4 Ways to Open the Network Connections in Windows 11

Quick Tips

• Open Control Panel and click on Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings.
• Launch Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > list of current Network adapters.
• Use the ncpa.cpl command with Command Prompt or the start-process control netconnections command with Windows PowerShell to open Network Connections utility.

Basic Ways:

• Using the Search bar: Click on the Search bar, type Network Connections, and open the app from the search results.
• Using Start: Go to the taskbar, right-click on Start, and click on Network Connections to launch the app.
• Via Run command/Files Explorer: Open the Run window or the File Explorer, type Network Connections in the relevant search bar, and press enter to open the Network Connections window.

Method 1: Using the Control Panel

Network Connections is a Control Panel applet nested deep inside the Network and Internet section. So, you can launch the utility from the Control Panel too. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Open the Control Panel and click on the Network and Internet option.

Step 2: Click on Network and Sharing Center.

Step 3: Here, click on Change adapter settings. Network Connections will launch in a separate window.

Also Read: How to fix Windows 10 network connection issues

Method 2: Using the Settings App

Microsoft is slowly moving many Control Panel utilities to the Settings app. There is an elaborate Network setting in the app, which also has a Network Connections section. Here’s how to open it on Windows 11.

Step 1: Use the Windows + I key to launch Settings. Click on Network & internet.

Step 2: Here, click on Advanced network settings. This will open a list of Network adapters.

Method 3: Using Command Prompt or PowerShell

If you love Terminal in Windows 11 and prefer running applications that way, you can launch the Network Connections utility directly using it. Here’s how to open it using Command Prompt and PowerShell.

Via Command Prompt

Step 1: Open Command Prompt, type the following command, and press enter to open the Network Connections window.

ncpa.cpl

Via Windows PowerShell

Step 1: Open Windows PowerShell, type the following command, and press enter.

start-process control netconnections

Method 4: Creating a Desktop Shortcut

Unfortunately, you cannot pin the Network Connections utility to the Start menu or the Taskbar. However, you can create a shortcut for the utility and launch it directly from the desktop. Here’s how.

Step 1: Right-click on the desktop and click on New. Select the Shortcut option.

Step 2: Type the following path and click on Next.

C:\Windows\SysWOW64\ncpa.cpl

Step 3: Name the shortcut and click on Finish to create the shortcut.

Now, double-click on the newly created shortcut whenever you want to open the Network Connections window on your Windows 11 laptop.