Your Windows PC won't connect through Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and you want to reset its network settings. Microsoft's five-command sequence resets Winsock and TCP/IP, renews your automatically assigned IPv4 address, and clears the DNS cache. Start there, then choose a targeted reset or Windows 11's full Network reset if the connection still fails.
Run Microsoft's network reset commands
Start with Microsoft's recommended sequence for Windows 11 and Windows 10. It works with both Wi-Fi and Ethernet. Save any custom IP and DNS settings and keep your replacement-driver information available before resetting.
Select Search and type Command Prompt.
Choose Run as administrator.
Select Yes at the administrator prompt.
Run netsh winsock reset by typing it and pressing Enter.
Run netsh int ip reset and press Enter.
Run ipconfig /release and press Enter.
Run ipconfig /renew and press Enter.
Run ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter.
Restart Windows through Start > Power > Restart to complete the Winsock and TCP/IP resets.
If your connection still doesn't work, try the targeted method below that matches your problem. For a broader reset on Windows 11, use the full Network reset option at the end.
What the reset sequence changes
The five commands do different jobs. Resetting Winsock removes custom Layered Service Providers, while the TCP/IP command resets TCP/IP configuration. Both resets require a Windows restart.
Releasing and renewing an address refreshes the DHCP lease for adapters that obtain IPv4 addresses automatically. An adapter with a manually configured address needs the automatic-addressing steps below instead.
Flushing DNS clears cached name-resolution results, including failed lookups, without changing your DNS server addresses. It also leaves saved Wi-Fi profiles intact. Windows 11's Network reset goes further by removing and reinstalling network adapters.
Clear DNS when name lookups are the problem
Cached DNS results, including failed lookups, are the problem this targeted reset addresses.
In the administrator Command Prompt opened above, run ipconfig /flushdns.
Try the connection again. Your configured DNS server addresses stay unchanged.
Prefer PowerShell? Find Windows PowerShell through Search.
Select Run as administrator.
Run Clear-DnsClientCache. It performs the same cache clear as ipconfig /flushdns, so there's no need to run both.
Renew an automatically assigned IP address
This refreshes an IPv4 DHCP lease on an adapter that obtains its address automatically.
Run ipconfig /release in the administrator Command Prompt.
Run ipconfig /renew to obtain a new lease.
To release the lease for just one adapter instead, run ipconfig /release "Wi-Fi". Replace Wi-Fi with the adapter's actual name.
Renew that adapter's lease with ipconfig /renew "Wi-Fi", using the same name.
For an adapter using DHCPv6, run ipconfig /release6 instead.
Follow it with ipconfig /renew6. These IPv6 commands renew DHCPv6 leases, not SLAAC addresses.
Restore automatic IP and DNS settings
Use this method to replace manually configured IPv4 and DNS settings with values supplied through DHCP. Your network must support DHCP.
Save your existing custom IP and DNS values before changing them.
Find Windows PowerShell through Search.
Select Run as administrator.
Run Get-NetAdapter to find your adapter's name.
In an administrator Command Prompt, run netsh interface ipv4 set address name="Wi-Fi" source=dhcp. Replace Wi-Fi with the actual adapter name.
Run netsh interface ipv4 set dnsservers name="Wi-Fi" source=dhcp, using that same name, to restore DHCP-provided DNS servers.
If you only need to restore automatic DNS servers, run Set-DnsClientServerAddress -InterfaceAlias "Wi-Fi" -ResetServerAddresses in administrator Windows PowerShell instead. Substitute your adapter's name. This requires a network that supplies DNS through DHCP.
Recreate a saved Wi-Fi connection
An unwanted saved Wi-Fi profile is the configuration problem this method targets.
Have the network's password ready before deleting its profile. For a profile managed by your organization, ask its administrator to handle the change.
In the administrator Command Prompt, run netsh wlan show profiles to display saved profile names.
Run netsh wlan delete profile name="PROFILE_NAME", replacing PROFILE_NAME with the connection you want to recreate.
Select that network from the available networks list.
Enter its password to reconnect.
Use the full Windows 11 Network reset
Windows 11's Network reset removes installed network adapters and reinstalls them with default settings. Save custom IP and DNS details and replacement-driver information beforehand. Be ready to reconfigure VPN software or virtual switches afterward, and check whether your network profile has changed to Public.
Open Start > Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings. Alternatively, open that page from Command Prompt with start ms-settings:network-advancedsettings.
Follow Network reset > Reset now > Yes to confirm the reset. Allow Windows to restart.
For automated troubleshooting afterward, open Get Help. Enter connect to network and internet in Search. Select Run network diagnostics and follow its troubleshooting prompts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to download anything to run the network reset commands?
No. The core reset commands are built into Windows and require no download.
Can I reset Winsock without running the whole sequence?
Yes. Run netsh winsock reset in an administrator Command Prompt, then restart Windows. A Winsock reset leaves namespace-provider entries unchanged.
Is restarting a network adapter the same as resetting its settings?
No. Restart-NetAdapter disables and re-enables the adapter without performing a full configuration reset. In administrator Windows PowerShell, run Get-NetAdapter to find its name, then run Restart-NetAdapter -Name "Wi-Fi", substituting the actual name.
Does Windows have a keyboard shortcut that resets network settings?
Microsoft's list of Windows keyboard shortcuts doesn't include one for resetting network settings. Windows+I opens Settings, where you can access the Windows 11 Network reset controls.