Microsoft Hosted Network Virtual Adapter missing in Device Manager

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

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

Missing Microsoft Hosted Network Virtual Adapter

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

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

To learn more about these steps, keep reading.

1]Show hidden devices

Although Device Manager displays connected devices, it may not display all of the devices that you have used or connected. In other words, it hides some devices that you don’t need on a regular basis. For example, you cannot see the Floppy Disk Drive Controllers Where Floppy disk drives option since you don’t use it frequently these days.

Likewise, Device Manager may hide the Microsoft Hosted Network Virtual Adapter option because most people do not use this feature regularly. If you are one of them, you might fall victim to the same problem.

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

2]Activate or deactivate the hosted wireless network

If you have disabled the hosted wireless network manually, you must also enable it. Although it does not disappear from Device Manager when you disable the adapter, you can try to enable it if you encounter the missing issue.

The best thing is that you can turn it on or off using the command prompt. Therefore, open an elevated Command Prompt window and enter the following commands one after another:

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

Finally, restart our computer and check if it fixes the problem or not.

3]Update the driver

If you’re using an older network card and recently upgraded to Windows 10, you might have a compatibility issue. To establish a verified connection, you can try updating your driver to the latest version.

While 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 follow this method to update the driver. However, if you want to search the Internet for the driver, you can use the Windows Update function. It’s available under View Optional Updates.

4]Run the network troubleshooter

Windows 10 comes with built-in troubleshooters, allowing you to fix common issues like this. As this missing card issue is related to the network card you are using, you need to run the Network adapter convenience store. To do this, you can press Win + I to open Windows settings and go to Update & Security> Troubleshooting> Additional troubleshooters.

Here you can find the Network adapter. Select this troubleshooter and click the Run the troubleshooter button.

Then follow the onscreen instructions to complete the steps. You may also need to restart your computer.

5]Restart the AutoConfig WLAN service

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

To get started, search services in the search box of the taskbar, and click on the individual result to open the Services panel. Then double-click on the WLAN automatic configuration setting. If it is already running, click the Stop and To start up buttons, respectively.

However, if it is not running, expand the Start type list> select Automatique, and click on the To start up button.

Finally, click on the Okay , close all windows and restart your computer.

6]Modify the EverUsed value in the registry

If you have changed some value in the registry file, you may experience this problem on your computer. To verify this, follow the next steps.

hurry Win + R, type regedit and press the Enter button. If the UAC prompt appears, click the Yes option to open Registry Editor. Then go to the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystemCurrentControlSetServicesWlansvcParametersHostedNetworkSettings

Here you can find a named REG_DWORD value Never used. Value data should be defined as 1. However, if it is defined as 0, double click on it, type 1 in the box and click on the Okay button.

Restart your computer and check if this fixes the problem or not.

Read more: What is the Microsoft Device Association Root Enumerator?