How to Reset Your Wi-Fi Driver (Windows 10 & 11) If your internet keeps dropping, you see a "No Internet" icon, or your Wi-Fi adapter has stopped working, resetting the driver is often faster than restarting your whole PC. Here’s how to do it. Method 1: The Quick Reboot (Disable/Re-enable) This is the gentlest reset. It restarts the driver without deleting any settings.
Press Windows + X and select Device Manager . Expand the Network adapters section. Find your Wi-Fi adapter (look for names containing Wireless , WLAN , Wi-Fi , 802.11 , or brand names like Intel , Realtek , Qualcomm ). Right-click the adapter and choose Disable device . Wait 10 seconds. Right-click it again and choose Enable device .
Method 2: The Nuclear Reset (Uninstall & Reinstall) Use this if the quick reboot fails, you see a yellow exclamation mark, or the driver is corrupted.
Open Device Manager again ( Windows + X → Device Manager). Expand Network adapters and locate your Wi-Fi adapter. Right-click it and select Uninstall device . In the pop-up window, check the box that says "Delete the driver software for this device" (if available). Then click Uninstall . Do not restart your PC yet. Instead, click the Action menu at the top of Device Manager and select Scan for hardware changes . Windows will automatically reinstall a fresh, default driver. how to reset wifi driver
Method 3: The Software-Only Reset (Network Reset) This resets the driver and all network settings (passwords, VPNs, custom IPs). It’s the most thorough fix. On Windows 10:
Go to Settings → Network & Internet → Status . Scroll down and click Network reset . Click Reset now → Yes . Your PC will restart in 5 minutes.
On Windows 11:
Go to Settings → Network & internet → Advanced network settings . Click Network reset . Click Reset now → Yes .
What to Do If None of the Above Works If resetting the driver doesn't help, try these quick commands in Command Prompt (as Administrator) :
Press Windows + R , type cmd , then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter . Run these two commands, one after the other: How to Reset Your Wi-Fi Driver (Windows 10
netsh int ip reset netsh winsock reset
Restart your PC.