Internet problems with windows 10

I am having a very strange problem with the internet on my desktop computer. I have had windows 10 for a while now and there haven’t been any problems until today. The problem I am having is that I can’t connect to the Internet and there is no indication that I do not have internet no red X and no yellow warning sign. I use an Ethernet cable and this is very frustrating.

Replies (4) 

Thank you for visiting Microsoft Community and providing us with the detailed description about the issue.

As per the description, I understand that you are experiencing issue with after upgrading to Windows 10, you are not able to connect to internet on the system.

I certainly understand your concern and will try my best to help you.

I would suggest you to try the following methods and check if that helps.

Method 1:

To diagnose whether this issue occurs in “Safe Mode”, let’s reboot the computer in safe mode and check if the issue appears there as well.

Safe mode is a diagnostic mode for Windows that starts your computer in a limited state. Only the basic files and drivers necessary to run Windows are started. This helps us in identifying whether the issue is due to some third party programs conflict. The word Safe mode appear in the concern of your monitor to identify which windows mode you are using.

Follow the steps given below and check if that helps.

Type settings in search and click on Settings.

Click Update and recovery, and then tap or click Recovery.

Under Advanced startup, tap or click Restart now.

Once your PC restarts, on the Choose an option screen, tap or click Troubleshoot.

If you don’t see the Startup Settings option, tap or click advanced options.

Tap or click Startup Settings.

Tap or click Restart.

On the Startup Settings screen, choose the Safe Mode.

Sign in to your PC with a user account that has administrator rights.

Step 2:

If the issue does not appear in safe mode, place the computer in clean boot state and check if the issue reappears.

Placing your system in “Clean Boot” state helps in identifying if any third party applications or startup items are causing the issue. You need to follow the steps from the article mentioned below to perform a Clean Boot.

If the issue does not occur in “Clean Boot”, then you may determine which application/service on the computer is causing this issue. This can be done by following the instructions for “Windows 8.1 and Windows 8” given in the section “How to determine what is causing the problem by performing a Clean Boot” from the same given link.

Note: Refer «How to reset the computer to start normally after clean boot troubleshooting» to reset the computer to start as normal after troubleshooting.

If the issue persists, follow method 2

Method 2:

How to use an automated troubleshooter , please follow the steps in the link given below

Note: An automated troubleshooter is a tool that can find and automatically fix some problems with the PC. These troubleshooters are designed to fix specific problems and are very helpful as it saves a lot of time and effort.

If the issue persists, follow method 3

Method 3:

How to update driver software , please follow the steps given below.

Press “Windows +X” keys on the keyboard and go to “device manager”.

Go to “Network Adapters” and expand it.

Now from the list, choose the Network adapter (wireless network adapter) that is showing limited connectivity.

Right click on your wireless network adapter and choose “Update driver software”.

A new windows will open.

Click on “Browse my computer for driver software”.

Select “let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer”.

Check the network adapters and see how many are listed. (Note: You may find two drivers here. One by Microsoft and the other from the Manufacturer)

Choose the “manufacturer’s driver” and select next.

Upon completion, you are advised to restart your PC and check if the issue is resolved.

If issue persists, follow method 4

Method 4:

Please refer to the Microsoft Help articles given below and check if it helps.

Why can’t I connect to a network?

Note: A lot of variables are involved when you connect to a network: cables, network adapters, drivers, and routers. So troubleshooting network connection problems can be challenging. This article will help you find and fix problems with wired (Ethernet) and wireless (Wi-Fi) network connections.

You may also refer to the article:

Wired and wireless network problems.

Note: All the above steps holds good for Windows 10 as well.

For more information:

I would suggest you to refer to the suggestions provided by “Andre Da Costa” replied on January 22, 2015 in the following Microsoft Community link.

Frequently Asked Questions: Windows 10

I hope this information is helpful.

Please do let us know if you need any further assistance, we will be glad to assist you.

How to get back online after a Windows 10 update breaks your internet access

Source: Windows Central

Although Windows 10 updates are important to patch security vulnerabilities and improve the system performance, it is a known fact that quality and feature updates can introduce unintended problems.

Typically, one of the most common issues after installing an update is related to network connectivity. For instance, slow speeds, unreliable or complete loss of connectivity using a wireless or wired connection resulting in problems connecting to the internet and network resources, such as shared printers and folders.

Regardless of the reason, when a device cannot connect to the local network or internet, after a recent update of Windows 10, there are many ways that Microsoft recommends to fix the issue.

