off. Select the Start button, then
Internet > Airplane mode and
turn off airplane mode if it's on.
Move closer to the router or access
point.
You maybe be able to connect to a
cellular data network instead. Select
the Start button, then
Internet , and see
if Cellular appears in the list of
settings.
Restart your modem and wireless
router. This helps create a new
connection to your Internet service
provider (ISP).
When you do this, everyone that is
connected to your Wi-Fi network will
be temporarily disconnected. The
steps you take to restart your
modem and router can vary, but
here are the general steps:
Unplug the power cable for the
router from the power source.
1.
Unplug the power cable for the
modem from the power source.
Some modems have a backup
battery. If you unplug the
modem and lights stay on,
remove the battery from the
modem.
2.
Wait at least 30 seconds or so.
If you had to remove the
battery from the modem, put it
back in.
3.
Plug the modem back into the4.
2 of 15 12/17/2018 1:14 AM

power source. The lights on the
modem will blink. Wait for them
to stop blinking.
Plug your router back into the
power source.
Wait a few minutes for the
modem and router to fully
power on. You can usually tell
when they’re ready by looking
at the status lights on the two
devices.
5.
On your PC, try to connect
again.
6.
Generate a wireless network report.
This report can help you diagnose
the problem, or at least provide you
with more information to give to
others who might be able to help.
This creates an HTML file that you
can open in your web browser from
the location listed under the
command prompt. For more info
about the network report and how
to analyze it, see Analyze the
wireless network report in Fix Wi-Fi
problems in Windows 10.
In the search box on the
taskbar, type Command
prompt, select and hold (or
right-click) Command prompt,
then select Run as
administrator > Yes.
1.
At the command prompt, type
netsh wlan show wlanreport,
and then press Enter.
2.
Make sure it’s not a problem with
your cable modem or Internet
service provider (ISP).
If it is, contact your ISP. In the1.
3 of 15 12/17/2018 1:14 AM

search box on the taskbar, type
Command prompt, select and
hold (or right-click) Command
prompt, then select Run as
At the command prompt, type
ipconfig, and then press Enter.
Look for the IP address listed
next to Default gateway. Write
down that address if you need
to. For example: 192.168.1.1
2.
At the prompt, type ping
<DefaultGateway> and then
press Enter. For example, type
ping 192.168.1.1 and press
Enter. The result should be
something like this:
Reply from 192.168.1.1:
bytes=32 time=5ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.1.1:
Reply from 192.168.1.1:
Reply from 192.168.1.1:
Ping statistics for 192.168.1.1:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4,
Lost = 0 (0% loss), Approximate
round trip times in milli-
seconds: Minimum = 4ms,
Maximum = 5ms, Average =
4ms
If the ping is successful and you
see results similar to the results
above, but can’t connect to the
Internet on your PC, there may
be a problem with your modem
3.
4 of 15 12/17/2018 1:14 AM

or Internet service provider
(ISP).
Make sure your router is set to
broadcast the network name.
Connect your PC to the router
using an Ethernet cable.
1.
Open a web browser and type
the IP address for your wireless
router. (For example,
192.168.1.1 or 172.16.0.0
—check the documentation for
your router to find the default
IP address.)
2.
Sign in with your user name
and password, then make sure
an option labeled Enable SSID
Broadcast, Wireless SSID
broadcast, or something similar
is turned on. This setting is
often on a Wireless Settings
page.
3.
Run the Network troubleshooter
followed by networking commands
The Network troubleshooter can help
diagnose and fix common connection
problems. Using this troubleshooter, then
running some networking commands
afterwards if needed, can help get you
connected.
To run the Network troubleshooter
Select the Start button > Settings
> Network & Internet > Status.
1.
Under Change your network
settings, select Network
troubleshooter.
2.
Follow the steps in the3.
5 of 15 12/17/2018 1:14 AM

troubleshooter and see if that fixes
the problem.
If that doesn’t fix your connection
problem, try these things:
Reset the TCP/IP stack
Release the IP address
Renew the IP address
Flush and reset the DNS client
resolver cache
To run these networking commands in
a command prompt window
In the search box on the taskbar,
type Command prompt, press and
prompt, and then select Run as
1.
At the command prompt, run the
following commands in the listed
order, and then check to see if that
fixes your connection problem:
Type netsh winsock reset and
press Enter.
Type netsh int ip reset and
press Enter.
Type ipconfig /release and
press Enter.
Type ipconfig /renew and press
Enter.
Type ipconfig /flushdns and
press Enter.
2.
Roll back the network adapter driver
If you were connected before and
recently installed a new network adapter
driver or installed an update to Windows
that might have included an updated
driver, rolling back your driver to a
previous version might help.
6 of 15 12/17/2018 1:14 AM

