How to Manually Reset the Wi Fi Adapter (Windows)

This wikiHow teaches you different ways to re-establish a Wi-Fi connection and adapter on a Windows PC. Wireless network problems can often be fixed by disabling and re-enabling the adapter, but sometimes you need a deeper fix by reinstalling the driver or resetting it. all adapters and network settings on PC.

Table of Contents

Disable and re-enable the Wi-Fi adapter

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/8/89/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-1-Version-2.jpg/v4- 460px-Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-1-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/8/89/ Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-1-Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-1-Version-2. jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:344,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:545,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Right click on the Start button

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/0/07/Windowsstart.png”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/0/07/ Windowsstart.png/30px-Windowsstart.png”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:460,”bigWidth”:30,”bigHeight”:30,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

. On Windows 10, a menu will appear.

If you’re using Windows 7, 8 or Vista, follow these steps:
- Click the Start menu and select Contrp panel .
- Click Network and Sharing Center . If you don’t see this option, you can click Network and Internet . The Network and Sharing Center option will be in there.
- Click Change adapter settings in the left pane.
- Skip to Step 4.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/0/01/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-2-Version-2.jpg/v4- 460px-Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-2-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/0/01/ Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-2-Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-2-Version-2. jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Click Network Connections . This option is near the middle of the menu.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/0/09/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-3-Version-2.jpg/v4- 460px-Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-3-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/0/09/ Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-3-Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-3-Version-2. jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Click Change adapter options . This option is under the heading “Change your network settings” in the right pane. A list of connections will appear.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/a/ad/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-4-Version-2.jpg/v4- 460px-Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-4-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/a/ad/ Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-4-Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-4-Version-2. jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Right-click the Wi-Fi network and select Disable . The wireless network adapter will turn off.

Reset all adapters on Windows 10

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/9/9f/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-6-Version-2.jpg/v4- 460px-Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-6-Version-2.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/9/9f/ Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-6-Version-2.jpg/v4-728px-Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-6-Version-2. jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:344,”bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:545,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Right click on the Start button

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/0/07/Windowsstart.png”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/0/07/ Windowsstart.png/30px-Windowsstart.png”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:460,”bigWidth”:30,”bigHeight”:30,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output “></div>”}

. A menu will appear. This method will delete all network connections and settings on the computer, including the Wi-Fi adapter. If you’ve tried disabling and re-enabling the wireless network adapter before, but that didn’t fix it, try this.

This method describes the easiest way to reset network adapters on Windows 10. With earlier versions of Windows (or you prefer to work using command prompt), you may need to reset all adapters from Command Prompt.
Since this method will restart the PC, you need to save all open sessions.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/8/8a/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-7.jpg/v4-460px-Manually- Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-7.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/8/8a/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless- Adapter-in-Windows-Step-7.jpg/v4-728px-Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-7.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Click Network Connections near the middle of the menu.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/d/d4/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-8.jpg/v4-460px-Manually- Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-8.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/d/d4/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless- Adapter-in-Windows-Step-8.jpg/v4-728px-Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-8.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:344,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:545,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Scroll down and click Network reset . This is one of the links above the “Have a question?” section. A message will appear on the screen that the network adapters will be deleted and reinstalled, so once done, the computer needs to be reconnected to the Internet.

You may need to reinstall all currently running VPN software once the reset is complete.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/d/d4/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-9.jpg/v4-460px-Manually- Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-9.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/d/d4/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless- Adapter-in-Windows-Step-9.jpg/v4-728px-Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-9.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Click Reset now . A complete network adapter reset will begin. After uninstalling the adapters, the computer will restart and reinstall these devices.

Reinstall all network adapters from Command Prompt

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/d/d0/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-10.jpg/v4-460px-Manually- Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-10.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/d/d0/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless- Adapter-in-Windows-Step-10.jpg/v4-728px-Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-10.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Open command prompt as administrator. This method will delete all connections and network settings, including the Wi-Fi adapter, and then perform the installation again. If you’ve tried disabling and re-enabling the wireless network adapter and it still doesn’t solve the problem, try this method on any version of Windows. Here’s how to access the command prompt as an administrator: ^{[1] X Trusted Source Microsoft Support Go to source}

Press ⊞ Win + S to open the search bar.
Type cmd in the search bar.
Right-click Command prompt in the results to open the menu.
Click Run as administrator .
Enter the password if prompted.

