Airplane mode is a familiar feature on mobile devices, but its presence on desktops or laptops can sometimes be surprising. This mode quickly turns off all wireless communications on your PC, helping to conserve battery life and avoid interruptions. In Windows 11 or Windows 10, besides disabling WiFi, Airplane mode also turns off Bluetooth, NFC, GPS, and other wireless services. This can be particularly useful if your device unexpectedly gets stuck in Airplane mode or if you’re just looking to manage your device’s wireless communications efficiently.
How to Turn Airplane Mode On or Off via the Network Flyout in Windows 11 and Windows 10
- Turn Airplane Mode On by Pressing the WiFi Button and Clicking the Airplane Icon
Click on the WiFi or network icon in your system tray. If the airplane icon is grey, Airplane Mode is currently off. To enable it, click the airplane icon. This action will also grey out the WiFi and mobile hotspot icons, indicating that Airplane Mode is active.
- Turn Off Airplane Mode by Pressing the Airplane Icon and Clicking the Airplane Mode Toggle
To disable Airplane Mode, access the network settings through the same WiFi icon in your system tray. Press the airplane icon again; if Airplane Mode is active, the icon will be highlighted. Clicking it will toggle off Airplane Mode and reactivate your WiFi and mobile data connections.
How to Turn on or off Airplane mode via Action Center in Windows 10
- Press the message bubble in your taskbar to open Action Center and click the Airplane Mode icon
If the icon is highlighted with your accent colour, it’s on. If it’s grey, then airplane mode in Windows 10 is off. You may need to press the “Expand” button to see more options. Additionally, you can use the keyboard shortcut Windows + A to access the Action Center more quickly.
How to Turn Airplane Mode On or Off via Settings in Windows 11 or Windows 10
If the above options aren’t working for you or you’ve disabled your Action Center, you can manage your Windows 10 Airplane mode via the Settings menu:
- Open Settings
Press the “Start” button, then click the settings cog above the power button. Alternatively, press “Windows + I“.
- Click on “Network & Internet”
Access the “Network & Internet” options from the settings menu. - Switch the toggle for “Airplane mode” “On” or “Off”
Navigate to “Airplane mode” and use the toggle to enable or disable all wireless communications, including Wi-Fi, cellular, and Bluetooth.
- Optional: Turn on WiFi and Bluetooth separately
If you need specific wireless services, activate Wi-Fi or Bluetooth separately through the “Wireless devices” settings after enabling Airplane mode.
How to Enable or Disable Airplane Mode from the Lock screen in Windows 11 or Windows 10
If you don’t have time to unlock your PC, it’s possible to quickly enable or disable Airplane mode from the Lockscreen. Here’s how:
- How to turn on Airplane mode from the lockscreen
To turn on Airplane mode from your lockscreen you can press the WiFi or Ethernet icon in the bottom-right corner and click the “Airplane mode” toggle. It’ll turn blue once it’s on.
- How to turn off Airplane mode from the lockscreen
To turn off Airplane mode from the lockscreen, press the airplane button in the bottom right and press the blue Airplane mode toggle.
How to Enable or Disable Airplane Mode via Command Prompt in Windows 11 or Windows 10
If Windows 10 is stuck in Airplane mode and your toggles are greyed out, you may have success using Command Prompt instead. First, ensure you have read our safe registry editing guide and back up your registry.
- Open Command Prompt as an admin
Press the Start button and type “Command Prompt“, then click “Run as administrator” on the right-hand side.
- How to enable airplane mode in Windows 10 via Command Prompt
You can paste the following command and press Enter to turn Airplane mode on:
reg add HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\RadioManagement\SystemRadioState /ve /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
- How to turn off Airplane mode with Command Prompt
Alternatively, to turn airplane mode off, paste the following and press Enter:
reg add HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\RadioManagement\SystemRadioState /ve /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions About Airplane Mode
Can I schedule Airplane mode to turn on automatically at certain times?
Windows does not natively support scheduling Airplane mode. However, for advanced users, a custom script can be written and scheduled via the Task Scheduler. This script would need to utilize command-line interfaces to toggle Airplane mode based on the time or conditions set by you.
Will enabling Airplane mode affect my wired connections?
No, activating Airplane mode on a Windows device specifically targets wireless functions such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular connections if applicable. Wired connections, including Ethernet, are not impacted and will continue to function normally allowing continuous access to the internet and network services.
What happens to ongoing downloads if I enable Airplane mode?
Once you activate Airplane mode, any active wireless internet connections will be disabled, causing all ongoing downloads to pause or fail depending on the application being used. To resume these downloads, you will need to deactivate Airplane mode and re-establish an internet connection.
Does Airplane mode interfere with location services?
Enabling Airplane mode typically disables Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, but not GPS—though many devices don’t support GPS natively unless connected to a specific hardware. Depending on your device, if GPS is available, it might still function, but with reduced location accuracy since Wi-Fi and Bluetooth can enhance location services.
How to fix Airplane mode that won’t turn off?
