Where are the Wi-Fi settings?
Wi-Fi is the second most consistently named setting in the catalogue, and more than half of the systems that have it put it on the very first screen. We read the settings tree of all 43 systems in the catalogue and recorded where each one keeps it.
What each system calls it
29 of the 43 operating systems in our catalogue have this setting, and they agree almost completely on what to call it — only two spellings appear at all, and Wi-Fi covers 28 of them.
That is rarer than it sounds. Across the settings we have measured, most concepts carry four or more names; this one is an exception worth noticing.
Where it lives on each system
These are the shortest paths from the first settings screen on the newest release of each system. 27 of the 29 are within two taps; the rest sit deeper, and the table shows how much deeper.
| System | Path | Taps |
|---|---|---|
| Firefox OS Firefox OS 2.5 | Wi-Fi | 1 |
| HarmonyOS 6.0 | WLAN | 1 |
| Huawei Watch HarmonyOS 5 | Wi-Fi | 1 |
| HyperOS 4.0 | Wi-Fi | 1 |
| iOS 27.0 | Wi-Fi | 1 |
| iOS 6 6.1 | Wi-Fi | 1 |
| iPadOS 27.0 | Wi-Fi | 1 |
| KaiOS 3.0 | Wi-Fi | 1 |
| macOS 27 Golden Gate | Wi-Fi | 1 |
| Meta Quest v81 | Wi-Fi | 1 |
| OxygenOS 16 | Wi-Fi | 1 |
| Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | Wi-Fi | 1 |
| visionOS 27 | Wi-Fi | 1 |
| watchOS 27 | Wi-Fi | 1 |
| Windows Phone 8.1 | Wi-Fi | 1 |
| BlackBerry OS 10 | Networks and Connections › Wi-Fi | 2 |
| Fire TV Vega OS | Network › Wi-Fi | 2 |
| Garmin System 20 | Connectivity › Wi-Fi | 2 |
| Google TV 14 | Network & Internet › Wi-Fi | 2 |
| Mac OS X 10.6 | Network › Wi-Fi | 2 |
| One UI 9 | Connections › Wi-Fi | 2 |
| Samsung Tizen TV Tizen 10 | Network › Wi-Fi | 2 |
| Steam Deck SteamOS 3.8 | Internet › Wi-Fi | 2 |
| tvOS 27 | Network › Wi-Fi | 2 |
| Wear OS 7 | Connectivity › Wi-Fi | 2 |
| Windows 11 | Network & internet › Wi-Fi | 2 |
| Zepp OS Zepp OS 6 | Connection › Wi-Fi | 2 |
| LG webOS webOS 26 | Connection › Wi-Fi Connection › Wi-Fi | 3 |
| Symbian Belle | Display › Pull-down panel › Wi-Fi | 3 |
Each system name above opens the real menu in the simulator, so you can walk the path before you touch your own device.
Why the names came out this way
Like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi is a certification mark, so the word travels intact across vendors. The one holdout in our data calls it WLAN — the technically correct term for the same thing, and a reminder that the branded name won because it was easier to say, not because it was more accurate.
What varies is not the name but the company it keeps. Some systems file Wi-Fi on its own; others bury it inside a group called Network, Connections or Network & internet, which is where the extra tap comes from.
Find it on your own device
If your system is not in the table, or the label on your screen is different again, there are three ways through it:
- Search every system at once for a setting by name — it looks inside all 43 trees, not just the one you are holding.
- Open your own system in the settings simulator and click to the screen without changing anything real.
- Follow the step-by-step guide to joining a Wi-Fi network, or see where that setting lives on every system.
Related settings in the same part of the menu:
All of it comes from the same catalogue: 43 systems, 135 versions, published as an open dataset.
Try it yourself, on the real menusOpen any of 43 operating systems in your browser and walk the Settings tree exactly as it appears on the device. No download, no account.Frequently asked questions
Where are the Wi-Fi settings on most systems?
On 27 of the 29 systems that have it, within two taps of the first settings screen. The most common label is “Wi-Fi”, used by 28 of them. The table above gives the exact path for each system.
Why can I not find it by searching my settings?
Because settings search matches the label your system uses, and the label may differ from the words you are searching for. Searching for the word your previous device used is the single most common reason a setting appears to be missing.
How many systems have this setting at all?
29 of the 43 operating systems we catalogue. The rest either have no hardware for it or fold the behaviour into something else, which is why a feature that feels universal often is not.