The Wi-Fi option has vanished from Settings and the taskbar, leaving only Ethernet or Airplane mode. Windows hides the Wi-Fi controls when it cannot see a working wireless adapter, so the fix is about finding the adapter again, not about the network.
The fix, in order
Check Airplane mode and the Wi-Fi switch. Turn Airplane mode off, and check for a physical wireless switch or a function key on the laptop that toggles Wi-Fi.
Enable the adapter. Press Windows key plus R, type ncpa.cpl, and look for the Wi-Fi adapter. If it is greyed out, right-click it and choose Enable.
Show hidden devices in Device Manager. Open Device Manager, choose View, Show hidden devices, and expand Network adapters. If the wireless adapter appears greyed out, right-click it and choose Enable device.
Reinstall the driver. If the adapter is missing or marked with a warning, right-click it, choose Uninstall device, then restart so Windows reinstalls it. If it stays missing, install the driver from the computer maker's support site using another device and a USB drive.
Start the WLAN AutoConfig service. Press Windows key plus R, type services.msc, find WLAN AutoConfig, set its startup type to Automatic, and start it.
Run a Network reset. Settings, Network and internet, Advanced network settings, Network reset reinstalls all adapters and restores defaults.
If the adapter is missing from Device Manager even with hidden devices shown, do not keep reinstalling random drivers. The adapter may be disabled in BIOS or UEFI, or it may have failed.
If it still happens
If the adapter appears in Device Manager but Wi-Fi still does not show, check the computer's BIOS or UEFI settings for a wireless enable option, and check for a pending Windows update. On a desktop with a Wi-Fi card, reseating the card can also help.
Common questions
Why did the Wi-Fi option disappear after a Windows update? Updates sometimes install an incompatible Wi-Fi driver or disable the adapter. Reinstalling the driver from the computer maker's site is the usual fix.
Can a Windows update remove Wi-Fi completely? It cannot remove the hardware, but it can leave the adapter without a working driver, which makes Windows hide the Wi-Fi controls. The adapter is still there in Device Manager, usually with a warning icon.