Wi-Fi keeps disconnecting in Windows 11: how to fix it

Applies to: Windows 11 laptops and desktops whose Wi-Fi connects and works, then cuts out, reconnects or loses internet every few minutes or hours. If the Wi-Fi option or your network is missing altogether, see our Wi-Fi not showing guide instead. The steps build on Microsoft’s own Wi-Fi troubleshooting article; where a step goes beyond it, the text says so.

Match the pattern of the drops

When the drops happen says a lot about why. Find the closest row, then start with the fixes it names.

When it drops	Likely cause	Start with
Phones and other PCs drop at the same time	Router, modem or internet line	Fix 1
After sleep, or when the laptop is on battery	Adapter power saving	Fix 2
Every few minutes on one network only	Saved profile, router address rules or channel	Fix 3, Fix 4, Fix 1
When you move between rooms, or on a mesh system	Roaming between access points or bands	Fix 5
While a Bluetooth headset, mouse or controller is in use	Bluetooth sharing the 2.4 GHz radio	Fix 6
Started after a Windows or driver update	Driver or a known issue	Fix 7, Known issues
Still connected to Wi-Fi, but pages stop loading	IP address or DNS rather than the radio	Fix 8

Is it the PC or the network?

Spend two minutes on this before changing settings, because it decides which half of the guide you need.

• Watch other devices. If a phone on the same Wi-Fi loses its connection at the same moment, the PC is not the problem. Go to Fix 1.
• Try a cable. If the PC has an Ethernet port, plug it into the router for a while. Stable on a cable but not on Wi-Fi points to the wireless side, either the adapter or the radio link.
• Ping the router. Microsoft suggests a ping test to the default gateway. Open Command Prompt, run ipconfig and note the Default Gateway address of the Wi-Fi adapter, then run a continuous ping to it (replace the address with yours) and stop it with Ctrl + C:

ping -t 192.168.1.1

If replies turn into “Request timed out” each time the internet drops, the wireless link to the router is breaking. If the router keeps answering while websites fail, the link is fine and the problem is further out: the modem, the internet line or DNS.

For a record of past drops, Windows can build a wireless report from an administrator Command Prompt with netsh wlan show wlanreport. Microsoft’s netsh wlan reference describes it as a summary of recent wireless sessions and activity, so it shows when the connection ended and how often. The command output names the folder where the HTML report is saved.

Fix 1: Restart the router and change the channel

A router that has been running for weeks, or one sitting on a crowded channel, can drop every client in turn. Restart both boxes the way Microsoft describes: unplug the router and then the modem, leave them off for about 30 seconds, plug the modem in first and wait for its lights to settle, then plug the router back in and give it a few minutes before you reconnect.

If drops keep coming, Microsoft’s advice for a connection that drops often is to sign in to the router’s admin page and pick a different wireless channel, since neighboring networks on the same channel cause interference. The router’s manual or label explains how to sign in. In apartments and offices with many networks, this alone can stop the drops. Also check for a firmware update for the router on its maker’s site; this is our suggestion, not part of Microsoft’s article.

Fix 2: Stop power saving from cutting the adapter

To save battery, Windows and the driver can put the Wi-Fi adapter into a low-power state. Some adapters don’t wake cleanly, which shows up as drops after sleep, after the screen turns off, or only on battery. Microsoft lists two settings to change.

1. Right-click Start, open Device Manager and expand Network adapters.
2. Right-click the Wi-Fi adapter (its name usually includes Wireless, Wi-Fi or 802.11) and select Properties.
3. On the Power Management tab, clear Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power and select OK. Some adapters have no such tab; skip to the next step.

Then change the power plan setting for wireless adapters:

1. Open Control Panel, then Hardware and Sound, then Power Options.
2. Next to your plan, select Change plan settings, then Change advanced power settings.
3. Expand Wireless Adapter Settings, then Power Saving Mode, and set it to Maximum Performance for both battery and plugged in.

On some newer laptops that use Modern Standby, the Wireless Adapter Settings group may not appear, and the adapter’s own driver controls power instead. The cost of these changes is slightly shorter battery life, so undo them if they make no difference.

Fix 3: Forget the network and join it again

A saved Wi-Fi profile can hold an old password or security setting from before the router was changed, which leads to repeated failed reconnections. Removing it makes Windows start fresh.

1. Go to Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi > Manage known networks.
2. Select the network and choose Forget.
3. Join it again from the network icon on the taskbar and enter the password. Tick Connect automatically so Windows rejoins by itself after a short drop.

Make sure you know the password before you forget the network. If you don’t, our Wi-Fi password guide shows how to read it from Windows first. While you’re on the Manage known networks page, forget old networks you no longer use, especially neighbors’ or open hotspots in range, so Windows has fewer networks to jump to.

Fix 4: Turn off random hardware addresses

Windows can present a made-up hardware (MAC) address to Wi-Fi networks instead of the adapter’s real one. Microsoft describes this as a privacy feature that makes the device harder to track. Some networks don’t cope well with it, though this is our explanation rather than something Microsoft’s article states: routers that filter devices by address, reserve IP addresses per device, apply parental controls, or show a sign-in page in hotels and offices may treat the PC as a stranger. If the setting is set to change daily, the network sees a new device each day, which can mean signing in again or losing a reserved address.

To turn it off for one network, which is the safer test:

1. Go to Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi > Manage known networks and select the network.
2. Set Random hardware addresses to Off.
3. Turn Wi-Fi off and on again, or restart, so the PC rejoins with its real address.

The switch for all networks is on the Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi page. Keep it on for public networks if privacy matters to you, and turn it off only for home or work networks where it causes trouble. Administrators can do the same per profile with netsh wlan set profileparameter and its randomization option, documented in the netsh wlan reference.

