Wi-Fi connected but no internet on Windows

Confirm what is actually failing

Open two unrelated websites you normally use, then try another browser or online app. A cached page alone is not a reliable test: refresh it or request new content. Check that Windows is connected to the intended Wi-Fi name.

Is it this PC or the whole network?

Use another device on the exact same Wi-Fi. On a phone, temporarily turn mobile data off so it cannot silently use cellular internet, then refresh two unrelated websites. Turn mobile data back on after the comparison.

Reconnect without resetting Windows

Make one change at a time and retry the internet after each. If a public Wi-Fi network requires a sign-in page, complete the legitimate network sign-in first; do not bypass certificate warnings or enter credentials into an unexpected page.

1. Press Windows + A. Check that Airplane mode is off and Wi-Fi is on. Move closer to the router if the signal is weak.
2. Turn Wi-Fi off and back on, then select the intended network and connect. This briefly interrupts network activity.
3. If it still fails, save work and restart the PC normally using Start → Power → Restart.
4. A VPN is an app that routes your connection through another network; a proxy is an intermediary configured for internet requests. If you use a personal VPN, compare access with it disconnected only when allowed. If that alone restores access, stop this repair path and troubleshoot the VPN. Do not disable required work security or change an unfamiliar managed proxy.

Go to: Windows + A → Quick Settings

1. In Quick Settings, Airplane mode should be off and Wi-Fi on.
2. Toggle Wi-Fi off/on, then return to the intended network.

Select the arrow beside Wi-Fi to open the network list. This Microsoft example shows Available, not a connected network; check your own network name after opening the list.

Source: Microsoft. Used with permission from Microsoft.

Open full-size screenshot (new tab) →

Look for / expected result: Wi-Fi is on and Airplane mode is off. Open the Wi-Fi list to confirm the connected network.

Connected again

Refresh two websites and retry the failed app. If still offline, run the diagnostic. Open Get Help →

Cannot join

Only forget the saved profile if the password is available and this network alone will not join. Review the saved profile →

Test two websites and the original app on the same Wi-Fi. Working again? STOP — no more repairs.

Recreate the saved Wi-Fi connection only if needed

Forgetting a network removes its saved connection profile. This is useful after a password/security change or when this PC’s saved connection seems suspect. If neither applies, skip to Get Help.

1. Open Settings → Network & internet → Wi-Fi → Manage known networks. Find your network and choose Forget.
2. Open the Wi-Fi connection list again, select that network, choose Connect, and enter its password.

Run the Windows 11 network diagnostic

Open Start, type Get Help, and open the Get Help app. Search for “connect to network and internet” and select Run network diagnostics when offered. The Network and Internet troubleshooter may also open Get Help from Settings → System → Troubleshoot → Other troubleshooters. Follow its prompts and read any proposed change before accepting it. Availability and wording can vary by Windows build.

Go to: Start → Get Help → search for connect to network and internet

1. Open Get Help from Start and search for connect to network and internet.
2. Choose Run network diagnostics when offered. Wording and availability can vary.

Look for Get Help in Start. The icon identifies the app; follow the Screen Guide to open its network diagnostic.

Look for / expected result: A network diagnostic is offered when available. If it cannot open or finish, use the local checks below.

Diagnostic available

Run it and read the actual outcome before accepting a repair. Choose the matching diagnostic result →

Unavailable or unable to finish

An offline diagnostic may be unavailable; read local settings instead. Inspect Wi-Fi configuration →

Test two websites and the original app on the same Wi-Fi. Working again? STOP — no more repairs.

Read the active Wi-Fi address and gateway

An IP address identifies your PC on the network. IPv4 is the dotted-number form used in this check. The default gateway is usually your router: the next stop for traffic going outside that network. DHCP is the service that normally gives the PC these settings automatically. DNS Servers are the services that look up website names.

A network adapter is the hardware or software connection Windows uses; here you need the hardware for Wi-Fi. Command Prompt is a text window where you type instructions for Windows. Open Start, type Command Prompt, and choose Open. Type the command below and press Enter. You do not need administrator rights for this check.

Go to: Start → search Command Prompt → Open

1. Open Start and search for Command Prompt, then choose Open.
2. Reading configuration does not require Run as administrator.

After opening Command Prompt, look for a prompt ending in > and a cursor. This Turkish Windows 11 example shows the open window, not the Start search menu. Type only the command, not the prompt.

Open full-size screenshot (new tab) →

Look for / expected result: A text window with a prompt and blinking cursor. Type the command below and press Enter; do not type the prompt itself.

Prompt ready

Run ipconfig /all and read only the active wireless connection. Read the configuration →

Cannot open it

Do not bypass PC restrictions or substitute repair commands. Ask the PC administrator →

ipconfig /all

Go to: Command Prompt → ipconfig /all → active Wireless LAN adapter block

1. Find the active Wireless LAN adapter block, not a disconnected or VPN adapter.
2. Read IPv4 Address, DHCP Enabled, Default Gateway and DNS Servers together.

