How to Show Network Icon on the Taskbar in Windows 10 & 7

The network icon is enabled by default on your taskbar

3 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Key notes

Typically, the network or wirelessiconappears in the taskbar/notification panel of your PC’s display (even when there is no internet connection or activity).

However, at times, due to one reason or the other, theicondisappears from your Windows 7 taskbar and you cannot use it anymore.

There are a few ways to show the networkiconinTaskbaronWindows 7again.

How can I show the network icon on the taskbar on Windows 10?

How can I show the network icon on my taskbar in Windows 7?

If your Windows 7 network icon is missing,you can retrieve it easily by checking the hidden panel with minimized applications. If it’s there, just drag it back to theTaskbar.

If that’s not the case reconfigure the taskbar in System settings or restart Windows Explorer. Read in detail about solutions below.

1. Check the Hidden Panel in the Taskbar

Most times, the network is actually hidden and not missing. When this happens, the user (or a third party) has probably dragged the networkiconinto the hidden bar.

To get it back, all you have to do is to drag and drop theiconfrom the hidden panel back to its original location.

To do this, follow the steps below:

Note: This method applies to bothWindows 10andWindows 7

In the event that the networkicondid not display in thetaskbarand the hidden panel, you can try the next method to resolve the issue.

2. Reconfigure the Taskbar to display the Network icon

If the networkiconis not showing up in the Windows 7taskbar, it is possible that your system has been reconfigured to remove theiconfrom thetaskbar. This could have been done by a third party or even by yourself, unintentionally.

You can reconfigure your taskbar to re-enable the network icon in just a few steps, as shown below.

1. Navigate to the taskbar area and right-click on it.

SelectPropertiesfrom the displayed options.
Go to theTaskbarsection and navigate toNotification Area.
Click onCustomize.
In the right-hand window, click onSelect which icons and notifications appear on the taskbar.
Now, navigate toIconsand locatetheNetworkoption.
Go to theBehaviorssubsection (beside Icons), and click on theShow icon and notificationsdrop-downmenu next to ‘Network’.
In the menu, selectOn.
Follow the on-screen commands to finish up the process.
Exit the program and check if the problem is resolved. If not, you can try the next method.

3. Restart Windows Explorer

To run this procedure, follow the steps below:

If the above methods could not resolve the issue, you can try and reconfigure thetaskbardisplay in “Registry Editor (Regedit)” and/or the “Group Policy Editor (gpedit)”. The latter – gpedit – is, however, only applicable (for fixing this particular error) onWindows 10.

We have a dedicated in-depth article on what to do if theWi-Fi icon is missing on Windows 10that you can check out.

We hope you managed to show the network icon on your Windows 7’s taskbar following our guide. Let us know in the comments section below whether you have any questions.

How to Show Network Icon on the Taskbar in Windows 10 & 7#

How can I show the network icon on the taskbar on Windows 10?#

How can I show the network icon on my taskbar in Windows 7?#

1. Check the Hidden Panel in the Taskbar#

2. Reconfigure the Taskbar to display the Network icon#

3. Restart Windows Explorer#