Fix 5: Band, roaming and mesh settings

Many routers broadcast one network name on 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz (and sometimes 6 GHz), and mesh systems add several access points under the same name. The PC then has to decide which band and which access point to use, and it may hop between them as the signal changes. Each hop is a brief disconnect, and a poor decision can leave it stuck on a weak signal.

• Separate the bands for a test. If the router allows it, give the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks different names and connect to one. 5 GHz is faster at short range; 2.4 GHz reaches further through walls. If the drops stop, the problem was band switching. This is a router setting, so follow its manual.
• Check the adapter’s advanced settings. In Device Manager, open the Wi-Fi adapter’s Properties and the Advanced tab. Depending on the maker you may find Roaming Aggressiveness, Preferred Band or a wireless mode setting. Setting roaming to a lower value makes the adapter hold on to its access point longer, and a preferred band keeps it on the band you pick. Names and options vary by adapter, and these settings aren’t covered in Microsoft’s article, so note the old values before you change anything.
• Stop switching to other known networks. If the PC knows two networks nearby, such as your router and a range extender with a different name, it can switch between them. Forget the one you don’t want, or turn off Connect automatically for it. The netsh wlan reference also lists an autoSwitch option for a profile that controls whether Windows moves to a more preferred network.
• Mind the distance. A PC at the edge of the signal will drop no matter what you change in Windows. Test once next to the router; if it’s solid there, the fix is placement, an access point or a mesh node, not software.

Fix 6: Check for Bluetooth on the same radio

In most laptops, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth sit on one combo card and share an antenna, and both can use the 2.4 GHz band. Heavy Bluetooth traffic, such as wireless earbuds or a game controller, can slow or interrupt Wi-Fi on 2.4 GHz with some cards and drivers. This is general hardware background, not a step in Microsoft’s article.

To test it, turn Bluetooth off for a while in Quick Settings. If the drops stop, connect to the 5 GHz network where you can, and update the combo card’s driver, which usually includes both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth parts. If Bluetooth itself misbehaves too, our Bluetooth guide covers that side.

Fix 7: Update, roll back or reinstall the driver

The Wi-Fi driver handles power states, roaming and band decisions, so many drops come down to its version. Check what you have first: in the adapter’s Properties, the Driver tab shows the version and date. Compare them with the latest driver on your PC or adapter maker’s support page.

• Drops began after a driver update: on the same Driver tab, select Roll Back Driver if it’s available. Rollback is our suggestion; Microsoft’s article does not mention it.
• Driver is old: install the maker’s current driver. Download it before you start, because the connection may go while the driver installs.
• Still dropping: Microsoft’s method is to uninstall the adapter in Device Manager, tick the option to remove the driver, restart and let Windows reinstall it. The full steps are in the driver section of our Wi-Fi not showing guide.

Avoid third-party driver updater tools. They can install the wrong package for your card, and some bundle unwanted software; the PC or adapter maker’s site is the reliable source.

Fix 8: Reset Winsock and renew the address

If the Wi-Fi icon stays connected but pages stop loading every so often, the radio link may be fine and the IP address or DNS cache may be at fault. Microsoft lists these commands; run them in order from Command Prompt opened as administrator, then restart the PC:

netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
ipconfig /flushdns

ipconfig /release cuts the connection briefly until /renew gets a new address, so run them in one go. If ipconfig shows the Wi-Fi adapter as Media disconnected when you run it, the PC is not joined to any network at that moment; our Media disconnected guide explains what that status means.

Fix 9: Network reset as the last software step

Warning: network reset removes and reinstalls every network adapter and puts networking settings back to defaults. You may need to join saved Wi-Fi networks again with their passwords, VPN software and virtual switches such as Hyper-V may need reinstalling, and networks can come back with the public profile. Note your Wi-Fi password first. On a work PC, ask IT before you use it.

1. Go to Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Network reset.
2. Select Reset now, then Yes. Save your work, because the PC restarts.
3. After the restart, join your Wi-Fi again and, if it helped, reapply only the settings from Fix 2 and Fix 4 that you still need.

When the adapter itself is at fault

If the PC still drops after the steps above, while other devices on the same network stay connected, suspect the hardware. A loose antenna lead inside a laptop, often after a repair or a drop, produces weak signal and frequent disconnects. A cheap USB Wi-Fi adapter is a useful test: if the PC is stable on it, the built-in card or its antennas are the problem. Plug the USB adapter straight into the PC rather than a hub, and if it’s a laptop under warranty, contact the maker before opening it.

Known issues

As of November 2026, Microsoft’s Windows 11, version 25H2 release health page (last updated November 5, 2026) lists no open issue about Wi-Fi disconnects, wireless adapters or network connectivity. Its only open issue concerns USB Audio Class 1.0 devices.

One change can look like dropped Wi-Fi at work: since October 2026, office or campus Wi-Fi that signs in with MS-CHAPv2 can stop connecting automatically. Those are connection failures rather than drops on a working link, and our NTLMv1 and MS-CHAPv2 guide explains them. Known issues change, so check the release health page again if drops started straight after an update.

Related guides

• Wi-Fi not showing in Windows 11: how to fix it
• How to find your Wi-Fi password in Windows 11
• Bluetooth not working in Windows 11: how to fix it
• ipconfig Media disconnected in Windows 11: what it means and how to fix it
• Wi-Fi or VPN stopped connecting after the October 2026 Windows update: the NTLMv1 and MS-CHAPv2 change
• Wi-Fi connected but no internet in Windows 11: how to fix it

Official sources

• Microsoft: Fix Wi-Fi connection issues in Windows
• Microsoft: Connect to a Wi-Fi network in Windows
• Microsoft Learn: netsh wlan