Wi-Fi & Internet

Make a connection

1. Open quick settings from the network, sound, or battery area of the taskbar. Turn Wi-Fi on and check that Airplane mode is off.
2. Open the available-network list, choose your network, and select Connect.
3. Enter the Wi-Fi password. This is normally the network password, not your Windows PIN.
4. Test more than one website. If only one fails, the whole internet connection may not be down.

Separate a PC problem from a network problem

• Try another device on the same Wi-Fi. Turn off its mobile data during the test so it cannot quietly use cellular service.
• If several devices fail, check the router/modem status and your provider’s outage information. Restart equipment only when you can safely interrupt the connection.
• If only this PC fails, note the connection message. Try reconnecting or using Ethernet if available.
• If service works close to the router but drops farther away, signal or interference may be involved; that alone does not identify a failed Wi-Fi card.

Forget a saved network only when you can reconnect

Open Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi > Manage known networks. Select the old network and choose Forget, then reconnect. Have the password ready first.

Do not reset work networks, VPNs, static addresses, or the router to factory defaults as a first step. Those changes can create a second problem while the original one is still there.