Microsoft Hosted Network Virtual Adapter is missing from Device Manager

 Microsoft Hosted Network Virtual Adapter helps you turn on or off virtual Wi-Fi or wireless network on your Windows 10 computer. However, if you cannot find it or the Microsoft Hosted Network Adapter is missing from Device Manager, here is how you can view or enable it. Here are some simple tips and tricks to fix this problem within moments.

It is possible to manage the virtual WiFi from Device Manager as long as you see the virtual Microsoft Hosted Network Adapter in the Network Adapters  section  . However, if for some reason it is not visible then you cannot enable or disable virtual networks on your Windows 10 computer.

Microsoft Hosted Network Virtual Adapter

To fix Microsoft Hosted Network Virtual Adapter missing issue on Windows 10, follow these steps:

1. Show hidden devices
2. Enable or disable wireless hosted network
3. Update the driver
4. Run the network troubleshooter
5. Restart WLAN AutoConfig service
6. Change the EverUsed value in the registry

To learn more about these steps, read on.

1] Show hidden devices

Although Device Manager shows the connected devices, it may not show all the devices you are using or connected to. In other words, it hides some devices that you don't use regularly. For example, you can't see the Floppy Drive Controller  or  Floppy Drives option   because you don't use them often these days.

Similarly, Device Manager can hide the Microsoft Hosted Network Adapter virtual option since most of the users do not use this feature regularly. If you are one of them, you might be a victim of the same problem.

Therefore, you only need to show the hidden devices in Device Manager. To do this, open the Device Manager, click on the Show option in the top menu bar  and select the  Show hidden devices option .

2] Enable or disable wireless hosted network

If you manually turned off the wireless hosted network, it must also be turned on. Although disabling the adapter doesn't make it go away from Device Manager, you can try enabling it if you encounter the missing issue.

Best of all, you can enable or disable it with the help of Command Prompt. Therefore, open an elevated Command Prompt window and type the following commands one by one:

netsh wlan start hostednetworknetsh wlan set hostednetwork [mode=]allow

Finally restart our computer and check if that solves the problem or not.

3] Update driver

If you are using an old network adapter and recently upgraded to Windows 10, you may find a compatibility issue. To establish a verified connection, you can try updating your driver to the latest version.

Although it was possible to update drivers through Device Manager, you can now get updates through Windows Updates. If you have the latest driver on your computer, you can use this method to update the driver. However, if you want to search for the driver on the Internet, you can use the Windows Update function. It is available under View optional updates.

4] Run network troubleshooter

Windows 10 comes with some built-in troubleshooters that you can use to fix common problems like this one. Since this missing adapter issue is related to the network adapter you are using, you need to run the  network adapter  troubleshooter. To do this, you can  press Win+I  to open Windows settings and go to  Update\u> Security > Troubleshoot > More troubleshooters .

Here you will find the  network adapter . Select this fix and click Run Fix  button  .

Then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the steps. You may also need to restart your computer.

5] Restart WLAN AutoConfig service

WLAN AutoConfig service allows you to create or establish a connection between your computer and a wireless network, adapter, etc. This particular service is somehow connected to the virtual Microsoft Hosted Network Adapter. In other words, if this service is not running or lagging, you might find the problem as mentioned. Therefore, it is recommended to check whether the WLAN AutoConfig service is running or not.

First, search for  services  in the taskbar search box and click on the single result to open the  Services control panel. Then double-click the  WLAN AutoConfig setting  . If it is already running, click the  Stop  or  Start  button .

However, if it is not running, expand the  Startup type list  > select  Automatic and click the  Start  button .

Finally, click the  OK button , close all windows and restart your computer.

6] Change EverUsed value in registry

If you have changed a specific value in the registry file, you may experience this problem on your computer. Follow the steps below to check this.

Press  Win+R , type regedit and press  Enter  . When the UAC prompt appears, click on the  Yes  option to open the Registry Editor. Then navigate to the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Wlansvc\Parameters\HostedNetworkSettings

Here you will find a REG_DWORD value called  EverUsed . The value data should be set as  1 . However, if it is as is set, double-click it, type  1  in the box, and click the  OK  button .

Restart your computer and check if that solves the problem or not.