Easily Fix Windows Was Unable to Connect to This Network Error

You may get the error saying “Windows was unable to connect to this network” or “Can’t connect to this network” when you try to connect the PC to WiFi in Windows 7/10. What should you do to fix the issue? MiniTool summarizes some useful solutions in the following part. Let’s see them.

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Windows Was Unable to Connect to This Network

When using a computer, the network is very important since you need to search for some information online, do some work, share files between others, etc. If there is no Internet connection, you can do nothing.

Tip: If you are using a laptop and find it keeps disconnecting from WiFi, what should you do? Follow solutions in this post –

If you are using a laptop and find it keeps disconnecting from WiFi, what should you do? Follow solutions in this post – Laptop Keeps Disconnecting from Wi-Fi? Fix the Issue Now!

According to users, the network always goes wrong. For example, you may receive the error message saying “Windows was unable to connect to this network” when connecting to WiFi in Windows 7. In Windows 10, you see the error “Can’t connect to this network”.

This is a very common issue. So, how to fix it? Take it easy and you can follow these solutions below to easily get rid of the trouble.

Windows Was Unable to Connect to WiFi

The following operations are based on Windows 10. Some of them are also applied to Windows 7. Just troubleshoot the issue of computer not connecting to WiFi based on your actual situations.

Forget the Wireless Connection and Reconnect It

This is one of the most basic things to do and you can have a try to see if it is useful for you.

Step 1: Right-click the network icon and choose Open Network & Internet settings.

Step 2: Go to the Wi-Fi section, scroll down, and click Manage known networks.

Step 3: Select your wireless network and click Forget. It will be removed from the list

Step 4: Reconnect it as usual.

If this method is not working to fix Windows 10 not connecting to WiFi, try some other ways below.

Uninstall and Reinstall the Driver for Your Network Adapter

A network adapter establishes the connection to a network. If Windows 10 can’t connect to this network, perhaps it is the issue with the adapter. You can uninstall the driver and let Windows 10 reconnect it.

Step 1: Press Win + X to choose Device Manager from the Start menu.

Step 2: Expand Network adapters, choose your wireless adapter, and right-click it to choose Uninstall device.

Step 3: Click Uninstall.

Step 4: Reboot your computer and Windows will automatically install a driver for the network adapter.

Use the Network Troubleshooter

To fix the WiFi issue, you can also run the network troubleshooter.

Step 1: Right-click the network icon in the toolbar and choose Troubleshoot problems.

Step 2: The troubleshooter starts network diagnostics. Then, follow the instructions on the screen to finish the fix.

Run Command Prompt

When Windows was unable to connect to this network, you can run Command Prompt (CMD) to release your IP and flush the DNS cache to fix the issue.

Step 1: Open Command Prompt as an administrator in Windows 10.

Step 2: Type these two commands and press Enter after each one:

Ipconfig / release

Ipconfig / renew

Step 3: Restart the PC and see if the issue of Windows 10 not connecting to WiFi is solved.

Disable IPv6

If your computer won’t connect to WiFi, the issue may be your network configuration. According to users, disabling IPv6 is helpful to remove the error “Windows was unable to connect to this network” or “Can’t connect to this network”. Most PCs can work well with IPv4 and the issue should be fixed.

Step 1: Go to Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center.

Step 2: Click Change adapter settings and right-click your wireless adapter to choose Properties.

Step 3: Uncheck Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6).

Step 4: Save the change

Disable and Enable Wireless Connection

If Windows 10 can’t connect to WiFi, you can try to disable and enable the wireless connection by following the guide.

Step 1: In the Network Connections window, right-click your wireless adapter and choose Disable.

Step 2: Right-click the same adapter and click Enable.

Ensure Your Adapter and Router Use the Same Security Type

To keep your data safe, wireless connections come with certain security types, for example, WPA-PSK (AES) or WPA2-PSK (AES). To make sure the Internet connection is normal, your router and wireless adapter need to use the same security type.

Just follow the router’s instruction manual to set the security type and then go to check if the PC uses the same type by following these steps:

Step 1: Open Network and Sharing Center and choose Manage wireless networks.

Step 2: Right-click your wireless network and choose Properties.

Step 3: Go to the Security tab, choose the same security type that the router uses from the Security type section.

Step 4: Save the change by clicking OK.

Other Solutions

In addition to these solutions, there are some other ways you can try to fix “Windows was unable to connect to this network” or “Can’t connect to this network”, for example, manually add connections, change the wireless mode, edit channel width of your network adapter and more. Just search for the detailed operations online.

Final Words

Windows was unable to connect to this network? Or Windows 10 can’t connect to this network? After reading this post, you know many useful solutions. Just try them to easily get rid of your trouble in Windows 10/7.