In this Windows 10 guide, we will walk you through several ways to resolve common network connection problems after installing an update on your device.

How to fix common network problems after update on Windows 10

If a quality update breaks the network connection, you can follow some basic troubleshooting steps to resolve the problem quickly.

Reboot computer

Although it might be obvious, it’s not for everyone. Typically, a simple reboot can fix most common problems, including problems connecting to the network and the internet.

To restart a device, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Click the Power option.

Select the Restart option.

Source: Windows Central

Once you complete the steps, open the web browser and confirm the internet is working, loading a website upon restart.

If the network icon in the notification area shows an active connection, but you cannot open a particular website, try to load a different site as the problem could be with the website. You can also try using a different browser to confirm the problem is not the application.

Confirm network settings

The next step involves using command lines to confirm the problem is not something happening between the device and the router.

To check if the Windows 10 network configuration is working, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Command Prompt and click the top result to open the console.

Type the following command to find out the IP address of the router and press Enter:

Source: Windows Central

Confirm the «Default Gateway» address that should be the address of the local router.

Quick tip: In home networks, most routers use the 192.169.1.1 or 192.168.2.1 address. However, depending on the configuration or Internet Service Provider (ISP), the address might be different.

Type the following command to determine if the router is reachable and press Enter:

This example tests the connection between the computer to the router with the 192.168.1.1 address:

In the command, remember to change the 192.168.1.1 for the router’s IP address.

Source: Windows Central

Quick tip: You can also use the ping 127.0.0.1 command to test if the networking stack is installed correctly and working on the computer.

Confirm successful replies without packet loss in the output.

After you complete the steps, if the «Packets» field returned with «4» successful replies, the router’s connection is working, indicating that the problem could lie in the connection between the router and ISP. Or it could be the case that the ISP is currently experiencing issues.

If you can access the internet from your phone or another computer connected to the same network, then the problem could be the device in question.

Enable Wi-Fi interface

If there is no connection to the internet, the wireless interface may not be enabled.

To check and enable a Wi-Fi interface, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Network & Internet.
3. Click on Wi-Fi.

Turn on the Wi-Fi toggle switch.

Source: Windows Central

Alternatively, you can also click the «Not connected» network icon from the taskbar notification area and click the Wi-Fi button.

If there is a physical button in the device, make sure to turn it on to enable the interface.

Reconnect Wi-Fi connection

On laptops, the problem could be the wireless adapter or signal, which you might be able to resolve by disconnecting and reconnecting to the network.

To reconnect to a Wi-Fi network, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Network & Internet.

Click on Wi-Fi.

Quick tip: If the wireless section is missing, Windows 10 can no longer detect the network adapter, which could indicate a driver or hardware problem.

Turn on the Wi-Fi toggle switch.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Connect button.

Source: Windows Central

Quick tip: Almost all modern routers allow wireless connections using two band frequencies, including the 2.4GHz and 5GHz, which could appear as separate networks. If you see both networks, you can try connecting with a different frequency to see if that resolves the problem. You can use this guide to learn even more ways to connect to a wireless network.

Confirm the wireless password (if applicable).

Click the Next button.

Once you complete the steps, you should be able to connect to the network and the internet.

You can also create a report of the wireless connection history, which can help diagnose the issue.

Renable network adapter

Sometimes updates can inadvertently change settings without the user’s consent. For example, it could happen that an update may disable the adapter or a specific feature, such as Airplane mode, blocking the connection to the internet.

If the network adapter is not present in the Settings app, it could be a driver problem, or the adapter may be disabled.

To check and enable a network adapter on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Network & Internet.
3. Click on Status.

Under the «Advanced network settings» section, click the Change adapter options option.

Source: Windows Central

Right-click the adapter and select the Enable option.

Source: Windows Central

After you complete the steps, the Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter will enable and reconfigure automatically.

Disable Airplane mode

If the «Airplane» mode is enabled, you won’t be able to connect to the network. In the case that the update turned on the feature automatically or you forgot it was enabled, you need to make sure to disable it.

To turn off Airplane mode on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Network & Internet.
3. Click on Airplane mode.

Turn off the Airplane mode toggle switch.

Source: Windows Central

(Optional) Restart your device.

Alternatively, you can also click the airplane icon in the taskbar and click the Airplane mode button.

Recreate Wi-Fi profile

Every time you connect to a wireless network, the credentials, security, and other settings are stored in a profile. In the case that you are having trouble connecting to a particular network, it could be a problem with the profile.