READ More: How to Update Windows

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/7/7c/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-11.jpg/v4-460px-Manually- Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-11.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/7/7c/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless- Adapter-in-Windows-Step-11.jpg/v4-728px-Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-11.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:337,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:534,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Type netsh winsock reset and press ↵ Enter . After executing the command, you will return to the command prompt. You need to execute some additional commands in the following order.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/4/40/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-12.jpg/v4-460px-Manually- Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-12.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/4/40/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless- Adapter-in-Windows-Step-12.jpg/v4-728px-Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-12.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Type netsh int ip reset and then press ↵ Enter .

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/7/7e/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-13.jpg/v4-460px-Manually- Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-13.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/7/7e/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless- Adapter-in-Windows-Step-13.jpg/v4-728px-Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-13.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Type ipconfig /release and press ↵ Enter .

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/e/e2/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-14.jpg/v4-460px-Manually- Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-14.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/e/e2/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless- Adapter-in-Windows-Step-14.jpg/v4-728px-Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-14.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Type ipconfig /renew then press ↵ Enter .

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/0/0b/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-15.jpg/v4-460px-Manually- Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-15.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/0/0b/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless- Adapter-in-Windows-Step-15.jpg/v4-728px-Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-15.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Type ipconfig /flushdns and press ↵ Enter .

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/6/65/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-16.jpg/v4-460px-Manually- Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-16.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/6/65/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless- Adapter-in-Windows-Step-16.jpg/v4-728px-Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-16.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Restart the PC. After the PC has finished booting, you need to reconnect to the Wi-Fi network by re-entering the password (if applicable).

If the problem persists, try connecting to another wireless access point. If the connection is successful, the problem lies with the Internet service provider.
Continue the “Remove and reinstall the Wi-Fi network driver” method if you still can’t connect.

Uninstall and reinstall the Wi-Fi network driver

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/7/72/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-17.jpg/v4-460px-Manually- Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-17.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/7/72/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless- Adapter-in-Windows-Step-17.jpg/v4-728px-Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-17.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Open Device Manager. If it still cannot be fixed by disabling and re-enabling the adapter, the problem may be in the driver. Follow these steps for your version of Windows to open Device Manager: ^{[2] X Research Sources}

Windows 8 and 10: Type device in the Windows search bar and click Device Manager when the option appears.
Windows 7 and Vista: Open the Start menu and select Contrp Panel . Click the Device Manager that appears below the “System” heading.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/a/a4/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-18.jpg/v4-460px-Manually- Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-18.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/a/a4/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless- Adapter-in-Windows-Step-18.jpg/v4-728px-Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-18.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Click the arrow next to the “Network adapters” option. The list of network hardware will expand.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/5/5f/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-19.jpg/v4-460px-Manually- Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-19.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/5/5f/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless- Adapter-in-Windows-Step-19.jpg/v4-728px-Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-19.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Double-click the Wi-Fi network adapter. This option will have the words “wireless” or “Wi-Fi.”

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/b/b5/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-20.jpg/v4-460px-Manually- Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-20.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/b/b5/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless- Adapter-in-Windows-Step-20.jpg/v4-728px-Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-20.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Click the Driver tab at the top of the window.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/8/8f/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-21.jpg/v4-460px-Manually- Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-21.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/8/8f/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless- Adapter-in-Windows-Step-21.jpg/v4-728px-Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-21.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Click Uninstall Device . This option is near the bottom of the window. A confirmation message will appear.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/f/fb/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-22.jpg/v4-460px-Manually- Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-22.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/f/fb/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless- Adapter-in-Windows-Step-22.jpg/v4-728px-Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-22.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Click Uninstall to confirm. The Wi-Fi driver will be removed from the computer.

{“smallUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images_en/thumb/d/d9/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-23.jpg/v4-460px-Manually- Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-23.jpg”,”bigUrl”:”https://www.wikihow.com/images/thumb/d/d9/Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless- Adapter-in-Windows-Step-23.jpg/v4-728px-Manually-Reset-Your-Wireless-Adapter-in-Windows-Step-23.jpg”,”smallWidth”:460,”smallHeight”:345,” bigWidth”:728,”bigHeight”:546,”licensing”:”<div class=”mw-parser-output”></div>”}

Restart the computer. When the computer finishes booting, Windows will automatically reinstall the default Wi-Fi adapter and driver.

If after reinstalling the driver the network problem is still not resolved, you need to find the latest network driver from the manufacturer’s website.

Steps

Disable and re-enable the Wi-Fi adapter

Reset all adapters on Windows 10

Reinstall all network adapters from Command Prompt

Uninstall and reinstall the Wi-Fi network driver

Related Posts