Fix: Windows Wireless Service is not running

If you are unable to access your internet and you run the inbuilt troubleshooter, you might come across a problem where the troubleshooter states “The Windows wireless service is not running on this computer”. The troubleshooter would display this message and exit.

The error message usually means that Windows has failed to initialize the wireless service so it can start searching for broadcasted signals and attempt at connecting to them. The workarounds listed below ‘might’ solve the problem. If they don’t, you may have no choice but to perform a clean installation of Windows after backing up your data.

Solution 1: Checking WLAN Status

Before we move on to other methods, you should make sure that the wireless service is indeed enabled on your computer. This error might also appear if you have the wireless capability turned off on your computer physically or through the inbuilt settings. In both cases, make sure that your Wireless is turned on.

If it was turned off, turn it back on and then try connecting to the wireless network. You will be able to connect without any problems.

Solution 2: Checking WLAN AutoConfig Service

The module WLAN AutoConfig provides the logic and functionality which is required to discover, connect, and configure wireless networks with your computer. It also contains the module which allows your computer to be discoverable to other systems on the network. It is possible that this service is stopped because of which you are getting the error under discussion from the troubleshooter. If it is already turned on, turn it off and then on again to restart the module.

1. Press Windows + R, type “services.msc” in the dialogue box and press Enter.
2. Once in the services window, search for the entry “WLAN AutoConfig”. Right-click it and select Properties.

3. Click on Start to turn the service on and set the startup type as

4. Now try connecting to your Wireless network and see if this fixes the problem.

Solution 3: Resetting Network Configurations

You should try resetting all the Network Configurations and see if this fixes anything. Network settings get disrupted or corrupt in a variety of different cases. This module will reset all the network settings stored on your computer and try reinitializing the steps.

1. Press Windows + S, type “command prompt” in the dialogue box, right-click on the application and select “Run as administrator”.
2. Once in elevated command prompt, execute the following command to reset the winsock data.

netsh winsock reset

3. A restart is required to implement all the changes. After restarting, check the progress of the error.

Note: Make sure that your WiFi drivers are up to date. Navigate to the device manager, locate your hardware, right-click and select Update Driver. Once your drivers are updated, restart your computer. Also, disable the power saving mode of the wireless adapter using power settings on your computer.

Solution 4: Performing a System Restore

There were a lot of cases where installing the latest Windows update broke the wireless mechanism on many systems. It conflicting with the existing architecture and was unable to resolve to the issue using the built-in tools given.

System restore rollbacks your Windows to the last time it was working correctly. The restore mechanism automatically creates backups either periodically or in-time whenever you install a new update.

1. Press Windows + S to launch the start menu’s search bar. Type “restore” in the dialogue box and select the first program which comes in the result.
2. One in the restore settings, press System Restore present at the beginning of the window under the tab of System Protection.

3. Now a wizard will open navigating you through all the steps to restore your system. You can either select the recommended restore point or choose a different restore point. Press Next and proceed with all the further instructions.
4. Now select the restore point where the Windows Update was installed on your computer. If you have more than one restore points available, choose the latest restore point and check the functionality there. If it doesn’t work, you can move on to the next.

5. A prompt will come forward asking you to confirm your actions. Press OK and wait for your system to be restored. After the restoration process, check if the problem is solved.

Note: If this doesn’t work, it is safe to say that you can back up your data and install a clean version of Windows on your computer.