“Windows 10 cannot connect to this network” is one of the problems you may encounter when trying to connect your Windows computer to the network. As you can see, apart from the message that you cannot connect to the network, the error says little about why the problem occurred and what you can do about it.
If this is your first time in such a situation, you are probably ignorant and unsure of what to do. Fortunately, there are several ways to work around the problem and successfully connect to the selected network on your PC.
Forget and reconnect the network
When a problem occurs on your computer, you are usually asked to restart your computer and we hope that this will help you fix the problem. The same can be done for your network connection. You can try forgetting about the network and then reconnecting to it to make sure it connects without issue.
While this is one of the easiest tasks, it might work for you, and there is nothing wrong with that.
- Find the network icon in the taskbar, right-click on it and select Open Network and Internet Settings.
- Click on the option labeled Wi-Fi on the left sidebar to view your wireless adapters.
- On the next screen, click Manage Known Networks in the right pane to view your networks.
- You will see a list of all networks to which you have ever connected from your computer. Click on the one with which you have connection problems and click the “Forget” button for it.
- The network will be removed from the list.
- To reconnect to it, scan it as usual and click on it.
Toggle Airplane Mode on and off
On smartphones such as iPhones and Androids, when you encounter the “Windows 10 cannot connect to this network” problem, you need to switch Airplane mode and see if that solves the problem for you. It works in many cases as it helps your device to completely disconnect from any networks, and then you can turn it off and manually reconnect to the selected network.
You can use the same method on your Windows PC.
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- Click on the notification-like icon in the lower right corner to open the Windows Action Center.
- You will see several tiles that you can turn on and off on your computer. Click the icon that says Airplane Mode to turn it on.
- The tile will turn completely blue, which means that airplane mode is enabled on your PC.
- Wait about a minute and then click on the same tile again. This time, it will disable airplane mode
- Reconnect to your network and you should be able to do it without any problems.
Uninstall the drivers for the network adapter
Your Windows computer recognizes your network adapter because its drivers are installed on your computer. If there is a problem with the drivers, it can cause problems such as “Windows cannot connect to this network.”
One way to resolve driver-related problems is to uninstall the device and drivers. Then your computer will automatically install the correct and necessary drivers for your device.
- Search for Device Manager by searching for Cortana and launch it.
- Expand the Network Adapters menu by clicking on it. Then select your wireless adapter from the list, right-click it and select Uninstall Device.
- Check the box that says “Remove driver software for this device†and click “Removeâ€. It will remove the device and its drivers from your computer.
- Restart your computer.
- Your computer will automatically find and install the necessary drivers for your adapter.
Run commands in CMD to fix the problem
The “Unable to connect to the network†issue you are experiencing in Windows 10 can also be related to an IP related issue. In this case, Microsoft recommends using the command to release your IP address and flush the DNS cache.
These commands can be run from a command line utility on your computer. You don’t need to customize them or anything like that; all you have to do is copy and paste them into the CMD window.
- Find Command Prompt by searching for Cortana and click the Run as Administrator button.
- Enter the following commands in the Command Prompt window in turn, pressing Enter after each line.
netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
ipconfig / release
ipconfig / refresh
ipconfig / flushdns
- Restart your computer and the problem will most likely be resolved.
Reset Network Settings
Sometimes incorrect configuration of network settings can lead to errors, for example, “Windows 10 cannot connect to this network.” The best way to fix the problem without going into too much detail is to reset your network settings.
It returns your settings to the factory defaults, and you can always change them if necessary.
- Launch the Settings app by searching for Cortana on your PC.
- Click the Network & Internet option.
- Select “Status” from the left side panel of the screen.
- Scroll down the right pane and select the Network Reset option. It should be at the very bottom of the screen.
- Click the Reset Now button to reset the settings.
Disable IPv6 on your computer
You can try disabling IP version 6 on your computer and see if that helps fix the connection issue on your computer. Most computers can handle IPv4 just fine and you shouldn’t have any problems, unless you’re working on something that specifically requires IPv6.
- Right-click the network icon in the taskbar and select Open Network and Internet Settings.
- Click Change Adapter Settings on the next screen.
- Find your wireless adapter, right-click it and select Properties.
- You will see several options that you can enable or disable for your adapter. Uncheck the box that says Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP / IPv6) to disable IPv6. Then click “OK” at the bottom.
Use the Network Troubleshooter
If you’re still having trouble figuring out what the problem is, you can use the built-in network troubleshooter to help you find and fix the underlying problem on your computer.
- Launch the Settings app on your computer.
- Click Update & Security.
- Select “Troubleshoot” from the left sidebar.
- Find your network adapter in the list, click it and select Run the troubleshooter.
- The troubleshooter will find and fix the problem on your computer.
The “Windows can’t connect to this network” problem basically paralyzes you because it doesn’t allow you to connect to the internet, which means you can’t access your sites, email, and anything else that requires an active internet connection.
If you managed to fix the issue using any of the above methods, please let us know your experience in the comments below.
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