Wi-Fi Not Working on Windows 11: Step-by-Step Fixes in Order

If Wi-Fi is not working on your Windows 11 laptop, work through the checks in a fixed order: confirm Airplane mode is off, forget and rejoin the network, test another device, restart the router, run the network reset commands, and only then reinstall the driver or use Network reset. Most problems are fixed by the first few steps, and each later step is more disruptive than the one before it.

This guide follows the sequence in Microsoft's own Wi-Fi troubleshooting article and adds the reasoning for each step, so you know what you are ruling out as you go.

Who this is for and what you will have at the end

This is for anyone with a Windows 11 laptop or desktop with a Wi-Fi adapter that will not connect, shows "No Internet", drops out, or has lost the Wi-Fi option entirely. It suits home users, small office staff and the person in a small business who is asked to "fix the internet".

By the end you will know whether the fault is the PC, the router or the internet connection, and you will have tried the standard fixes in an order that avoids unnecessary data loss. You do not need any tools beyond Windows itself.

Before you start

You need three things ready.

• Another device such as a phone, ideally one that has used the same Wi-Fi before. It is the quickest way to separate a PC problem from a router problem.
• An administrator account on the PC. Several fixes use an elevated Command Prompt or Device Manager.
• The Wi-Fi password for the network. You will need it if you forget and rejoin the network.

If the PC has no internet at all, download the manufacturer's Wi-Fi driver on another device and copy it over on a USB drive before you try a driver reinstall later in this guide. Microsoft recommends having the driver ready as a backup.

Open an elevated Command Prompt

Several steps need an elevated Command Prompt. Select Start, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt in the results and choose Run as administrator. Accept the User Account Control prompt. The window title should include "Administrator".

Step 1: Check the basics

These checks take under a minute and rule out the most common causes.

1. Check the connection status. Select the Network, Sound or Battery icons at the right of the taskbar. Confirm Wi-Fi is turned on and that your network shows as Connected. If it does not, select a known network and connect to it.
2. Check Airplane mode. Go to Settings > Network & internet > Airplane mode and make sure it is off. Airplane mode switches off the wireless radios, so Wi-Fi cannot work while it is on.
3. Test another device. If your phone cannot connect to the same network either, the router or the internet service is the likely cause and the PC is probably fine. Skip ahead to the router section.
4. Try the other band. If your router broadcasts both a 2.4 GHz and a 5 GHz network and you can see both, try connecting to the one you are not using.

Run the built-in troubleshooter

On Windows 11, Microsoft points to the Network and Internet troubleshooter in the Get Help app. Open Settings > Network & internet, and look for the troubleshooting option, or search for "Get Help" from Start and ask it to troubleshoot your network. It is not guaranteed to find the problem, but it costs nothing to run first.

Step 2: Forget the network and reconnect

A saved network profile with a stale password or corrupt settings is a frequent cause of failures to connect.

1. Go to Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi.
2. Select Manage known networks.
3. Select your network in the list and choose Forget.
4. Return to the Wi-Fi list, select the network again, and enter the password when prompted.

If you see an authentication failure at this point, verify the password character by character. If the password is definitely correct, reboot or reset the router and check whether its firmware is up to date. The EpiFive guide on updating router firmware and changing default passwords covers that process for small offices.

Step 3: Restart the modem and router

If another device also fails, or if the PC still cannot connect after Step 2, restart the network equipment in the right order.

1. Unplug the router, then unplug the modem. If the modem has a backup battery and its lights stay on, remove the battery.
2. Wait about 30 seconds.
3. Put the battery back if you removed it, then plug the modem in and wait until its lights settle.
4. Plug the router in and wait for it to start.
5. Reconnect on the PC.

If you have a single combined cable modem and router, you only need to restart that one unit.

Step 4: Run the network reset commands

If Wi-Fi still misbehaves, reset the Windows networking stack. Open an elevated Command Prompt and run these commands in this order:

netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
ipconfig /flushdns

What each one does, in plain terms:

Command	Purpose
netsh winsock reset	Resets the Winsock catalog, which Windows uses for network connections
netsh int ip reset	Resets the TCP/IP settings
ipconfig /release	Gives up the current IP address
ipconfig /renew	Asks the router for a new IP address
ipconfig /flushdns	Clears the cached DNS lookups

Restart the PC afterwards, then check Wi-Fi again. Restarting is part of the standard advice and ensures the Winsock and TCP/IP resets take effect.

Step 5: Find out where the connection breaks

If Windows says you are connected but pages will not load, test each hop between the PC and the internet.

Ping the router

1. In the elevated Command Prompt, run ipconfig.
2. Find the Wi-Fi adapter section and note the Default gateway address.
3. Run ping followed by that address, for example:

ping 192.168.1.1

Replace 192.168.1.1 with your own default gateway. The address in the example is only a placeholder.

• Replies come back: the PC reaches the router, so look at the modem or the internet service.
• No replies: the problem is between the PC and the router. Connect the PC to the modem with an Ethernet cable if you can, to confirm whether the internet service itself works.

