No WiFi Adapter Found After Fresh Zorin Install – Can't Connect to Wireless Network

Hi everyone,

I just installed Zorin OS 17 Core on my laptop, and I'm running into a frustrating issue with WiFi.

After the installation completed and I booted into the system, I noticed there's no WiFi icon in the system tray at all. When I go to Settings → Wi-Fi, it just says No Wi-Fi Adapter Found and the toggle switch is completely grayed out – I can't click or enable it.

The strange thing is that Ethernet works perfectly when I plug in a cable, so the internet connection itself isn't the problem. But wireless connectivity is completely missing.

I've already checked the basics:

Made sure WiFi isn't physically disabled (tried Fn keys, checked for hardware switches)
Verified that airplane mode is off
Looked in BIOS settings to see if WiFi was disabled there – everything looks normal

The WiFi worked perfectly fine when I was using Windows on this same laptop before switching to Zorin, so I know the hardware itself isn't faulty.

I'm not sure what's causing this or where to even start troubleshooting. Has anyone else experienced this after a fresh Zorin install? Is this a driver issue? Something to do with kernel support?

Any guidance would be really appreciated. Thanks!
System Specs:

Zorin Version: Zorin OS 17 Core (64-bit)
Laptop Model: Lenovo laptop
CPU: i5-12-500H
RAM: 16GB
Installation Type: Fresh install (erased Windows completely)

Which Lenovo laptop, or do you know which WiFi adapter it has (i.e. is it a Brooadcom device)?

You have installed Zorin 17. Could You check if it behaves the same with Zorin 18? Create a Bootstick and run it in Live Mode to check that.

Are Secure Boot and Fast Boot in BIOS disabled? Does Your System run in Wayland or X11? You can check that with the Command echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE

Could You post the Output of the Commands sudo lshw -C network and rfkill list please?

I'm having similar issues. Should I start a new thread?
Zorin OS 17 Pro
Trying OS using thumb drive
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 15ABR8

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