Fix: Airplane/Flight Mode Will Not Turn Off on Windows 10 Creators Update

The Windows 10 Creators Update, like many Windows OS updates before it, has turned out to be not as stable an OS build as Microsoft believed it to be when they started rolling it out. The aftermath of the Windows 10 Creators Update’s release has brought to light the many problems and issues that plague the new Windows 10 build. One of the many issues being faced by various Windows 10 users who have downloaded and installed the Creators Update is one where affected computers go into airplane mode and airplane mode cannot be disabled no matter how many times users try to disable it.

When a Windows 10 computer goes into airplane mode, all of its wireless connections –including its wireless internet, or WiFi, connection – are shut down and cannot be started back up until airplane mode is disengaged. Windows 10 computers getting stuck in airplane mode following a Windows update has been a known problem for as long as Windows 10 has existed, with the issue making a comeback whenever a major update to the Windows 10 Operating System is rolled out. Since this is a known issue, it also has a known solution – in most cases, this specific problem can be resolved by simply updating the drivers for the affected computer’s network adapter.

There are two different ways you can go about updating the driver software for a Windows 10 computer’s network adapter, and you are going to need a working internet connection to follow either of those paths. To get a working internet connection while your computer is stuck on airplane mode, simply get a hard-wired Ethernet connection and plug the Ethernet cable into the computer.

Before attempting to proceed with the methods below, make sure the wifi/bluetooth switch is not turned off, on most laptops the switch is located on the left/right side and on some the switch is controlled by Fn and Function keys.

Method 1: Updating the driver software from the Device Manager

1. Right-click on the Start Menu button or press the Windows Logo key + X to open the WinX Menu, and click on Device Manager.
2. In the Device Manager, double-click on the Network adapters section to expand it.
3. Right-click on the very first adapter listed under the Network adapters section, click on Update Driver Software…, click on Search automatically for updated driver software, and wait for Windows to conduct the search. If Windows finds new drivers for the network adapter, they will be automatically downloaded and installed.
4. If there is more than one network adapter listed under the Network adapters section, repeat the previous step for every single one of the listed adapters.
5. Once done, restart your computer and check to see if the problem persists when it boots up.

Method 2: Getting updated driver software from the manufacturer’s website

If Windows was unable to find updated driver software for your computer’s network adapter (or if you simply prefer getting the job done manually, for some reason), the same result can be achieved by downloading updated driver software for the network adapter from the manufacturer’s website and then installing it.

1. Make your way to the Downloads section of the official website of either the manufacturer of the affected computer or the manufacturer of the affected computer’s network adapter – the driver software should be available on both of their websites.
2. Search for driver software for the affected computer’s network adapter and Operating System combo, and check to see if a version of the driver software that is newer than the one the computer already has is available.
3. If a newer version of the driver software is available, simply download the installation package for it.
4. Once the installation package has been downloaded, navigate to where it has been downloaded to, launch it and go through the installation process to install the newer drivers for your network card.
5. Once the newer drivers have been successfully installed, remove the Ethernet connection from the affected computer, restart it and check to see whether or not the issue has been resolved when it boots up.

If, for some reason, the affected computer can’t connect to the internet even through an Ethernet connection, fear not as there is still hope. Simply get yourself on a different computer with a working internet connection and repeat steps 1–3 from Method 2. Once the installation package has been downloaded, navigate to where you saved it, move it onto a USB or another portable storage medium, connect the storage medium to the affected computer, move the installation package to the affected computer, launch the installation package and go through the installation process to install the updated driver software. When the updated driver software has been successfully installed on the affected computer, restart it and check to see whether or not the problem has been fixed when it boots up.

In the event that you cannot update the drivers for the affected computer’s network adapter, no new drivers for the network adapter are available or updating the drivers doesn’t resolve the problem, there is one more solution you can try that many users affected by this issue have found to be highly effective – starting the Radio Management Service. In order to start the Radio Management Service and make sure that it starts up automatically every time you log in to your computer, you need to:

1. Press the Windows Logo key + R to open a Run
2. Type msc into the Run dialog and press Enter.
3. In the Services Manager, scroll down and locate a service named Radio Management.
4. Double-click on the Radio Management service once you locate it.
5. Open the dropdown menu in front of Startup type and click on Automatic to select it.
6. If the Radio Management service is currently stopped (which is probably is), click on Start.
7. Click on Apply, and then on OK.
8. Close the Services Manager and restart the computer. When the computer boots up, check to see whether or not Airplane Mode has been successfully disengaged.