Windows WiFi Not Working? 10 Fixes

1. Toggle Airplane Mode On and Off

This sounds too simple, but it resets the wireless radio and fixes a surprising number of WiFi issues. Click the WiFi icon in the taskbar (or press Win + A to open Quick Settings), turn on Airplane mode, wait 10 seconds, and turn it off. Your WiFi adapter will reinitialize and scan for networks fresh.

2. Restart Your Router and PC

Before diving into advanced fixes, power cycle both devices. Unplug your router for 30 seconds, plug it back in, and wait 2 minutes for it to fully boot. Then restart your PC (use Restart, not Shut Down — Windows 11's "Fast Startup" means shutdown doesn't fully reset networking). This clears temporary glitches on both ends.

3. Run the Network Troubleshooter

Go to Settings → System → Troubleshoot → Other troubleshooters and run Internet Connections and Network Adapter troubleshooters. Windows will automatically detect common problems like disabled adapters, incorrect DNS settings, and IP conflicts, and attempt to fix them. It works more often than you'd expect.

4. Disable and Re-enable the WiFi Adapter

Press Win + R, type ncpa.cpl, and hit Enter to open Network Connections. Right-click your Wi-Fi adapter and select Disable. Wait 5 seconds, then right-click again and select Enable. This forces the adapter to completely reset without a reboot. If you don't see a Wi-Fi adapter at all, your driver may be missing — skip to Fix 5.

5. Update or Reinstall the WiFi Driver

Open Device Manager (Win + X → Device Manager), expand Network adapters, right-click your WiFi adapter, and select Update driver → Search automatically. If that doesn't help, try Uninstall device (check "Attempt to remove the driver"), then restart your PC — Windows will reinstall the driver automatically. For the best results, visit your laptop manufacturer's website (Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc.) and download the latest WiFi driver for your exact model.

6. Forget the Network and Reconnect

Corrupted saved network profiles cause "Connected, no internet" errors. Go to Settings → Network & internet → Wi-Fi → Manage known networks. Find your network and click Forget. Then reconnect by selecting the network from the WiFi list and entering the password fresh. This rebuilds the connection profile from scratch.

7. Flush DNS Cache

A corrupted DNS cache causes "Connected but no internet" and websites failing to load. Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:
ipconfig /flushdns
You should see "Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache." Try loading a website now. If it works, your DNS cache was the problem.

8. Reset TCP/IP Stack

This is the nuclear option for networking configuration issues. Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run these commands one at a time:

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

Restart your PC after running all four. This resets the entire networking stack to factory defaults and resolves most "connected but no internet" issues.

9. Check WiFi-Related Services

Certain Windows services must be running for WiFi to work. Press Win + R, type services.msc, and make sure these services are set to Automatic and are Running:

• WLAN AutoConfig — manages WiFi connections
• Network Connection Broker — manages network connections
• DHCP Client — assigns your IP address
• DNS Client — resolves domain names

If any are stopped, right-click → Start. If the startup type is "Disabled," change it to "Automatic."

10. Full Network Reset

If nothing else works, Windows has a built-in full network reset. Go to Settings → Network & internet → Advanced network settings → Network reset and click Reset now. This removes all network adapters and reinstalls them, resets all networking components to defaults, and restarts your PC. You'll need to re-enter all WiFi passwords afterward, but this resolves virtually every software-related WiFi problem.

🆘 Need Professional Help?

If WiFi still doesn't work after all 10 fixes, your wireless adapter hardware may be failing. We can diagnose the issue and replace the WiFi card if needed.