If you’re unable to disable Airplane mode via the usual graphical user interface, you can start by rebooting your computer. If the issue persists, updating your network drivers or using network troubleshooting in Windows might resolve the problem. As a last resort, using Command Prompt commands, as specified in the tutorial, can force disable Airplane mode.
Why can’t I find the Airplane mode option on my Windows PC?
The absence of an Airplane mode option likely suggests that your device may not be equipped with wireless connectivity hardware, such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth chips. Alternatively, ensure that your operating system is up to date and supports these features, as older versions might lack specific functionalities.
Can Airplane mode affect game performance on my PC?
Enabling Airplane mode primarily impacts network-dependent features and does not directly affect the performance of games that do not require an active internet connection. However, games that require real-time online connectivity will not be playable in Airplane mode due to lack of internet access.
What should I do if the Airplane mode option is grayed out in Settings?
If the toggle for Airplane mode is grayed out in your settings, it could be due to administrative policies set on a corporate device, or an issue with device drivers. Ensuring your device’s drivers are up-to-date and checking any administrative settings that might be disabling changes to network settings are recommended steps.
Can I enable Airplane mode from Windows Terminal?
Yes, you can use the Windows Terminal to execute command-line instructions for toggling Airplane mode, similar to how it’s done in Command Prompt. This involves using specific system commands that modify the registry to control the state of Airplane mode.
Does Airplane mode stop all background data transfers?
When activated, Airplane mode stops all data transfers that rely on wireless connections, such as Wi-Fi or cellular networks. However, any transfers over wired connections, such as Ethernet, will not be affected and will continue as normal.
Can I use Wi-Fi while Airplane mode is enabled?
Yes, after enabling Airplane mode which turns off all wireless communications by default, you can manually re-enable Wi-Fi by going into the Wi-Fi settings. This allows you to use the internet while keeping other wireless communications like Bluetooth and cellular networks off.
How does enabling Airplane mode impact battery consumption?
Airplane mode conserves battery by disabling radios for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular connections, which are significant power consumers as they continuously search for and maintain connections. This makes it especially useful in situations where you need to save battery life and do not require wireless communications.
Is there a way to create a desktop shortcut to toggle Airplane mode?
Windows does not directly support creating a desktop shortcut for Airplane mode. However, you can create a shortcut for a script that uses Command Prompt commands to toggle Airplane mode. This script can then be linked to a desktop shortcut for one-click toggling.
What is the impact of Airplane mode on peripheral devices connected via Bluetooth?
Enabling Airplane mode will disconnect all currently connected Bluetooth devices such as wireless mice, keyboards, and headphones. You can manually turn Bluetooth back on while keeping the device in Airplane mode if you wish to continue using these devices without other wireless communications.
How can I verify that Airplane mode is activated without opening the settings?
The status of Airplane mode can typically be confirmed by the icon displayed in the system tray at the bottom right of your screen. An airplane icon indicates that Airplane mode is active. You can also quickly check this on the lock screen where the network icons are displayed.
Related: How to Reset your Network
We’ve all run into the dreaded taskbar icon that denotes Windows internet connection issues. There are various reasons this can happen, but if you’re really struggling, the quickest fix is to perform a full Windows network reset. In our other guide, we show you how to do a network reset via the network and internet settings menu or the netsh winsock reset command.
Related: How to Change WiFi Priority on Windows
Windows allows to define WiFi priority. This will order WiFi networks in a way that your PC will always try to connect to preferred access points first. If you don´t define WiFi network priority, Windows 10 will usually pick the connection with the strongest signal. In our other guide, we show you how to prioritize wifi networks using the networks flyout or via command prompt.
Related: How to Forget a WiFi Network and Delete Wireless Network Profiles
After years of hefting a laptop around, you inevitably build up a menagerie of Wi-Fi networks. For the most part, they’ll sit on your PC, hardly used, but at times a change in configuration can make it difficult to connect to a network your computer already remembers. At this point, it can be beneficial to forget a Wi-Fi network and delete its network profile. In our other guide, we show you how to forget a Wi-Fi network in Windows to stop automatic connect and resolve configuration issues.
Related: How to Block a WiFi Network on Windows 11 or Windows 10
With many reachable wireless access points popping up and disappearing again, the available networks list can become quite annoying. If needed you can use the allowed and blocked filter list of Windows to block certain WiFi networks or all unknown WiFi networks. This also allows restricting the PC to connect to certain permitted WiFi access points and blocking any connection to other devices or hotspots. In our other guide, we show you how to block a WiFi access point appearing in Windows 11 or Windows 10 by blocking a specific or all unknown WiFi networks.
Related: How to Flush DNS in Windows 11 or Windows 10
The DNS cache helps with this domain name resolution process by storing a temporary database of your recent website visits and their associated IP addresses. This way, name resolution can be handled locally on your PC rather than having to send a request to a server and wait for the response. Flushing the DNS cache removes the database of sites and IP addresses on your PC. This is useful in cases where the website or service has changed its IP address and your cache has not updated, causing your browser to direct you to the wrong place. In our other guide, we show you how to clear the DNS resolver cache in Windows 11 or Windows 10 using four of the most convenient methods.