Mobile hotspot not working in Windows 11: how to fix it

Applies to: Windows 11 laptops and desktops that share their Wi-Fi, Ethernet or cellular connection with phones, tablets or other PCs through the built-in Mobile hotspot feature. Windows 10 has the same feature under Settings > Network & Internet > Mobile hotspot. If you’re trying to connect this PC to a phone’s hotspot and the network doesn’t appear at all, start with our Wi-Fi not showing guide instead.

Match your symptom

What you see	Likely cause	Start with
Mobile hotspot switch is greyed out	No shareable connection, a policy or a stopped service	Fix 1, Fix 3, Fix 4
Message that Windows can’t set up mobile hotspot	Wi-Fi off, driver or Wi-Fi Direct adapter	Fix 1, Fix 5
Switch turns itself off a few seconds after you turn it on	Service, driver or VPN	Fix 3, Fix 4, Fix 5
Phone can’t see the hotspot name	5 GHz band or hidden by the device	Fix 2
Phone sees it but the password is rejected	Password changed or typed wrongly	Fix 2
Hotspot switches off after a while	Power saving	Fix 6
Devices connect but pages don’t load	Shared connection, VPN or DNS on the client	Fix 7
Started straight after an update	Driver change or known issue	Fix 5, Known issues

Fix 1: Check the connection you’re sharing

A hotspot can only pass on what the PC already has. According to Microsoft’s mobile hotspot page, you choose the connection to share under Share my internet connection from (Wi-Fi, Ethernet or cellular) and how to share it under Share over (Wi-Fi or Bluetooth). Wi-Fi is the default and usually faster.

1. Open a website on the PC itself. If it doesn’t load, fix the PC’s own connection first; the hotspot isn’t the problem.
2. Go to Start > Settings > Network & internet > Mobile hotspot and make sure Share my internet connection from shows the connection that’s working now. After you move from Ethernet to Wi-Fi, or plug in a dock, it may still point to the old one.
3. Check that Airplane mode is off and Wi-Fi is turned on in Quick Settings. Sharing over Wi-Fi needs the Wi-Fi radio, even when the internet comes from Ethernet or cellular.
4. Turn Mobile hotspot on, then on the phone open Wi-Fi settings, select the network and enter the password, or scan the QR code that Settings shows.

If you share a cellular connection, Microsoft notes that the hotspot uses data from your data plan. Some mobile plans don’t allow tethering, in which case the carrier, not Windows, blocks it.

Fix 2: Change the band, name or password

When the phone can’t find the hotspot, the band is a common cause. A 5 GHz hotspot is faster but invisible to devices that only support 2.4 GHz, which includes many older phones, e-readers and smart-home gadgets.

1. In Mobile hotspot settings, expand Properties and select Edit.
2. Change Network band. Pick 2.4 GHz if an older device can’t see the network, or Any available if your version of Windows offers it.
3. While you’re here, check the Network name and Network password, then select Save.

On many laptops the Wi-Fi card can broadcast the hotspot only on the band it’s already using to reach your router, so the band choice may be limited or ignored while the PC is on Wi-Fi. Sharing from Ethernet removes that limit. If you renamed the hotspot, devices that joined before need to connect to the new name; our guide to SSIDs explains how network names work.

Fix 3: Turn off the VPN and check work policies

VPN software often takes over routing on the PC, and some VPN clients block sharing on purpose so other devices can’t bypass the tunnel. Disconnect the VPN, then turn the hotspot off and on again. If it works now, look in the VPN app for a local network sharing or split tunnelling setting rather than leaving the VPN off.

Third-party firewalls and security suites can block the sharing in the same way. Pause them briefly to test, and turn them back on afterwards.

On a work or school PC, the organization can turn off Mobile hotspot or Internet Connection Sharing with policy. The switch then stays greyed out whatever you do, and only IT can change it.

Fix 4: Check the hotspot services

Mobile hotspot relies on a few Windows services. If one is disabled, often by a tuning tool or a hardening guide, the switch flips straight back off.

1. Press Win + R, type services.msc and press Enter.
2. Find Windows Mobile Hotspot Service. If its Startup type is Disabled, open it, set Startup type to Manual, select Apply and then Start. It normally runs only while the hotspot is in use, so a stopped status on its own is fine.
3. Check Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) and WLAN AutoConfig the same way: neither should be Disabled. Right-click WLAN AutoConfig and select Restart if Wi-Fi has been unreliable.
4. Go back to Settings and turn Mobile hotspot on again.

If the services keep reverting to Disabled, something on the PC is changing them. On a managed PC that’s usually policy (Fix 3); on a home PC, check optimization or privacy tools you’ve installed.

Fix 5: Check the Wi-Fi Direct adapter and driver

On most PCs the hotspot runs through a Wi-Fi Direct virtual adapter that sits on top of the real Wi-Fi card. If that adapter is disabled or the Wi-Fi driver is faulty, Settings can refuse to start the hotspot.

