How to Turn On or Off Cellular Communication in Windows 10 If you're on a limited data plan using Wi-Fi or Ethernet, or managing a business setup, turning off cellular features can help save data, extend battery life, and boost security. Before we begin, be sure to subscribe to NinjaOne's IT Video Hub and our YouTube channel for more tech content like this. How to turn on or off cellular communication? Here's how to turn on your cellular communication on or off in Windows 10. Option 1: Using Windows settings This is the easiest and most user friendly option to manage Windows 10 cellular settings, as it doesn't require diving into advanced tools. Press Win + I to open the Settings. Go to Network & internet. Navigate to Cellular and toggle “Let Windows manage this connection” On or Off based on your preference. You can then connect or disconnect from the mobile network as needed. Option 2: Using airplane mode Need to quickly disconnect from all networks? This is the fastest way and it works for Windows 11 too. Just press Win + A to open the Action Center, then click Airplane mode. It will instantly turn off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Cellular. If you only want to enable or disable Cellular, here’s what to do: Press Win + I to open Settings Go to Network & internet and click Airplane mode. Under Wireless devices, switch Cellular on or off Option 3: Using Device Manager To keep cellular turned off even after a restart, try this method: Press Win + X and choose Device Manager Go to Network adapters and find your cellular modem or WWAN Right-click it and select Disable device Confirm once asked. This will keep cellular off until you turn it back on manually. Option 4: Using Group Policy Editor Group Policy only manages system and user-level settings in Windows 10, so it can’t directly disable cellular data (that requires kernel access). However, you can use it to control whether apps can use cellular data. Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and hit Enter. In the Local Group Policy Editor, go to: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Network > WWAN Service > Cellular Data Access Cellular data access. Double-click Let Windows apps access cellular data. Choose Enabled or Disabled as you prefer. Click Apply > OK. Restart your PC. Note that this works only on Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions. Option 5: Using Registry Editor To turn Cellular on or off using the Registry: Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter. In the address bar, paste: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\ Services\WwanSvc Find Start, then double-click it Set the value to: 2, if you want to Enable 4, if you want to Disable Restart your PC to apply the changes. Troubleshooting common issues with turning Windows 10 cellular settings on or off. If you encounter any issues when turning cellular settings, here are some common troubleshooting tips. If Cellular is grayed out, try restarting your device first. If that doesn't help, try other methods like using Device Manager. It could also be restricted by your organization. In that case, contact your IT admin for help. Windows 10 might automatically turn Cellular back on using the “Let Windows manage this connection” feature. To stop that, just turn it off in Settings. For a more permanent solution, disable the cellular adapter in Device Manager. Cellular lets Windows 10 connect to mobile networks, but it can use up data in drain battery. If you experience problems managing cellular settings, we hope this guide offered fast and easy troubleshooting solutions. For more information, check out our official blog post on Windows 10 Cellular Settings link in the description below.