type Device Manager, and then
select Device Manager from the list
of results.
1.
Expand Network adapters and
locate the network adapter for your
device.
2.
Press and hold (or right-click) the
network adapter, and then select
Properties.
3.
In Properties, select the Driver tab,
select Roll Back Driver, and then
follow the steps.
If the Roll Back Driver appears
dimmed, that means there's no
driver to roll back to.
4.
After rolling back to the previous
version of the driver, select the Start
button > Power > Restart if
you're asked to restart, and see if
that fixes the connection issue.
5.
If Windows can’t find a new driver for
your network adapter, visit the PC
manufacturer’s website and download
the latest network adapter driver from
there. If your PC can't connect to the
Internet, you'll need to download a driver
on a different PC and save it to a USB
flash drive, so you can manually install
the driver on your PC. You’ll need to
know the PC manufacturer and model
name or number. To learn how to
manually install the driver, see
the previous section.
Update the network adapter driver
An outdated or incompatible network
adapter driver can cause connection
problems. If you recently upgraded to, it's
possible that the current driver was
designed for a previous version of
7 of 15 12/17/2018 1:14 AM

Windows. It can also happen if you
recently updated Windows 10. In either
case, check to see if an updated driver is
available.
of results.
1.
device.
2.
network adapter, select Update
driver > Search automatically for
updated driver software, and then
follow the instructions.
3.
After installing the updated driver,
select the Start button > Power
> Restart if you're asked to
restart, and see if that fixes the
connection issue.
4.
If Windows can’t find a new driver for
your network adapter, visit the PC
flash drive, so you can manually install
the driver on your PC. You’ll need to
know the PC manufacturer and model
name or number.
To manually install the network
adapter driver
Do one of the following, depending on
what kind of file you downloaded from
the PC manufacturer’s website:
If you downloaded an executable
(.exe) file, just double-click the file to
8 of 15 12/17/2018 1:14 AM

run it and install the drivers. That
should be all you need to do.
If you downloaded individual
files, and at least one file has an .inf
file name extension and another has
a .sys extension, do the following:
In the search box on the
taskbar, type Device Manager,
and then select Device
Manager from the list of results.
1.
locate the network adapter for
your device. (If the network
adapter isn’t listed under
Network adapters, expand
Other devices and look for it
there.)
2.
Press and hold (or right-
click) the network adapter, and
then select Update driver >
Browse my computer for driver
software.
3.
Select Browse > select the
location where the driver files
are stored > OK.
4.
Select Next > follow the steps
to install the driver > Close.
5.
After you've updated the driver,
select the Start button >
Power > Restart if you're
asked to restart, and see if that
fixes the connection issue.
6.
Temporarily turn off firewalls
Sometimes firewall software might
prevent you from getting connected. You
can see if the connection issue is caused
by a firewall by turning it off temporarily
and then trying to visit a website you
trust.
The steps to turn off a firewall depend on
9 of 15 12/17/2018 1:14 AM

the firewall software you’re using. Check
the documentation for your firewall
software to learn how to turn it off. Make
sure you turn it back on as soon as you
can. Not having a firewall turned on
makes your PC more vulnerable to
hackers, worms, or viruses.
If you have trouble turning off your
firewall, do the following to turn off all
firewall software that's running on your
PC. Again, make sure you turn your
firewall back on as soon as you can.
To turn off all firewalls
type Command prompt, press and
prompt, and then select Run as
1.
At the command prompt, type netsh
advfirewall set allprofiles state off,
and then press Enter.
2.
Open your web browser and visit a
website you trust and see if you can
connect to it.
3.
To turn on all firewalls you might
have installed, at the command
prompt, type netsh advfirewall set
allprofiles state on, and then press
Enter.
4.
If you find the firewall software is causing
the connection issues, contact the
software manufacturer or visit their
website to check and see if updated
software is available.
Temporarily turn off any antivirus or
malware-prevention software
Sometimes antivirus or malware-
prevention software might prevent you
from getting connected. You can see if
10 of 15 12/17/2018 1:14 AM

