6 Ways to Fix Wi-Fi Not Working on Windows 11

Quick Tips

• Consider installing any pending Windows updates and restarting your PC to address issues caused by bugs and glitches.
• Running the Network and Internet troubleshooter and updating Wi-Fi drivers can also help resolve the issue.
• If the problem persists, you may need to reset all network settings on Windows.

Fix 1: Disable Metered Connection

Setting your internet connection as metered on Windows limits apps to using less data, which can sometimes give the impression of a problem with the Wi-Fi. To avoid this, use the following steps to disable the metered connection option for your Wi-Fi network.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app and navigate to Network & internet > Wi-Fi.

Step 2: Click on your Wi-Fi network to open its properties.

Step 3: Turn off the Metered connection option.

Fix 2: Run the Network and Internet Troubleshooter

Your Windows 11 device includes a variety of troubleshooters that can help detect and fix various system-level problems. In this case, you can run the Network and Internet troubleshooter to resolve issues with the Wi-Fi.

Step 1: Click the search icon on the taskbar, type troubleshoot settings, and hit Enter.

Step 2: Go to Other troubleshooters.

Step 3: Click the Run button next to the Network and Internet.

Fix 3: Update or Reinstall Network Adapter Drivers

Wi-Fi drivers on Windows are responsible for connecting your PC to the internet. It’s common for these drivers to become outdated over time, especially if you’ve disabled automatic updates. To resolve Wi-Fi issues on Windows 11, you can try updating the drivers. Here’s how:

Step 1: Right-click on the Start icon and select Device Manager from the list.

Step 2: Expand Network adapters, right-click on the relevant Wireless Network Adapter from the list, and select Update driver.

From there, follow the on-screen instructions to update the Wi-Fi driver for Windows 11.

If updating the drivers doesn’t help, the Wi-Fi drivers on your PC may be corrupted. In this case, you’ll need to uninstall the problematic driver to resolve the Wi-Fi issue. After removing the driver, restart your PC, and Windows will automatically reinstall the missing driver during the boot process.

Fix 4: Configure Windows Services

Windows 11 relies on certain system services to connect and use Wi-Fi networks automatically. If these services are not running on your PC, you could experience problems. Here’s how to fix that.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog. Type services.msc in the box and press Enter.

Step 2: Locate and double-click the WLAN AutoConfig service to open its properties.

Step 3: Use the drop-down menu to change the Startup type to Automatic and hit Apply, followed by OK.

Similarly, configure the WWAN Auto Config service to start automatically on your PC. After that, check if the issue is resolved.

Fix 5: Reset Network Devices and Network Stack

Another thing you can do to restore the missing Wi-Fi option is reset all the network devices, TCP/IP, and flush the DNS cache. Here are the steps for the same.

Step 1: Right-click on the Start icon and select Terminal (Admin) from the list.

Step 2: Run the following commands in the console and press Enter after each one:

netsh int ip reset
netsh advfirewall reset
netsh winsock reset
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

Once all the commands are executed, restart your computer, and check if the Wi-Fi option is restored.

Fix 6: Reset Network Settings

If all else fails, you can consider resetting the network settings on your Windows PC. Here’s how:

Step 1: Press the Windows key + I to launch the Settings app. In the Network & internet tab, click on Advanced network settings.

Step 2: Click Network reset.

Step 3: Click on Reset now next to Network reset.