Fix network connection issues in Windows 10
Try these things first to help you fix or narrow down the connection problem.
- Make sure Wi‑Fi is on. Select the Start button, then select Settings > Network & Internet > Wi‑Fi to check. Under the Wi-Fi heading, the toggle should be switched to On. Under that, it should say that your network is connected. If it doesn’t say that, select Show available networks, and if a network you expect to see appears in the list, select it, and then select Connect. If it does say it’s connected, select Disconnect, wait a moment, and then select Connect again.
Open Network & Internet settings - Make sure the physical Wi‑Fi switch on your laptop is turned on. (An indicator light usually shows when it’s on.)
- Make sure airplane mode is turned off. Select the Start button, then select Settings > Network & Internet > Airplane mode and turn off airplane mode if it’s on.
- Move closer to the router or access point.
- You may be able to connect to a cellular data network instead. Select the Start button, then select Settings > Network & 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.
- 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. - Wait at least 30 seconds or so.
If you had to remove the battery from the modem, put it back in. - Plug the modem back into the 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. - On your PC, try to connect again.
- 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 action 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. The Command Prompt button will appear. To the right of it, select Run as administrator > Yes.
- At the command prompt, type netsh wlan show wlanreport, and then select Enter.
- Make sure it’s not a problem with your cable modem or internet service provider (ISP).
- If it is, contact your ISP. In the search box on the taskbar, type Command prompt. The Command Prompt button will appear. To the right of it, select Run as administrator > Yes.
- At the command prompt, type ipconfig,and then select 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 - At the prompt, type ping <DefaultGateway> and then select Enter. For example, type ping 192.168.1.1 and select Enter. The result should be something like this:
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=5ms TTL=64Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=5ms TTL=64Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=5ms TTL=64Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=5ms TTL=64Ping 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 = 4msIf 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).
- Make sure your router is set to broadcast the network name.
- Connect your PC to the router using an Ethernet cable.
- 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.)
- 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.