How to Fix Network Connection Issues in Windows 11

The Internet has traveled the journey from being a utility to becoming a necessity. In today’s age, a computer without the Internet is almost as good as a paperweight. From communication and work to entertainment, everything requires an Internet connection.

In a constantly connected world, experiencing network connection issues is nothing short of a nightmare. Fortunately, the issue is well documented and there are several methods listed in this guide that you can try to fix the issues.

Before moving on to the fixes though, double-check that Wi-Fi is on.

1. Restart the System

While the fix may come across as elementary, restarts can fix process deadlocks, a bug that is interfering with the network service and even finish the driver installation process, which are all reasons why you could be facing network connection issues.

Head to the Start Menu and click on the ‘Power’ button icon and then click on the ‘Restart’ option. After the restart, check if the issue has been resolved.

2. Restart the Router

If you are connected to the network but the access seems to be limited or not at all, there is a high chance the problem is not your computer. Moreover, if you’re also facing issues on other devices, the router must be the one responsible for the mayhem. Hence, before you tinker with your system, turn off the router/modem and switch it back on after a couple of minutes.

Usually, the button to power off is located at the back of the router alongside all the LAN ports. In case you are not able to find it, you can also pull the plug on it. Once you have restarted the router, try connecting to the Internet again.

ISP outage could also be a reason behind limited network access. A router uses LEDs to display the current status of power, internet, and LAN ports. If you realize the LED for ‘Internet’ is either turned off or emitting a different color than regular, your ISP is likely facing some issues; better to call and check with them.

3. Toggle Airplane Mode on your Computer

In case restarting the computer and router did not resolve the issue for you, turning on airplane mode and turning it back off might help.

From the taskbar, click on the ‘Wi-Fi’ icon. Then, click on the ‘Airplane Mode’ icon from the overlay menu. Wait for a couple of minutes and then click it again to turn it off. Then, check if the problem persists.

4. Update Windows

If you are running on an older version of Windows, that can also be the reason you’re facing connectivity issues.

First, head to the Start Menu and click on the ‘Settings’ tile to proceed.

After that, ensure you have selected the ‘Windows Update’ tab from the left sidebar.

Then, from the right pane, click on the ‘Download & install/ Restart now’ to install pending updates.

Once the updates are installed, check if the issue has been resolved.

5. Update your Network Drivers

Updating your drivers is pretty elementary, however, if they haven’t been updated lately, there’s a pretty good chance you will be able to fix the solution just by doing this simple step.

First, head to the Start Menu and type Device Manager to perform a search. Then, from the search results, click on the ‘Device Manager’ tile.

Afterward, locate and double-click on the ‘Network adapters’ option. Once the category expands, find the Wi-Fi component and double-click on it. This will open a separate ‘Properties’ window on your screen.

Then, click on the ‘Driver’ tab present on the WiFi properties window. After that, locate and click on the ‘Update Driver’ button to continue. This will again open a separate window on your screen.

Now, click on the ‘Automatically update drivers’ if you desire to let Windows find a driver for the installed component. Otherwise, if you already have a package downloaded, click on the ‘Browse my computer for drivers’ option.

6. Run Internet Connection and Network Adapter Troubleshooter

If updating your network drivers did not fix the issue, running the troubleshooter for Internet connections and network adapters might help you rectify the improper configuration or any other issues along the same lines.

First, open the Start Menu and click on the ‘Settings’ tile to proceed.

Then, click on the ‘System’ tab from the left sidebar to continue.

Next, from the right section, click on the ‘Troubleshoot’ tile.

Afterward, click on the ‘Other troubleshooters’ tile.

On the next screen, click on the ‘Run’ button following the ‘Internet Connections’ tile.

From the troubleshooter window, click on the ‘Troubleshoot my connection to the Internet’ option. Windows will then check for the issues and report back on the same if it finds any.

If the ‘Internet Connection’ troubleshooter is not able to resolve the issue, you can also run the ‘Network Adapter troubleshooter’.

To run the Network Adapter troubleshooter, click on the ‘Run’ button present on the ‘Network Adapter’ tile.

After that, select the network medium you are facing a problem with. Once selected, click on the ‘Next’ button.

Windows will now check for errors in the network adapter and report back with anomalies along with the suggested steps to resolve the issue.

