What to do if the Internet is lost on Windows

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Simple steps to help in most cases.

1. Restart your computer

The simplest action in the world that comes to mind first. One-stop solution for all Windows 10 problems.

Open the Start menu and click the shutdown button, then select the Restart option. Sometimes it helps.

2. Check site access

Maybe your computer, router and Internet connection are actually okay, but problems only arise with one specific resource? It's worth making sure.

Go to Down For Everyone Or Just Me and enter the URL of the page you can't open. The service will tell you if only you are having problems, or if other users are also experiencing problems with the site.

You can also see how things are with the availability of popular sites using the service. Select a site that you cannot access and see if there are any problems accessing it. And if so, in which countries.

If you are convinced that the site is inaccessible to everyone, then you will have to wait until it is restored. It has nothing to do with your internet connection.

Or maybe everyone can use the site and you can't? Check if your ISP or Roskomnadzor has blocked it. And if so, here's one for you.

When no sites open at all, go to the next item.

3. Check if there is a connection on other devices

Perhaps the problem is related to only one of your computers, but everything is fine with the rest of the devices on your home network. The easiest way to find out is to see if there is an internet connection on your smartphone.

Go to the Wi-Fi settings of your smartphone and make sure that it is connected to the router.

Then open your smartphone browser and go to some site - for example, to ours.

If the smartphone connects to the Internet normally and displays pages, then the problem is only in your computer. Activate the Network troubleshooter, check your network card, and try resetting your Windows internet connection settings. Remove and reconnect all network cables, then check the connection to the router again.

If the smartphone does not connect to home Wi-Fi, then there is some kind of problem with the router, and it should be rebooted. If this does not help, reset the router settings.

And when both the computer and the smartphone are normally connected to Wi-Fi, but cannot open anything in the browser, the problem is in connecting the router to the Internet. Check if the cable of the provider is in order, or call technical support.

Below we will describe each of these actions in more detail.

4. Run the troubleshooter

So, let's start by running Windows' built-in Network Troubleshooter. This step will not require any extra actions from you, but in some cases it will be able to fix problems with the Internet.

Open Windows Settings and go to the Network & Internet section. At the bottom of the window that opens, find the "Network troubleshooter" item. Click on it.

The system will automatically search for Network problems and fix them if it can.

Check your internet connection now, and if it hasn't recovered, skip to the next step.

5. Reset Windows network connection settings

Windows 10 has an option that automatically removes all settings for network adapters and connections. After a reboot, the settings will be reset to their default values. Click the Start button, then select Settings → Network & Internet → Status → Reset Network.

On the options page that opens, click "Reset Now" and "Yes" to confirm.

Wait for your computer to restart and see if the problem is resolved.

6. Check the network card

If the router is functioning normally, but your computer still cannot connect to it, then the problem may be in the computer's network card.

Press the key combination "Win + R" to bring up the "" menu. Enter the command in the opened line

devmgmt.msc

and press Enter.

The "Device Manager" will open. In it, expand the "Network adapters" branch, and you will see there the devices responsible in your system for Wi-Fi, LAN and Bluetooth connections. Check for yellow exclamation marks next to one of them.

If there are no yellow marks, then the hardware is working properly. If there are icons, right-click the failed adapter and select Disable Device.

Wait a couple of minutes, then right-click on the adapter again and select "Enable Device".

Turning your network card on and off is the easiest thing you can do, but sometimes it helps. If the yellow icon does not disappear, there may be a problem with its drivers.

Usually Windows 10 recognizes network adapters well and already contains drivers for them in its distribution. But sometimes (if you have some very exotic device) the system cannot detect the network adapter and does not connect to the Internet.

In this case, you can use a friend's computer and download, for example, or find the driver for your network card on the manufacturer's website. Then transfer it on external media to your device and install it manually.

If neither switching the adapter, nor rebooting, nor installing the driver helped, the problem is in the network card itself. We'll have to carry the computer to the service center.

7. Check the connection with the router

Now let's check if your computer is connected to the router - if you are not using it, you can skip this step.

Typically, the router has an IP address of 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 on your local network. But it may be different. To find it out, look at the sticker on the bottom of the device or use others.

Enter the address in the browser bar. And if he connects to the router and needs to enter a password, then there is a connection.

There is also a faster way to test the router for those who are not shy about using the command line. Type the letters in the Start menu

cmd

and open "Command Prompt".

Then enter the command into it

ipconfig

… Find the line "Default gateway" in the information that appears. If the IP address is displayed next to it, everything is in order with the connection to the router.

If instead of it you see the inscription "Request reset by timeout" - the computer is not connected to the router. So, you need to deal with your router - reboot it, reset the settings or reconnect the cables.

8. Check all wires

Take the time to crawl under the table and check all the cables connected to your router. One by one, carefully pull them out of the ports and then plug them back in.

Check the LAN cable that connects the computer to the router (if you are not using Wi-Fi). Make sure it isn't frayed, bent, or torn. If the cable is faulty, we buy a new one.

Another option: try plugging the cable into another LAN port on the router. Even on the cheapest devices, there are at least two of them. The problem is solved - it means that the port in the router is faulty. Take the router to the service.

9. Switch to wired connection

Suppose you are sitting at a laptop connected to a Wi-Fi network and your connection is lost. Try to get a LAN cable and connect your laptop to the router directly through it. If the Internet appears, then there is a problem with the Wi-Fi connection. To improve signal quality, check out ours.

10. Reboot the router

Are the wires in order, the necessary drivers are in the system, the network adapter is working, but the Internet is still not there? It's time to reboot your router.

The easiest way to do this is to unplug the router's power plug from the outlet, wait a minute and plug it back in. Now check your network connection.

Restarting your router solves most connection problems. Cheap and cheerful.

11. Contact the technical support of the provider

So, the router is restarted, the computer is connected to it via Ethernet or Wi-Fi, but there is still no Internet connection. It's time to call the provider's technical support.

Contact him and tell him about the problems with the Network. If the provider informs you that technical problems are not only with you, but also with the whole region, you will just have to wait until everything is fixed.

Is it just you? Follow the instructions of the support person. If they do not work, ask them to send repairmen. Maybe your internet cable has broken off in your house - let them fix it.

And check if you paid for the internet this month.

12. Reset router settings

Resetting your router settings is a risky step if you don't know how your ISP's internet connection is configured. If you are not confident in your abilities, it is better not to do this.

Find a device with Internet access in advance and look at the provider's website for a guide on how to set up your router. You may need to remember the login and password given to you by your provider.

Now let's reset the router settings. This can be done in two ways.

The first method is to find out the IP address of the router, as described above. Enter it in your browser and enter your username and password. You can see them in the manual for the router or on the sticker located on the bottom of the router.

The router settings will open. Find there the item "Factory settings", Reset to default or something like that (different models have different ways). Click it and wait - the router settings will be reset.

The second method can be used if you do not want to go into the settings of the router. Most devices have a dedicated reset button. As a rule, it is recessed into the body, so that it can only be pressed with something thin, such as a pin or a toothpick. Press the button and hold it for about 15 seconds. Ready.

Now you have to reconfigure your router. How to do it yourself is described in our. Just make sure first that the ISP cable is connected to the WAN port.