To fix this problem, you can delete and recreate the profile using these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Network & Internet.
3. Click on Wi-Fi.

Under the «Wi-Fi» section, click the Manage known networks option.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Forget button.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Connect button.

Source: Windows Central

Confirm the network security key.

Click the Next button.

(Optional) Click the Yes button if you want to make the device discoverable in the network.

After you complete the steps, use the web browser to confirm the internet is working again.

It is also possible to manage a Wi-Fi network with the netsh command-line tool, and in this guide, you can learn more about the process.

Reboot router

If the computer does not seem to be the problem, you can also restart the router, which can sometimes fix many common connectivity problems.

To restart the home router, use these steps:

1. Locate the router.
2. Unplug the power cord.
3. Wait at least 60 seconds.
4. Reconnect the power cord.

Once you complete the steps, allow three to five minutes for the router to start and check the connection.

Ping the connection

Opening the web browser and loading a website can confirm whether the internet is working. However, you can also use the ping command tool to check the connection more reliably.

To test the network connection with the ping command, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Command Prompt and click the top result to open the console.

Type the following command to test the connectivity and press Enter:

Source: Windows Central

Quick tip: We are using «Google.com» as an example, but you can use any online service to test the connection, for instance, «Bing.com.»

Confirm successful reply without packet loss in the output.

Once you complete the steps, if you see four successful replies, it indicates that the internet connection is working.

When using a wired connection, it is wise to change cables and port on the switch to eliminate the possibility of problems with those elements.

In addition to the ping command, Windows 10 offers many other tools to troubleshoot and fix network problems. In this guide, you can learn eight of them.

How to fix connectivity using Network troubleshooter

Windows 10 also includes a troubleshooter tool that you can use to diagnose and repair common networking problems quickly.

To use the network troubleshooter on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Update & Security.
3. Click on Troubleshoot.

Under the «Recommended troubleshooting» section, click the Additional troubleshooters option.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Run the troubleshooter button.

Source: Windows Central

Select the Troubleshoot my connection to the internet option.

Source: Windows Central

Select the Try these repairs as an administrator option (if applicable).

Continue with the on-screen directions (if applicable).

After you complete the steps, the troubleshooter will scan and resolve any connectivity problem.

How to reset network stack using Command Prompt

You can also try resetting the TCP/IP stack and clearing any DNS information on Windows 10 to resolve the network problem.

To reset the network stack with commands, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

Type the following command to reset the components that handles network requests and press Enter:

netsh winsock reset

Type the following command to reset the internet protocol (IP) stack and press Enter:

netsh int ip reset

Source: Windows Central

Type the following command to clear the current networking configuration and press Enter:

Type the following command to reconfigure the network settings automatically and press Enter:

Source: Windows Central

Type the following command to clear the Domain Name System (DNS) information cached and press Enter:

Once you complete the steps, launch the web browser and confirm whether the internet connection is working.

How to reset network adapter using Settings

If you are still dealing with networking problems, Windows 10 has an option to reset all the Wi-Fi and Ethernet network adapters to fix most problems.

To reset all the network adapters on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Network & Internet.
3. Click on Status.

Under the «Advanced network settings» section, click the Network reset option.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Reset now button.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Yes button.

After you complete the steps, the device will restart automatically, and after the reboot, you should be able to connect to the network and internet.

The process of resetting the networking settings means that you will need to re-enter the security key again. Also, you will have to reconfigure other networking software, such as VPN clients, as necessary.

How to update network adapter driver using Device Manager

Sometimes, an older version of the network driver can cause compatibility issues with a Windows 10 update. Usually, you can fix this by updating the driver to the latest version.

Update network adapter online

If the device is experiencing unreliable connectivity, but it is still possible to connect to the internet, you can check for driver updates using Windows Update.

To install a newer version of the network adapter driver, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Update & Security.
3. Click on Windows Update.

Click on View optional updates option.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Download and install button.

Source: Windows Central

After you complete the steps, the new driver will download and install automatically to fix the problem. If you cannot find an update, then Windows Update does not have more recent drivers, in which case, you may need to update the adapter manually (see steps below).

Update network adapter offline

If you cannot connect to the internet, you will have to download the driver manually from your manufacturer support website using another device and bring it over using a USB flash drive. You should always use the manufacturer instructions to complete the process, but you can always use the steps below.