Example output — Italian Ethernet configuration, not your Wi-Fi adapter. DHCP abilitato = DHCP Enabled; Indirizzo IPv4 = IPv4 Address; Gateway predefinito = Default Gateway; Server DNS = DNS Servers. Use your active Wireless LAN block and the English field example below; do not copy these addresses.

Open full-size example (new tab) →

EXAMPLE · instructional terminal output

EXAMPLE — instructional values, not a capture or settings to copy. Your adapter name and addresses will differ. Run ipconfig /all in a standard Command Prompt.

Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi:
DHCP Enabled . . . . . : Yes
IPv4 Address . . . . . : 192.168.1.23 (Preferred)
Default Gateway . . . : 192.168.1.1
DNS Servers . . . . . : 192.168.1.1

Look for / expected result: IPv4 Address identifies this PC; DHCP Enabled says whether settings are automatic; Default Gateway is the route out; DNS Servers lists the name-lookup services. DNS entries may continue on the next line.

Expected address and gateway

Configuration exists, but reachability is not yet established. Test the gateway →

169.254 address or missing expected gateway

With DHCP Enabled: Yes, this strongly suggests address assignment failed. Check address acquisition →

Disconnected, missing or unfamiliar block

Do not use VPN or Ethernet values as Wi-Fi values; choose the matching configuration branch. Compare the configuration branches →

Test two websites and the original app on the same Wi-Fi. Working again? STOP — no more repairs.

Read the ipconfig /all field guide →

Request a DHCP address when acquisition failed

Use this only when the Wi-Fi link is connected and DHCP Enabled is Yes. A disconnected radio, intentional static address, or outage affecting every device needs its own fix first.

1. Open Start, type Command Prompt, choose Run as administrator, and approve the Windows prompt. If you cannot approve it, ask the PC administrator.
2. In the commands below, replace Wi-Fi with the exact adapter name shown after “Wireless LAN adapter” in your report, keeping the quotation marks. Run one line at a time.

ipconfig /release "Wi-Fi"
ipconfig /renew "Wi-Fi"

If the lease still cannot be obtained, stop this repair sequence and collect the error. If the address and gateway are now present but websites still fail, test the gateway.

DHCP renewal details and limitations →

Can the PC reach its own router?

In Command Prompt, ping the Default Gateway from the active Wi-Fi block. Replace the entire <Default-Gateway> placeholder below, including the angle brackets, with your actual IPv4 gateway before pressing Enter. This tests PC-to-router communication, not the router’s internet connection.

ping <Default-Gateway>

Compare your result: Recognize successful gateway replies

Go to: Command Prompt → ping your Default Gateway

1. A reply with timing from your gateway shows it answered this test.
2. An unreachable error is not success, even if its line begins Reply from.

Example reply format from an older Windows terminal, testing a public hostname rather than a gateway. For this check run ping <Default-Gateway>, replacing the entire placeholder with your own gateway. Timed replies from that gateway show local reachability; timeout alone is inconclusive.

Open full-size example (new tab) →

Look for / expected result: Successful replies include timing, followed by a packet summary. A line saying Destination host unreachable is not a successful reply.

Timed replies from your gateway

The local gateway answered. This does not prove internet access. Check name resolution →

Timeout or unreachable

A timeout alone is inconclusive: routers may block ping. Recheck the gateway and compare another device. Choose the unanswered-test branch →

Test two websites and the original app on the same Wi-Fi. Working again? STOP — no more repairs.

Understand ping results and their limits →

Separate internet reachability from name lookup

DNS translates a website name into a network address. It matters only after the PC has usable local settings. If the gateway replies but all devices have lost internet, return to the router/provider path.

An optional public-address test, ping 1.1.1.1, can show that an internet destination answers without looking up a name. A timeout is inconclusive because ping traffic may be blocked; it does not establish a DNS fault. Do not change your DNS server to that address just to perform this test.

nslookup www.microsoft.com

Compare your result: Read a direct name-lookup answer

Go to: Command Prompt → nslookup www.microsoft.com

1. Look for addresses returned for the requested name, not just the DNS server heading.
2. A server labelled Unknown can still return a valid answer.

Example command output — this CC0 illustration uses a Unix-style prompt and example.com, not a Windows capture. In Command Prompt, run nslookup www.microsoft.com. Look for the requested name or alias and answer addresses below the DNS server information. Values vary; an answer alone does not prove websites work.

Open full-size example (new tab) →

Look for / expected result: Below the server information, an answer names the requested site or its alias and gives addresses. Server: Unknown alone is not a failure.