Check for a 169.254 address

Run ipconfig and read the IPv4 address of the Wi-Fi adapter. If it starts with 169.254, the PC did not receive an address from the router through DHCP. Check the router, restart it, and run the ipconfig /release and ipconfig /renew commands again.

Check DNS and proxy settings

If you have a normal address and can ping the router but still see "No Internet", check these two settings.

• Proxy: go to Settings > Network & internet > Proxy and turn off any manual proxy that you did not set up deliberately.
• DNS: run this command to see the DNS servers the adapter uses:

ipconfig /all | findstr /c:"DNS Servers"

Ping the DNS server address it shows. If it does not respond, switch the adapter to a public DNS server.

Step 6: Fix the driver and power settings

If the steps above do not help, or Wi-Fi drops out repeatedly, look at the adapter itself.

Disable adapter power saving

1. Open Device Manager (right-click Start and choose Device Manager).
2. Expand Network adapters, right-click your Wi-Fi adapter and choose Properties.
3. Open the Power Management tab.
4. Clear Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power, then select OK.

Set the power plan to maximum performance

For frequent disconnections, Microsoft also suggests this setting:

1. Open Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options.
2. Select Change plan settings, then Change advanced power settings.
3. Expand Wireless Adapter Settings and set Power Saving Mode to Maximum Performance.

On a laptop this can reduce battery life slightly, so you may prefer to apply it only while you test.

Reinstall the network adapter driver

1. In Device Manager, expand Network adapters.
2. Right-click the Wi-Fi adapter and choose Uninstall device.
3. Select Attempt to remove the driver for this device, then confirm.
4. Restart the PC. Windows reinstalls the driver on startup.

Have the manufacturer's driver downloaded beforehand in case Windows does not find a suitable one. Also check Settings > Windows Update for pending updates, as these can include driver fixes.

Step 7: Use network reset as a last resort

If nothing has worked, go to Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Network reset.

Network reset removes your network adapters and their settings, then reinstalls them with default settings. Be aware of the side effects:

• You may need to reconfigure VPN client software.
• Hyper-V virtual switches may need to be set up again.
• Networks may switch to the public profile, which can affect sharing and discovery settings.

Make a note of your VPN and virtual switch configuration before you start, and restart the PC when the reset finishes.

Troubleshooting specific problems

Symptom	What to try
Slow Wi-Fi	Move closer to the router, close high-bandwidth apps using Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), and test another device. If it is slow everywhere, the router may need maintenance.
Wi-Fi option missing	Check for a physical Wi-Fi switch. In Device Manager, right-click the Wi-Fi adapter and choose Enable device. Press Win + R, type services.msc, then right-click WLAN AutoConfig and choose Restart.
Keeps dropping	Disable adapter power saving, set Power Saving Mode to Maximum Performance, or change the channel on the router's admin page.
Connected, no internet	Turn Wi-Fi off and on, run the ipconfig commands, turn off manual proxy, check for a 169.254 address.
Authentication failure	Re-enter the password, restart or reset the router, and update the router firmware.
No networks found	Check the physical switch and the Wi-Fi toggle. Confirm the adapter supports the router's band, for example 5 GHz, and check the Wireless Mode or Band setting on the adapter's Advanced tab. If the adapter is not in Device Manager, install the manufacturer's driver manually.
No adapter detected	Update the driver through Windows Update or the manufacturer's site, and make sure the adapter is not disabled.

When the router may be the problem

If the Wi-Fi band you need is not offered, it may be a hardware limit. An older adapter may not support 5 GHz, for example. If you are weighing a router upgrade because of coverage or speed, see Wi-Fi 6 vs Wi-Fi 7: do you need a new router.

If the PC is connected and the internet works but everything feels slow, the cause may not be Wi-Fi at all. The guide to slow Windows 11 PC fixes covers startup apps and disk usage.

Verify the fix

Once Wi-Fi works again, confirm it is stable rather than momentarily working.

1. Open the Network icon on the taskbar and check that your network shows Connected.
2. Run ipconfig and confirm the Wi-Fi adapter has an address that does not start with 169.254, and a Default gateway.
3. Ping the gateway and confirm you get replies.
4. Open a website you have not visited recently, to avoid seeing a cached page.
5. Leave the PC on for a while, or let it sleep and wake, and check it reconnects without help.

Quick checklist

• Airplane mode is off and Wi-Fi is on.
• Tested another device on the same network.
• Forgot the network and rejoined with the right password.
• Restarted modem and router in order.
• Ran the winsock, IP reset and ipconfig commands as administrator, then restarted.
• Pinged the default gateway and checked for a 169.254 address.
• Disabled adapter power saving and set Power Saving Mode to Maximum Performance.
• Reinstalled the driver with the manufacturer's driver on hand.
• Used Network reset only after everything else failed.

References

• Fix Wi-Fi connection issues in Windows, Microsoft Support

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This guide was researched and drafted with AI assistance and checked against the vendor documentation listed in its References. Read the maintained version and related guides on EpiFive.