the connection issue is caused by
antivirus and malware-prevention
software by turning it off temporarily and
then trying to visit a website you trust. If
you find it is causing the connection
issues, contact the software manufacturer
or visit their website to see if updated
software is available.
The steps to turn off antivirus or
malware-prevention software depend on
the software you’re using. Check the
documentation for your software to learn
how to turn it off. Make sure you turn it
back on as soon as possible. Not having
antivirus or malware-prevention software
turned on makes your PC more
vulnerable to hackers, worms, or viruses.
If you’re not sure what antivirus or
malware-prevention software program
you have installed, Windows might be
able to tell you.
To find out what antivirus or malware-
prevention software is installed
type System and security, and then
select Review your computer’s
status and resolve issues.
1.
Select the down arrow next to
Security.
If Windows can detect your antivirus
software, it's listed under Virus
protection. For malware-prevention
software, look under Spyware and
unwanted software protection.
2.
If the antivirus or malware-
prevention software is on, check the
documentation for that software to
learn how to turn it off.
3.
11 of 15 12/17/2018 1:14 AM

Make sure you turn your antivirus or
malware-prevention software back on as
soon as you can to make sure your PC is
better protected.
Uninstall the network adapter driver and
restart
If the previous steps didn’t work, try to
uninstall the network adapter driver, and
then restart your computer and have
Windows automatically install the latest
driver. Consider this approach if your
network connection stopped working
properly after a recent update.
Before uninstalling, make sure you have
drivers available as a backup. Visit the PC
flash drive so you can install the driver on
your PC. You’ll need to know the PC
manufacturer and model name or
number.
of results.
1.
device.
2.
network adapter, and then select
Uninstall device > the Delete the
driver software for this device check
box > Uninstall.
3.
After uninstalling the driver, select
the Start button > Power >
Restart.
After your PC restarts, Windows will
4.
12 of 15 12/17/2018 1:14 AM

automatically look for and install the
network adapter driver. Check to see
if that fixes your connection
problem. If Windows doesn't
automatically install a driver, try to
install the backup driver you saved
before uninstalling.
Use network reset to reinstall network
devices
Using network reset should be the last
step you try. Consider using it if the steps
above don’t help to get you connected.
This can help solve connection problems
you might have after upgrading from a
previous version of Windows to
Windows 10, as well as fix problems
where you can connect to the Internet
but not to shared network drives. It
removes any network adapters you have
installed and the settings for them. After
your PC restarts, any network adapters
are reinstalled, and the settings for them
are set to the defaults.
Select the Start button, then
Internet > Status > Network
reset.
1.
On the Network reset screen, select
Reset now > Yes to confirm.
Wait for your PC to restart and see if
that fixes the problem.
2.
Note
To use network reset, your PC must be
running Windows 10 Version 1607 or later.
To see which version of Windows 10 your
device is currently running, select the Start
button, then select Settings >
System > About.
13 of 15 12/17/2018 1:14 AM

Help us improve networking in Windows
10
If the previous suggestions don’t fix the
problem, let us know by sending
feedback in the Feedback Hub.
Please provide detailed info, such as a
description of the problem, screenshots,
log files, and any other info that might be
helpful. In the Feedback Hub, select the
appropriate category and subcategory,
for example, Networks and Connecting
to a Wi-Fi network.
Notes
After using network reset, you might need
to reinstall and set up other networking
software you might be using, such as VPN
client software or virtual switches from
Hyper‑V (if you're using that or other
network virtualization software).
Network reset might set each one of your
known network connections to a public
network profile. In a public network
profile, your PC is not discoverable to
other PCs and devices on the network,
which can help make your PC more
secure. However, if your PC is part of a
homegroup or used for file or printer
sharing, you’ll need to make your PC
discoverable again by setting it to use a
private network profile. To do this, select
the Start button, then select Settings
> Network & Internet > Wi-Fi .
On the Wi-Fi screen, select Manage
known networks > the network
connection you want to change >
Properties. Under Network profile,
select Private.
Open Feedback Hub
14 of 15 12/17/2018 1:14 AM

For more info, see Send feedback to
Microsoft with the Feedback Hub app.
Related topics
How to find your wireless network
password
Fix Wi-Fi problems in Windows 10
Setting up a wireless network
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Fix Wi-Fi and network connection issues in Windows

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