To update a network adapter on Windows 10, connect the USB flash drive with the extracted files, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Device Manager and click the top result to open the app.
3. Expand the Network adapters branch.

Right-click the adapter with the problem and select the Update driver option.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Browse my computer for drivers option.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Browser button.

Source: Windows Central

Select the folder location with the driver package.

Click the OK button.

Click the Next button.

Continue with the on-screen directions (if applicable).

Once you complete the steps, the new update will install to fix the compatibility problem.

How to rollback network adapter driver using Device Manager

If the problem started after applying a driver update, you could roll back to the previous version to temporarily fix the network problem until a newer update becomes available.

To restore a previous version of a driver, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Device Manager and click the top result to open the app.
3. Expand the Network adapters branch.

Right-click the adapter with the problem and select the Properties option.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Roll back driver button.

Source: Windows Central

Quick tip: If the button is grayed out, it means that the system does not have a backup of the driver.

Click the OK button.

Select a reason why you are rolling back (select any option).

Click the Yes button.

Restart your computer.

Once you complete the steps, test the connection with the ping command or load a website with your preferred web browser.

How to uninstall network adapter driver using Device Manager

When the problem occurs after applying a cumulative system update, it could indicate a corruption with the driver or the update made unwanted changes. In this specific situation, you can remove the driver manually, and then Windows 10 will try to reinstall it automatically.

To remove a network adapter driver, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Device Manager and click the top result to open the app.
3. Expand the Network adapters branch.

Right-click the Wi-Fi or Ethernet network adapter and select the Uninstall device option.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Uninstall button.

Restart your computer.

After you complete the steps, Windows 10 will detect and reinstall the driver automatically, fixing the network problem.

If the system cannot find the appropriate driver, you can use the previous steps to download and install the network adapter manually.

How to disable security apps to fix network problems on Windows 10

On Windows 10, sometimes, third-party security software (such as antivirus and firewall) can prevent the device from accessing the internet. If this is the case, you can determine if the application is the problem by temporarily disabling it and testing the network connection.

The steps below will help you to disable the security features built into Windows 10. If you have a different solution, then check your software support website for more specific details.

Disable Microsoft Defender Antivirus

To temporarily disable Microsoft Defender on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Windows Security and click the top result to open the app.
3. Click on Virus & threat protection.

Under the «Virus & threat protection settings» section, click the Manage settings option.

Source: Windows Central

Turn off the Real-time protection toggle switch.

Source: Windows Central

Once you complete the steps, test the connection going to «Bing.com» or «Google.com» on your device.

You can always revert the changes by restarting the computer or enabling the Real-time protection option again on step No. 5.

Disable Microsoft Defender Firewall

To temporarily disable the Microsoft Defender Firewall, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for Windows Security and click the top result to open the app.
3. Click on Firewall & network protection.

Click the (active) network.

Source: Windows Central

Turn off the Microsoft Defender Firewall toggle switch.

Source: Windows Central

After you complete the steps, confirm whether the internet is working by loading a website with your web browser.

You can enable the firewall again using the same instructions outlined above, but on step No. 5, make sure to turn on the Microsoft Defender Firewall toggle switch.

How to uninstall recent update to fix network problems on Windows 10

Although system updates are meant to resolve issues and improve the experience, it is not uncommon to see buggy updates through Windows Update that can cause connectivity problems. If you suspect a recent update is causing networking issues, you can remove it to mitigate the problem until a newer update becomes available.

Uninstall quality update

To uninstall a quality update on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Update & Security.
3. Click on Windows Update.

Click the View update history button.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Uninstall updates option.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Uninstall button.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Yes button.

Click the Restart now button.

Once you complete the steps, Windows 10 will remove the update to allow the network adapter to work again.

Uninstall feature update

When the problem occurs after installing a major update (such as the October 2020 Update), you can also remove the update to roll back to the previous version, but the steps will be slightly different.

Important: Although rolling back to a previous version is a non-destructive process, it is recommended to create a temporary full backup of your PC in case something goes wrong. Also, the option to roll back is only available during the first ten days after upgrading. After this time, you won’t be able to undo the changes unless you re-install the version you want using a clean installation.

To uninstall a feature update, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Update & Security.
3. Click on Recovery.

Under the «Go back to a previous version of Windows 10» section, click the Get started button.

Source: Windows Central

Check any of the reasons available.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Next button.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Next button again.

Source: Windows Central

Click the Go back to earlier build button.

After you complete the steps, Windows 10 will roll back to the previous setup when the network was working correctly.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:

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