What Is Tap Windows Adapter V9 and How to Manage It
What is tap windows, and why does it appear in Device Manager? Learn when to restart, remove or reinstall the TAP-Windows Adapter V9, plus how to toggle tap-to-click.
In this guide
If you use a VPN on Windows to protect your privacy, you've probably come across the Tap Windows Adapter V9. It's a virtual network adapter that lets VPN software create its secure tunnel.
Most of the time it does its job quietly. But some people find their internet connection misbehaves while it's active, or that it keeps coming back after they've removed it. Below we explain what tap windows is, and how to restart, remove or reinstall it.
What Is the Tap Windows Adapter?
Many VPN programs install a special network driver called Tap Windows. After you install a VPN client, it shows up in Device Manager as a network adapter, and the VPN uses it as its own private route to the internet.
Which version you get depends on your version of Windows:
On Windows XP: the NDIS 5 driver (tap-windows, version 9.9.x).
On Windows Vista, 7, 8 and 10: the NDIS 6 driver (tap-windows, version 9.21.x).
Image: purevpn.com
(Setting up wireless devices instead? See how to turn on bluetooth on windows 10.)
When Should You Remove or Reinstall the Tap Windows Adapter?
If you use a VPN regularly and run into connection problems while it's on, the driver may be damaged. In that case, reinstalling the TAP adapter is the best move.
On the other hand, if you once set up a VPN and no longer use it, the leftover adapter can interfere with your normal internet connection. Removing it usually solves that.
Keep in mind that the adapter may reinstall itself if the VPN software is still on your computer.
And if you see the error "All TAP-Windows adapters on this system are currently in use," restarting the adapter is often enough to fix it.
Here's how to do each of those.
How to Restart Tap Windows Adapter V9
That "currently in use" error means something is wrong with the adapter, and disabling and re-enabling it often clears it up:
- Open Control Panel.
- Click Network and Internet.
- Click Network and Sharing Center, then Change adapter settings.
Image: purevpn.com - In Network Connections, right-click the connection that belongs to TAP-Windows Adapter V9 and choose Disable.
Image: purevpn.com
- Wait a few seconds, right-click it again and choose Enable.
- Open your VPN client again and check whether it connects.
How to Remove Tap Windows Adapter V9
You'd think removing the adapter would be as simple as uninstalling it. But you may notice it reappears in Device Manager every time you start your PC, depending on which VPN software you have.
That happens because some VPN programs check for missing drivers and reinstall them automatically. To remove the Tap Windows driver properly:
- Open C:\Program Files and find the TAP-Windows folder.
- Run the uninstaller (Uninstall.exe) inside it.
- Follow the on-screen instructions until the driver is removed.
If you stop there, the driver will probably return the next time you start Windows or open your VPN. To stop that, remove the program that installs it:
- Press Windows key + R to open Run.
The Run utility - Type appwiz.cpl and click OK to open Programs and Features.
- Find your VPN client in the list and uninstall it.
If you've used several VPN apps over the years, uninstall all of them, otherwise one of them may quietly reinstall TAP-Windows Adapter V9.
How to Reinstall Tap Windows Adapter V9
Can't connect to your VPN at all? Check whether the TAP adapter is installed correctly. If it looks damaged, reinstall it like this:
- Disconnect from the VPN and close the VPN client.
- Press Windows key + R to open Run.
The Run utility
- Type devmgmt.msc and click OK to open Device Manager.
- Scroll down to Network adapters and click the arrow to expand it.
- Look for TAP-Windows Adapter V9. If it's there, right-click it and choose Uninstall device.
Image: purevpn.com - Once the adapter is gone from Device Manager, open your VPN client. Depending on the software, it will either ask to install the missing TAP adapter or install it automatically.
If your VPN complains about a "missing driver" after you've removed the adapter, reinstall the VPN client itself. The TAP-Windows adapter is normally included in its installer.
- Go back to Device Manager and check that the adapter is listed without a warning icon. If it still won't work, contact your VPN provider's support team, or consider switching to another provider.
How to Disable or Enable Tap to Click in Windows 10
"Tap" also means something completely different on a laptop: tapping the touchpad to click. If that keeps getting in your way, you can switch it off, or turn it on if it isn't working.
Different laptops put the option in different places
Normally you tap with one finger to left-click and with two fingers to right-click. Turning this on or off is easy, but where the setting lives depends on the touchpad hardware and drivers your laptop maker used. Even with tap-to-click disabled, you can still click by pressing down on the touchpad or using its buttons.
Most modern Windows laptops have a Precision Touchpad. If yours does, you can change tap-to-click and other gestures right in the Windows 10 Settings app.
How to turn tap to click on or off
Go to Settings > Devices > Touchpad (press Windows + I to open Settings quickly).
Under Taps, turn on or off Tap with a single finger to single-click, Tap with two fingers to right-click and Tap twice and drag to multi-select. The exact options depend on your PC. If you don't see them, your laptop doesn't have a Precision Touchpad and the settings live elsewhere.
In that case, click Additional settings under Related settings on the Touchpad page.
This usually opens your touchpad's own settings in the old Mouse Properties window.
On an HP laptop with a Synaptics touchpad, for example, it took us to a ClickPad Settings tab. Clicking ClickPad Settings opened the touchpad settings.
(You can also reach these options through Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Mouse. That's where you'll find them on Windows 7.)
From there we could turn off Tapping entirely, or just Two-Finger Tap, Three-Finger Tap or Four-Finger Tap. Click OK twice to save.
The exact options and their names depend on your laptop maker and touchpad drivers. Many laptops use Synaptics touchpads and will look similar; others use ELAN. A few laptops don't offer a way to disable tap-to-click at all, but most do.
References: howtogeek.com, purevpn.com
