mac
Find the WiFi Password of a Past Connection Using Command Prompt (CMD)
How to
Find the WiFi Password of a Past Connection Using Command Prompt (CMD)
Change the Name of a Wireless NetworkEasy Ways to Change the Wi-Fi Network Name
Find the SSID on a Computer
How to
Find the SSID on a Computer
Use a Router As a Switch
How to
Use a Router As a Switch
Add a Password to Your Wireless Internet Connection (WiFi)How to Add a Password to Your Wi-Fi: 6 Methods
Advertisement

References

  1. ↑ http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/open-device-manager#1TC=windows-7
  2. ↑ http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/open-device-manager#1TC=windows-7

About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 263,084 times.
How helpful is this?
Co-authors: 8
Updated: March 29, 2019
Views: 263,084
Categories: Wireless Networking
Advertisement