Your laptop says it’s connected to WiFi, but websites won’t load. The problem can be your router, your internet provider, or your PC. The steps below start with a quick check to find out which one, then move through the fixes.
Quick answer
Restart your router and PC, run the network commands in Fix
4, and change your DNS server if the problem remains.
Step 1: Find where the problem is
- Check
another device (a phone, for example) on the same WiFi. If it also has no
internet, the problem is the router or provider. Restart the router and
check for outages.
- If
only your PC has the problem, continue with the fixes below.
Fix 1: Restart everything
Unplug the router for 30 seconds, plug it back in, and wait
a couple of minutes. Then restart your PC.
Fix 2: Forget the network and reconnect
- Open
Settings → Network & internet → Wi-Fi → Manage known networks.
- Choose
your network and click Forget.
- Reconnect
and enter the password again.
Fix 3: Run the network troubleshooter
Go to Settings → System → Troubleshoot → Other
troubleshooters → Network and Internet → Run.
Fix 4: Reset your network settings with commands
Open Command Prompt as administrator and run these one at a time:
netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
ipconfig /flushdnsRestart your PC afterwards.
[Screenshot: the commands running in Command Prompt]
Fix 5: Change your DNS server
- Open
Settings → Network & internet → Wi-Fi, then your network’s Hardware
properties.
- Next
to DNS server assignment, click Edit and choose Manual.
- Turn
on IPv4 and enter 8.8.8.8 as preferred and 8.8.4.4 as
alternate (Google DNS), or 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 (Cloudflare).
- Save.
Fix 6: Check the network adapter
- Open
Device Manager → Network adapters, right-click your WiFi adapter,
and choose Update driver. If the problem started after an update,
try Properties → Driver → Roll Back Driver.
- In
the adapter’s Power Management tab, untick Allow the computer to
turn off this device to save power.
Fix 7: Network reset (last resort)
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