This can be caused by several reasons: the network connection status icon is missing, the network service isn’t running, or an issue with Windows Explorer. In most cases, the missing icon can be brought back by enabling it in the notification tray settings. If that doesn’t work, try the other methods in this guide.
Method 1: Enabling the Networking Icon in the Notifications Area
Windows 7:
Windows 8 / 8.1 / 10:
Method 2: Restarting the Network Services
Method 3: Restarting Windows Explorer
Method 4: Resetting the Icon Cache
Method 5: Using the Registry
Proceed with this step only if you’ve tried the earlier methods or you’re conversant with the Windows registry. If you don’t see Config, ignore this method because it is for those who have their settings customized manually or by a third-party program.
Method 6: Forcefully Restarting Explorer.exe and Changing Registry
If none of the above methods work, as a last resort, try deleting some registry keys and force restarting Explorer.exe from the command prompt.