Answer includes site addresses

The DNS service translated the name; this does not prove the browser works. Choose the successful-lookup branch →

Timeout or no answer

Name resolution was not established. Server: Unknown alone is not failure. Compare the failed-lookup branch →

Test two websites and the original app on the same Wi-Fi. Working again? STOP — no more repairs.

If direct lookups answer but Windows apps appear to retain an old or failed lookup, try the cache clear below. If names resolve and several apps still fail, check recorded VPN/proxy settings or network-filter changes instead. Do not switch off security software as a general test.

Follow the DNS-specific diagnostic path →

Clear a suspected stale DNS cache

The local DNS cache remembers recent name lookups. Clearing it is a targeted check for stale results, not a repair for a missing IP address or router outage. Open Command Prompt with Run as administrator as described in the DHCP step.

ipconfig /flushdns

DNS cache command reference →

Reset Winsock only for a matching app-level failure

Winsock is the Windows interface that network applications use to make connections. Consider resetting it when several unrelated apps have socket errors or a removed network filter left damage, after checking the Wi-Fi link, IP settings, and recorded VPN/proxy configuration. Skip this repair if that evidence does not fit. It does not repair DHCP, a failed router, or an unreachable DNS server.

1. Open Start → Command Prompt → Run as administrator. Approve the Windows prompt. Run the command once, read its response, then restart normally.

netsh winsock reset

Winsock reset scope and precautions →

Check the wireless adapter in Device Manager

The network adapter is the hardware Windows uses to connect. Device Manager lists the hardware Windows recognizes and reports device problems. A driver is the software Windows uses to operate that hardware. Right-click Start and choose Device Manager, then select the arrow beside Network adapters to expand it. Look for Wireless, Wi-Fi, WLAN, or an 802.11 model name. Ethernet, Bluetooth, WAN Miniport, and virtual adapters are not necessarily your Wi-Fi hardware. If unsure, compare the model with your PC maker’s specifications.

Double-click the wireless adapter and read General → Device status. Choose only the branch matching that device; do not enable, remove and reinstall it as a sequence.

Device Manager diagnostic guide →

Have a replacement driver before removing anything

A driver is the software Windows uses to operate hardware such as your Wi-Fi adapter. Use a reinstall for an identified adapter/driver problem, not simply because the PC is offline. A matching manufacturer update or an available rollback (returning to the previous driver) may resolve it without removing the device. Test after either change.

1. In Device Manager → Network adapters, right-click the identified wireless adapter and select Uninstall device. Read the device name again before confirming.
2. Leave any option to remove/delete the driver package unchecked so the existing package remains available. If the dialog is unclear, cancel and consult the manufacturer.
3. Restart Windows normally. Windows may detect the adapter again; if it does not, use the saved manufacturer installer and its instructions. Automatic re-detection is not guaranteed.
4. Reconnect to the intended Wi-Fi and test. If the device remains missing or has an error code, collect that result rather than repeatedly uninstalling it.

Network reset is the last Windows repair here

Consider this only when another device has internet on the same Wi-Fi, this PC’s adapter is recognized, and the earlier results still point to a Windows configuration problem. Do not use it for a network-wide outage, missing hardware, a single failing app, or an unresolved DHCP/DNS service problem. You can stop and seek help instead.

1. Save work. Open Settings → Network & internet → Advanced network settings → Network reset.
2. Read the on-screen warning. Only when you are ready, choose Reset now and confirm Yes. Allow the restart to complete.
3. Reconnect to Wi-Fi. Restore only your required, known network/VPN configuration, then retry the original sites and app. Check the network profile is appropriate for the network you joined.

Check the original problem, not just a status icon

• Refresh the two previously failing websites and retry the original app on the intended Wi-Fi.
• Restore any required VPN and confirm the access you actually need still works. If only the VPN fails, treat that as the remaining problem.
• After a repair that required restarting or reconnecting, confirm access survives that restart/reconnection. Do not use the Wi-Fi status label alone as proof.

Use the evidence to choose the next path

Stop repeating repairs if the network fails on other devices, DHCP still cannot supply an address, the adapter remains missing, or a managed setting requires approval. If Network reset did not solve a PC-specific failure, use the recorded results with the PC maker, network owner, or IT instead of cycling through resets.

• Several devices fail: give the network owner or internet provider the same-Wi-Fi test and router status.
• Only this PC fails: record the Get Help result, active Wi-Fi IPv4 address, gateway, DHCP status, ping result, and any exact command error.
• Addressing works but names fail: continue with targeted DNS diagnosis.
• Adapter missing or showing an error: give the PC maker or IT its model, Device Manager code, driver version, and recent changes. See the Device Manager guide.

Share network reports privately with trusted support; redact identifiers before posting publicly. Do not include passwords or recovery keys. Review the safe troubleshooting workflow before broader recovery.