Does your Windows PC keep disconnecting from the Internet at random times?
Or perhaps your web browser frequently slows to a crawl or completely freezes up even though it appears that you still have a normal connection?
Or maybe you just get the feeling that your Internet or local network connection just isn’t working as well as it should?
These types of issues are often due to a glitch or an incorrect setting in your PC’s network adapter settings. If you’re experiencing any type of connectivity problem a simple Network Reset just might fix it in a jiffy.
In a nutshell, a Network Reset will remove every network adapter in your PC, and then reinstall them.
That lets you start over with all of the adapter settings set back to their factory defaults.
While a Network Reset won’t fix every possible connectivity issue, it works often enough to make it worth your while to give it a try any time you need to troubleshoot and fix a problem you’re having with your Internet connection or local network connection.
Luckily, it’s very easy to perform a Network Reset on a Windows PC. Here’s a short video that shows how to do it with Windows 11.
Note: You can watch this video at full screen by clicking the little “square” icon in the lower-right corner of the video after it begins playing.
Do you prefer following written instructions? If so, just follow the steps below for the version of Windows that’s on your PC.
Just a quick heads-up: If you’re using a VPN you might need to reinstall your VPN client after performing a Network Reset.
Follow these instructions if you’re using Windows 11:
1 – Right-click the Start button, then click Settings.
2 – In the left-hand pane, click Network & Internet.
3 – In the right-hand pane, scroll down and click Advanced network settings.
4 – Scroll down to the “More settings” section and click Network reset.
5 – Read the text in the dialog box, then once you understand what to expect you can click Reset now.
Follow these instructions if you’re using Windows 10:
1 – Right-click the Start button, then click Settings.
2 – Click Network & Internet.
3 – Click Status.
4 – Scroll down and click Network reset.
5 – Read the text in the dialog box, then once you understand what to expect you can click Reset now.
That’s all there is to it. After you click Network reset, Windows will remove all of your PC’s existing network adapters and then restart the computer. After it boots back up into Windows your PC will have a fresh installation of each of your network adapters – all of which will be set to their factory default settings.