What if Airplane Mode turns on by itself in Windows 10?

Why does a PC keep turning on Airplane Mode? This question has been posed on many online forums, and if you’ve encountered the same problem, we are here to help. Most of us are familiar with the Airplane Mode feature on smartphones and tablets. The feature also comes integrated on Windows 8 and Windows 10 devices.

As the name implies, Airplane Mode is especially useful during flights. It’s a setting that allows you to quickly turn off all wireless connections, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and cellular (mobile broadband), etc. The Airplane Mode was developed because it was believed that wireless frequencies from mobile devices like laptops and smartphones may interfere with the operation of an airplane.

Why does Airplane Mode keep turning in Windows 10?

Many users have reported getting the Airplane Mode errors after upgrading their Windows 10 devices or after installing the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. Several reasons can cause Airplane Mode to automatically turn on by itself. These include incompatible or outdated Network drivers, software conflicts, and corrupt system files, to mention just a few.

Some users even noticed that the option to turn off Airplane Mode was grayed out, making it impossible to disable it. If Airplane Mode turns on by itself on your Windows 10 device, blocking you from using wireless connections, read on to find out how to disable it and get back online.

How to fix Airplane Mode stuck on

Fix 1: Update Network drivers

An outdated network driver is among the most probable causes that could mess with the Airplane Mode feature. Updating the network drivers usually fixes some common errors associated with Airplane Mode.

To update the driver software for your network adapters, follow the steps below:

1. Right-click “Start” or press the Win + X shortcut, and select “Device Manager”.
2. Expand the “Network adapters” option and right-click on your wireless adapter.
3. Select “Update driver”.
4. In the window that pops up, choose “Search automatically for updated driver software”. Windows will try to search for the latest driver software online and automatically install it.
5. Once the process has completed successfully, exit the “Device Manager” window.

Unfortunately, Windows may fail to install the necessary drivers and it’s advisable to use third-party software like Auslogics Driver Updater. This is a dedicated tool that not only updates your Network drivers, but also all of the available device drivers installed on your computer. The tool will first scan the entire system to detect problematic drivers as well as the ones missing on your system. Once the diagnosis phase is complete, you’ll get a report on the status of your drivers and recommendations on how to fix them.

Using the Auslogics Driver Updater software is straightforward and includes a one-click functionality that automatically resolves all your driver issues. With this tool, you don’t risk installing wrong drivers since the application only installs device drivers that are compatible with your system. Plus, you are guaranteed to get the latest and official drivers directly from the manufacturer’s website.

After the tool updates all the available device drivers, try turning off Airplane Mode to see if it works this time. If it doesn’t, try all the solutions below until you find the one that works for you.

Fix 2: Roll back or reinstall drivers

If you recently updated your network adapter drivers and you suspect it to be responsible for the Airplane Mode errors, rolling them back or reinstalling them could be the solution.

To roll back the network driver:

1. Open Device Manager by pressing the shortcuts keys Win + X.
2. Expand “Network adapters”.
3. Right-click your wireless adapter and select “Properties”.
4. Open the “Driver” tab.
5. Click the “Roll Back Driver” button. If this option is grayed out, it implies that there are no recent driver updates to roll back to.

To reinstall your network drivers:

1. Press the Windows Key + X combination to launch “Device Manager”.
2. Expand “Network adapters”.
3. Right-click your wireless adapter and select “Uninstall”.
4. Confirm your selection to remove the driver from your computer.
5. Restart your PC. Windows will automatically install the network driver on your device.

Now, open the “Action Center” and see if this fix disables the Airplane Mode.

Fix 3: Run the Network troubleshooter

Sometimes, you can accidentally press the hotkey assigned to turn on Airplane Mode. Additionally, software conflicts can cause your system to switch on Airplane Mode. In such cases, the Network troubleshooter can help to identify the source of the problem and try to correct it for you.

To use the Network troubleshooter, do the following:

1. Press the Windows Key and type troubleshooter.
2. Open the top result, which should be titled, “Troubleshoot settings”.
3. Click on “Internet Connections” to highlight it.
4. Click the “Run the troubleshooter” button.
5. Next, click the “Network adapter” option to highlight it, and then select “Run the troubleshooter”.

Fix 4: Configure Network adapter properties

1. Press the Windows Key + X combination, and select “Device Manager”.
2. Find “Network adapters” and expand it.
3. Right-click your wireless device and open “Properties”.
4. Switch to the “Power Management” tab.
5. Uncheck the option that says “Allow the computer to turn off the device to save power”.
6. Click “OK”. This should fix the ‘PC keeps turning on Airplane Mode’ issue on your Windows 10 device.

Fix 5: Check for physical wireless switch

Some computers come with a physical wireless switch, and your task will be to find out if your PC has it. If it does, ensure that it’s disabled to turn off Airplane Mode.

Fix 6: Disable and enable your network connection

1. Open “Settings” by pressing the shortcut keys Win+I shortcut keys.
2. Select Network & Internet > Wi-Fi.
3. Click on the “Open adapter options” setting.
4. Right-click your wireless connection and select “Disable”.
5. Right-click the wireless connection again and select “Enable”.

Fix 7: Perform a Clean Boot

Restarting your PC in the clean boot mode loads Windows with a minimal set of drivers and programs. It’s the best way to tell if the errors are caused by software conflicts or drivers.

To do so:

1. Log on to your account as an administrator.
2. Click the “Start” button and type msconfig.
3. Press “Enter” to launch “System Configuration”.
4. Open the “Services” tab, and check the “Hide all Microsoft services” checkbox.
5. Select the “Disable all” button.
6. Switch to the “Startup” tab and click the “Open Task Manager” link.
7. Disable all the startup items by clicking on each and selecting “Disable”.
8. Now, to identify the program that’s causing the Airplane Mode problem, enable one feature or program at a time and then restart your computer. If the error appears, then you’ll know that the last process that you enabled was the culprit. You can then restart your computer in normal mode and uninstall the program via Control Panel or the Settings app.

Were you able to solve the ‘my PC keeps turning on Airplane Mode’ issue? Let us know by leaving your comments below.