7. Change Power Management Settings

If you are using a laptop computer, your ‘Power Management’ settings can also disable your Wi-Fi network card to save battery. Though useful when you don’t need the Internet, it is not ideal if it disrupts the workflow.

To change the settings, head to the Start Menu and type Control to perform a search. Then, from the search results, click on the ‘Control Panel’ tile to proceed.

Then, click on the ‘Power Options’ from the Control Panel window.

On the next screen, click on the ‘Change plan settings’ option for the currently selected plan.

Then, click on the ‘Change advanced power settings’ option. This will open a separate window on your screen.

After that, from the ‘Power Options’ window, locate the ‘Wireless adapter settings’ and double-click on the option to expand the section.

Now, expand the ‘Power Saving Mode’ section and then click on the dropdown menu for the ‘On battery’ option. Next, select the ‘Maximum performance’ option.

Then, repeat the step for the ‘Plugged in’ option as well.

8. Disable IPv6

If IPv6 has been turned on in the adapter settings, that could also create network connection issues and it doesn’t hurt to check.

First, head to the Start Menu and click on the ‘Settings’ tile.

After that, click on the ‘Network & internet’ option from the left sidebar.

Next, from the right section of the window, click on the ‘Advanced network settings’ tile to continue.

After that, click on the ‘More network adapter options’ tile to proceed. This will open a separate window.

Now, right-click on the medium of connection and click on the ‘Properties’ option.

Then, on the ‘Properties’ window, uncheck the ‘Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)’ option and click on the ‘OK’ button.

9. Reset Network Components

Resetting all network components like Firewall settings, TCP/IP settings, renewing IP configuration lease, Windows socket, and flushing the DNS will eliminate all and any issues of improper configuration.

First, head to the Start Menu and type Terminal to perform a search. Then, from the search results, right-click on the ‘Terminal’ tile and click on the ‘Run as administrator’ option.

Now, an UAC (User Account Control) window will appear on your screen. If you are not logged in with an admin account, enter the credentials for one. Otherwise, click on the ‘Yes’ button.

Then, click on the chevron (downward arrow) and select the ‘Command Prompt’ option.

After that type or copy+paste the below-mentioned command and hit Enter to execute.

netsh int ip reset

Similarly, type or copy+paste the below-mentioned commands one by one and hit Enter after entering each of them to execute them individually.

netsh advfirewall reset

netsh winsock reset

ipconfig /flushdns

ipconfig /release

ipconfig /renew

After executing all of the commands, restart your PC and check if the issue has been resolved.

10. Reinstall All Network Adapters

If no fix seems to be working for you, you can completely uninstall and reinstall all network adapters on your device. However, be aware that by doing this, all your saved network credentials will be reset.

First, head to the Start Menu and click on the ‘Settings’ tile.

Next, from the left sidebar present on the ‘Settings’ window, click on the ‘Network & internet’ tab.

Now, from the right section, click on the ‘Advanced network settings’ tile to proceed.

On the next screen, click on the ‘Network reset’ tile.

Afterward, click on the ‘Reset now’ button. This will restart your PC.

Note: This will completely uninstall and reinstall all the network adapters on your device. It will also uninstall any VPN software and virtual switches you might have installed on your system.

Once the PC has been restarted, try connecting to the Internet using your preferred medium and check if the problem is resolved.

11. Roll Back to a System Restore Point

In case nothing from the above methods seems to be working for you, it is time to bring out the big guns. If you created a system restore point before you started facing network problems on your PC, you can roll back to the restore point and you should be rid of the problem. However, do remember that any apps or data from after the restore point will be lost.

Head to the Start Menu and type Control to perform a search. Then, from the search results, click on the ‘Control Panel’ tile to proceed.

After that, locate and click on the ‘Recovery’ tile from the grid of icons.

Next, click on the ‘Open System Restore’ option from the list. This will open a separate window on your screen.

From the separately opened window, click on the ‘Next’ button.

All created system restore points will be listed on the screen. Click to select the desired one and then click on the ‘Next’ button to initiate the rolling back process.

Next, a list of drives that will be impacted by the rollback will be displayed along with the timestamp of the restore point created. You can also check the programs that will be affected; click on the ‘Scan for the affected programs’ button. A new window will appear on the screen.

On the new window, you can view the programs that will be deleted and the ones that will be restored. Click on the ‘Close’ button to navigate to the previous window.