Intel Dual Band Wireless-ac 7260 Driver | Windows 11

Reviewing the Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 for Windows 11 reveals a hardware-software mismatch. While the card is technically capable of running on Windows 11, it is a discontinued legacy product, meaning Intel no longer provides official Windows 11-specific updates. Driver Status and Compatibility

Download the same *.exe file, but run it with -extract or use 7-Zip to extract its contents to a folder (e.g., C:\Drivers\7260).
Open Device Manager.
Right-click your Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 (possibly under “Other devices” if broken) and select Update driver.
Choose Browse my computer for drivers.
Point to the extracted folder containing netwbw02.inf (usually inside Win64 or Win10 subfolder).
Click Next and let Windows install. Reboot.

The Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 was, in its heyday, one of the most popular Wi-Fi adapters found in premium laptops and desktop motherboards. Released as part of Intel’s 8-Series chipset era, it brought 802.11ac Wi-Fi (now known as Wi-Fi 5) and Bluetooth 4.0 to millions of devices from brands like Lenovo, Dell, HP, ASUS, and Acer. intel dual band wireless-ac 7260 driver windows 11

Method 2: Update Driver through Intel Driver & Support Assistant Reviewing the Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 for

Use 5 GHz when possible; change router channel to a less congested one (36–48 or 149–165 depending on region).

Intel has removed official download pages for many discontinued adapters. Download the same *

Download the Driver: Get the .exe or .zip file for version 18.33.17.1 (ensure it's for 64-bit). Clean Uninstall (Optional but Recommended): Open Device Manager. Find your adapter under Network adapters.