Published 2023-05-10 by TechNet New England
When Windows 11 will not connect to Wi-Fi, the problem is usually one of five things: the adapter is disabled, the driver is outdated, the network profile is corrupted, airplane mode is on, or there is a DHCP issue. This guide covers all of them. ## Check the Obvious First 1. **Is Wi-Fi turned on?** Click the network icon in the system tray (bottom right). Make sure Wi-Fi is toggled on and Airplane mode is toggled off. 2. **Is the network visible?** Click the Wi-Fi icon and look for your network name. If it is not listed, the router may be down or out of range. 3. **Can other devices connect?** If your phone connects to the same Wi-Fi but your laptop does not, the problem is the laptop, not the network. ## Fix 1: Forget and Reconnect to the Network A corrupted network profile is one of the most common causes. 1. Go to **Settings > Network and internet > Wi-Fi**. 2. Click **Manage known networks**. 3. Find your network and click **Forget**. 4. Go back to Wi-Fi settings and reconnect to the network by selecting it and entering the password. ## Fix 2: Run the Network Troubleshooter 1. Go to **Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters**. 2. Click **Run** next to **Network and Internet**. 3. Follow the prompts. Windows will attempt to detect and fix the issue automatically. ## Fix 3: Reset the Network Adapter 1. Open **Command Prompt as Administrator** (search for "cmd," right-click, select "Run as administrator"). 2. Run the following commands one at a time: ```cmd netsh winsock reset netsh int ip reset ipconfig /release ipconfig /flushdns ipconfig /renew ``` 3. Restart your computer. ## Fix 4: Disable and Re-enable the Wi-Fi Adapter 1. Go to **Settings > Network and internet > Advanced network settings**. 2. Under **Network adapters**, find your Wi-Fi adapter. 3. Click **Disable**. 4. Wait 10 seconds, then click **Enable**. ## Fix 5: Update the Wi-Fi Driver 1. Right-click the **Start** button and select **Device Manager**. 2. Expand **Network adapters**. 3. Right-click your Wi-Fi adapter (it will have "Wi-Fi," "Wireless," or "WLAN" in the name). 4. Select **Update driver > Search automatically for drivers**. 5. If Windows finds an update, install it and restart. If no update is found through Windows, go to your laptop manufacturer's support website (Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc.) and download the latest Wi-Fi driver for your model. ## Fix 6: Reset Network Settings Completely This is the nuclear option. It removes all network adapters and reinstalls them, and resets all network settings to their defaults. 1. Go to **Settings > Network and internet > Advanced network settings**. 2. Click **Network reset**. 3. Click **Reset now**. 4. Your computer will restart. You will need to reconnect to Wi-Fi and re-enter the password. ## When to Contact IT Support If none of the above works, the issue may be: A hardware failure in the Wi-Fi adapter. A Group Policy or MDM restriction blocking Wi-Fi connections. A certificate-based Wi-Fi network requiring specific configuration. A RADIUS or 802.1X authentication issue on the network side. These require IT administrator access to diagnose.