Fix network connection issues in Windows
10
If
you’re having problems getting connected to a network and can’t connect to the
Internet, here are some things you can try in Windows 10
· Restart your PC to see if that fixes your
connection problem. To do that, select the Start button > Power button > Restart. (Make sure you
select Restart, not Shutdown.)
· Check
out why can't I get online? and try some of the basic troubleshooting steps
mentioned there.
· 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.
1. In
the search box on the taskbar, type Command prompt, press and hold (or
right-click) Command prompt, and then select Run as administrator > Yes.
2. At
the command prompt, type netsh wlan show wlanreport.
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.
· Make
sure it’s not a problem with your cable modem or Internet service provider
(ISP).
1. If it is, contact your ISP. In the search box
on the taskbar, type Command prompt, press and hold (or right-click) Command
prompt, and then select Run as administrator > Yes.
2. At
the command prompt, type ipconfig.
Look for
the IP address listed next to Default gateway. Write down that address if you
need to. For example: 192.168.1.1
3. At
the prompt, type ping and 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: bytes=32 time=5ms TTL=64
Reply
from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=5ms TTL=64
Reply
from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=5ms TTL=64
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 or
Internet service provider (ISP).
Update
the network adapter driver
An
outdated or incompatible network adapter driver can cause connection problems.
If you recently upgraded to Windows 10, it's possible that the current driver
was designed for a previous version of Windows. Check to see if an updated
driver is available.
1. In
the search box on the taskbar, type Device Manager, and then select Device
Manager from the list of results.
2. In
Device Manager, select Network adapters > the network adapter name.
3. Press
and hold (or right-click) the network adapter, and then select Update Driver
Software > Search automatically for updated driver software. Follow the
steps, then select Close.
4. 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.
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
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 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 a .inf file name
extension and another has a .sys extension, do the following:
1. In
the search box on the taskbar, type Device Manager, and then select Device
Manager from the list of results.
2. In
Device Manager, select Network adapters > the network adapter name. (If
it’s not listed there, check in other devices.)
3. Press and hold (or right-click) the
network adapter, and then select Update Driver Software > Browse my
computer for driver software.
4. Select
Browse > select the location where the driver files are stored >
OK.
5. Select Next > follow the steps to
install the driver > Close.
6. 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.
Roll
back the network adapter driver
If you
were connected before and recently installed a new network adapter driver,
rolling back your driver to a previous version might help.
1. In
the search box on the taskbar, type Device Manager, and then select Device
Manager from the list of results.
2. In Device Manager, select Network
adapters > the network adapter name.
3. Press
and hold (or right-click) the network adapter, and then select Properties.
4. In
Properties, select the Driver tab, select Roll back driver, then follow the
steps.
If the
button is unavailable, that means there's no driver to roll back to.
5. 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.
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.
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
1. In
the search box on the taskbar, type Network troubleshooter, and then select
Identify and repair network problems from the list of results.
2. Follow
the steps in the 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
1. In
the search box on the taskbar, type Command prompt, press and hold (or
right-click) Command prompt, and then select Run as administrator > Yes.
2. 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.
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 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
1. In
the search box on the taskbar, type Command prompt, press and hold (or
right-click) Command prompt, and then select Run as administrator > Yes.
2. At
the command prompt, type netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state off, and then
press Enter.
3. Open
your web browser and visit a website you trust and see if you can connect to
it.
4. To
turn on all firewalls you might have installed, at the command prompt, type
netsh advfirewall set all profiles state on, and then press Enter.
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 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
1. In
the search box on the taskbar, type System and security, and then select Review
your computer’s status and resolve issues.
2. 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.
3. If
the antivirus or malware-prevention software is on, check the documentation for
that software to learn how to turn it off.
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
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 install
the driver on your PC. You’ll need to know the PC manufacturer and model name
or number.
1. In
the search box on the taskbar, type Device Manager, and then select Device
Manager from the list of results.
2. In
Device Manager, select Network adapters > the network adapter name.
3. Press
and hold (or right-click) the network adapter, and then select Uninstall
> Delete the driver software for this device check box > OK to
confirm you want to uninstall it.
4. After
uninstalling the driver, select the Start
button > Power > Restart.
After
your PC restarts, Windows will 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.
Note
To use
network reset, your PC must be running Windows 10 Version 1607. To see what
version of Windows 10 your device is currently running, select the Start button, then select Settings > System > About.
1. Select
the Start button, then select Settings
> Network & Internet > Status > Network
reset.
2. On
the Network reset screen, select Reset now > Yes to confirm.
Wait for
your PC to restart and see if that fixes the problem.
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
mode. In a public network mode, 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. To do this, go to Settings > Network & Internet >
Wi-Fi. On the Wi-Fi screen, select Manage known networks > the network
connection you want to change > Properties, and then turn on the switch
under Make this PC discoverable.
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