Internet & Network / Network Settings
How to Reset Network Settings in Windows 11
Quick answer
Network reset in Windows 11 reinstalls network adapters and returns networking components toward defaults. You will restart the PC and rejoin Wi-Fi with the password. Use it when this computer is the problem, not when the whole house is offline. Have the Wi-Fi password ready first. It is not a speed-up trick and it is not a factory reset of your router.
Quick diagnosis
If several of these match what you see, you are in the right guide.
- This PC cannot get online while other devices on the same network can
- Wi-Fi or Ethernet stays stuck after the usual toggles and a restart
- Windows suggests a network reset, or you were sent here after other guides
- A VPN or adapter change left the PC in a confused state
Possible causes
- A damaged or stuck network profile on this PC
- Corrupted adapter settings after an update or VPN install
- An IP or DNS configuration that no longer matches the router
- Software that injected itself into the Windows network stack
What you need
- Your Wi-Fi password
- Administrator permission on the PC
- A few extra minutes after the required restart
What this problem usually means
Windows keeps a small pile of settings for each network: Wi-Fi names you joined, how the PC gets an address, and extra software that hooks into connections (VPN clients are the usual example). When that pile is inconsistent, this one PC can fail while a phone on the same router is fine.
Network reset is Windows offering to throw away that local networking setup and start adapters cleanly. It does not repair a dead modem. It does not raise the speed your provider sells. It does not wipe your documents. It does make you sign back into Wi-Fi and, often, set a VPN up again.
If you have not yet checked another device, restart the PC, or tried a DNS cache flush, do those first. If no device has internet, restart the router and see Wi-Fi connected but no internet.
Before you start
Saved wireless networks on this PC are removed. Write down or look up the password before you click. Ethernet usually comes back after the restart without a password, but you should still confirm the cable is seated.
- This is a home-PC step. On a work or school laptop, ask IT. They may have already configured the network, and a reset can break required software.
- If you use a static IP address (an address someone typed in by hand for an office), write those numbers down. Reset returns typical "obtain automatically" behavior.
- Plan a restart. Windows will ask for one. Save your work.
Quick fixes
1. Confirm this PC is the outlier
Join the same network on a phone. If the phone also has no internet, do not reset Windows yet, restart the router. Network reset cannot create an internet path that is not there.
2. Try a restart and a Wi-Fi toggle first
Restart the PC (not Sleep). Turn Wi-Fi off and on. Forget and rejoin the network: Settings → Network & internet → Wi-Fi → Manage known networks. Those steps are smaller than a full reset.
Step-by-step troubleshooting
How to run Network reset in Windows 11
- Open Settings (Windows logo key + I).
- Go to Network & internet.
- Open Advanced network settings.
- Scroll to Network reset and choose it.
- Read the message on the screen. Choose Reset now only if you still want to proceed.
- Let Windows restart. After sign-in, wait a minute, then join Wi-Fi again from the taskbar.
Windows explains that it will reinstall network adapters and reset networking components. It also tells you that you will need to rejoin networks. If your wording differs slightly by Windows 11 version, the meaning is the same.
After the restart
- Reconnect Wi-Fi with the password. Open two websites.
- If you use Ethernet, confirm the cable still shows connected. If it does not, see Ethernet not working.
- Only then reopen a VPN you actually need, using the official app from your workplace or vendor.
- If pages stall on names, flush DNS once after the reset. It is harmless and sometimes needed when caches rebuild.
Advanced: Winsock reset (administrator), only if Settings reset was not enough
Some guides jump straight to Command Prompt. Prefer Settings → Network reset first, it is the supported, visible path. A Winsock reset is a narrower command that rebuilds how Windows programs talk to the network. It also requires a restart. Skip this on a managed work PC.
Administrator Command Prompt
netsh winsock reset- What this does
- Resets the Windows sockets catalog to a default state.
- Why run it
- A damaged sockets catalog can leave one PC unable to use the network after extra software was installed or removed.
- What you should see
- A message that the Winsock catalog was reset successfully, and that you must restart the computer.
- If it fails
- Right-click Start → Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin). Type the command exactly. If Windows refuses, you may not have administrator rights, stop and ask the PC's owner. Do not download a script that "resets Winsock" from the web.
The reset is incomplete until you restart. Do not stack more network commands in the same session to "make sure."
Should you reset yet?
Choose an answer. The next question appears below, no account or download required.
Do not reset Windows. Restart the router and modem, then contact the internet provider if it stays down. A PC reset cannot replace a dead line.
Do those smaller steps first. Network reset is for leftover settings, not for a PC that has not been restarted.
Have the Wi-Fi password ready, run Settings → Network reset, restart, and reconnect. Then test without the VPN. If it still fails, the adapter or its driver may be next, from the PC maker, not an ad.
How to know the problem is fixed
- After restart and rejoining Wi-Fi (or seating Ethernet), two different websites load.
- The taskbar no longer shows "No internet" on a network you know is working on a phone.
- If you use a VPN, it should be off during this test, then added back only if the basic connection works.
If the problem continues
If this PC still fails and others succeed, update the Wi-Fi or Ethernet driver from the computer maker's support site. If every device fails, you reset the wrong layer, go back to the router and the provider. Repeating Network reset every day will not fix a failing adapter.
When this may be hardware failure
Network reset cannot repair a burned Wi-Fi card, a broken Ethernet jack, or a router that is overheating. If a cheap USB Wi-Fi adapter works and the built-in radio does not, that is hardware. If a known-good Ethernet cable never links, see the Ethernet guide and consider the port itself.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using Network reset as a weekly "tune-up."
- Resetting Windows when the router is the device that is offline.
- Factory-resetting the router because you meant to reset Windows, those are opposite devices.
- Running unofficial .bat "network repair" files from forums.
- Disabling Windows Security as part of a reset. It is unrelated.
Frequently asked questions
Will Network reset delete my files?
It is not a PC reset and not "Reset this PC." Your documents stay. You do lose saved Wi-Fi networks on this computer and some adapter customizations.
Is this the same as forgetting a Wi-Fi network?
No. Forgetting one network is smaller and is the better first try. Network reset rebuilds adapters more broadly.
Do I need to reset the router too?
Only if other devices are also failing, and even then start with a power restart, not a factory reset. Windows Network reset does not change the router.
Can I do this on Windows 10?
Windows 10 has a similar Network reset under Settings → Network & Internet → Status. The idea is the same: later step, password ready, restart required. This article's clicks match Windows 11.
Written by Practical PC editorial team. We write practical Windows and PC troubleshooting guides for home users, students, and office workers. Guides are researched from official documentation and widely observed support patterns, then reviewed for safety and plain language. We do not invent lab tests, certifications, or first-hand repair experience we do not have.