1. Right-click Start and open Device Manager.
2. Select View > Show hidden devices and expand Network adapters.
3. Look for Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter entries. If one has a down-arrow icon, right-click it and select Enable device. Don’t disable or uninstall these adapters; Windows uses them for the hotspot and for wireless display.

In ipconfig /all output these appear as Local Area Connection* adapters, and our ipconfig Media disconnected guide explains why they normally show as disconnected while nothing is sharing.

Next, the Wi-Fi driver itself. Microsoft’s Device Manager driver page covers the options:

• Roll back: if the hotspot stopped after a driver or Windows update, open the Wi-Fi adapter’s Properties, go to the Driver tab and select Roll Back Driver. Microsoft notes that going back to the previous driver often fixes problems that began after an update. The button is greyed out when there’s no earlier driver.
• Update: download the current Wi-Fi driver from your PC or adapter maker for your exact model, or right-click the adapter and select Update driver. Avoid driver updater tools and download sites.
• Reinstall: download the driver first, because you may lose Wi-Fi until it’s back. Then follow the Wi-Fi driver reinstall steps in our Wi-Fi guide.

Some USB Wi-Fi adapters and older cards don’t support Windows Mobile hotspot at all. If the hotspot has never worked on this PC and the maker’s newest driver doesn’t help, check the adapter’s specifications.

Fix 6: Stop the hotspot turning itself off

If the hotspot works and then switches off on its own, power saving is the likely reason. Many Windows 11 versions show a Power saving switch on the Mobile hotspot page that turns the hotspot off when no devices are connected. Turn it off if a device that sleeps, such as a tablet, keeps losing the connection.

Also check the Wi-Fi adapter in Device Manager. If its Properties window has a Power Management tab, clear Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power. Not every adapter shows this tab. Our Wi-Fi guide covers the same power setting in more detail. On a laptop, both changes cost some battery life, so plug in while you share.

Fix 7: Devices connect but have no internet

When a phone joins the hotspot but nothing loads, Windows is creating the network but not routing traffic through to the shared connection.

1. Confirm again that Share my internet connection from points to the connection with internet (Fix 1), and that no VPN is active on the PC or on the phone (Fix 3).
2. Turn the hotspot off and on, then on the phone forget the network and join it again with the password. This gives the phone a fresh address.
3. If the phone uses a private DNS or ad-blocking setting, turn it off to test. The phone, not Windows, may be the one failing to resolve names.
4. Restart the PC. If a hotspot that used to work still won’t route traffic, reinstall the Wi-Fi driver (Fix 5).

Fix 8: Sharing over Bluetooth

Bluetooth sharing is slower than Wi-Fi, but it’s useful when the Wi-Fi card can’t host a hotspot. Set Share over to Bluetooth, pair the other device with the PC, and then join the shared connection from that device’s Bluetooth settings. Microsoft’s hotspot page adds that if the PC has cellular data, you can turn its hotspot on remotely from another device, but only when both devices have Bluetooth and are paired.

If pairing fails or the Bluetooth switch is missing, our Bluetooth guide shows how to remove and re-pair a device and how to fix the adapter.

Fix 9: Network reset as a last resort

Warning: network reset removes every network adapter and its settings, then reinstalls them with defaults. You’ll need to re-enter saved Wi-Fi passwords, set up the hotspot name and password again, and you may need to reinstall VPN software or recreate Hyper-V virtual switches. Known networks may also switch to the public profile. Write down any Wi-Fi passwords you don’t know by heart, and on a work PC ask IT first.

1. Go to Start > Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Network reset.
2. Select Reset now, confirm, and let the PC restart.
3. Reconnect to your Wi-Fi or Ethernet, then set up Mobile hotspot again.

Our Wi-Fi guide describes network reset and the netsh reset commands in more detail. Avoid registry fixes that delete Wi-Fi service keys; they offer little over a network reset and are harder to undo.

Known issues

As of November 2026, Microsoft’s Windows 11, version 25H2 known issues and notifications page (last updated November 5, 2026) lists no open issue with Mobile hotspot, Wi-Fi or Internet Connection Sharing. The one item still open concerns USB audio devices.

The resolved issues list for version 25H2 has no hotspot entry either. The closest is a March 2026 issue in which Microsoft account sign-ins in apps such as Teams Free reported no internet connection on a PC that was online; it came with KB5079473 and was fixed by KB5085516 on March 21, 2026. It affected sign-ins on the PC, not devices using its hotspot.

Known issues change, so check the first page again if the hotspot stopped working straight after an update, and try rolling back the Wi-Fi driver (Fix 5).

Related guides

• Wi-Fi not showing in Windows 11: how to fix it
• ipconfig Media disconnected in Windows 11: what it means and how to fix it
• Bluetooth not working in Windows 11: how to fix it
• SSID: what your Wi-Fi network name is and how to find it

Official sources

• Microsoft: Use your Windows device as a mobile hotspot
• Microsoft: Update drivers through Device Manager in Windows
• Microsoft: Windows 11, version 25H2 known issues and notifications