No Wi-Fi with local user account

Welcome Gagliardi, Vince,

I understand how frustrating it can be when you set up a Windows 11 Pro device using a local account (via OOBE bypass) and now the Wi‑Fi adapter does not appear in Device Manager. 

Before we proceed, could you help clarify: 

• Was Wi‑Fi working earlier during setup (for example, before using the bypass command), or has it never appeared on this device? 
• Do you see any unknown devices or devices under “Other devices” in Device Manager? 

In addition to Q&A Assist's suggested steps, please try these extra checks to move forward:   

Option 1: Show hidden and disconnected devices  

• Open Device Manager from the Start menu 
• Click View 
• Select Show hidden devices 
• Check under Network adapters and also under Other devices 

Option 2: Scan for hardware changes  

• In Device Manager, click Action 
• Select Scan for hardware changes 
• Wait for Windows to re-detect devices 

I hope this information helps resolve your issue. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me again in this thread. 

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Follow these steps in order, checking Wi‑Fi after each step:

1. Check if the adapter is disabled in Device Manager
   1. Select Search on the taskbar, type Device Manager, and open it.
   2. Expand Network adapters.
   3. If a wireless adapter is listed but has a down arrow icon, press and hold (or right‑click) it and select Enable device.
2. If no wireless adapter is listed
   1. In Device Manager, confirm there is no Wi‑Fi or wireless network adapter under Network adapters.
   2. In this case Windows is not detecting the adapter and the driver may be missing.
   3. On another device with internet access, go to the laptop manufacturer’s support site and download the Windows 11 Wi‑Fi (wireless LAN) driver for this exact model.
   4. Copy it to the new laptop (USB drive, etc.) and install it.
   5. Return to Device Manager and verify the wireless adapter now appears under Network adapters.
3. Check for driver problems
   1. If the adapter appears but has a warning icon, open its Properties and check the Problem number in the Network Adapters section of the wireless network report; this corresponds to a Device Manager error code.
   2. Run Windows Update (Settings → Windows Update) to get the latest driver.
   3. In Device Manager → adapter Properties → Driver tab, confirm Driver Version and Driver Date match the latest version from the manufacturer.
4. Run a network reset (last resort)
   1. Open Settings → Network & internet.
   2. On Windows 11, select Advanced network settings → Network reset.
   3. Select Reset now → Yes and let the PC restart.
   4. After restart, Windows will reinstall network adapters and reset their settings to defaults. Re‑check Device Manager for the Wi‑Fi adapter.

If the adapter still does not appear after installing the correct driver and running network reset, the wireless hardware may be disabled in firmware or faulty, and the device manufacturer’s support should be contacted.

References:

• Fix Wi-Fi connection issues in Windows