Network Connection issue

Question

Windows 11 shows 'Not connected' and yet I can access the internet.

Answer 1

Hi.

How do you connect, via LAN or WiFi? Is the error present in both cases?

Answer 2

Hi Ray DiLorenzo,

Your system might be missing necessary drivers for network card.

Please navigate to your laptop or motherboard support page to download and install Ethernet / Wi-Fi drivers for your system.

If you have trouble finding them, please provide me your laptop or motherboard model.

Answer 3

This usually happens when Windows detects that the PC is connected to a local network but cannot reliably confirm full internet connectivity using its built‑in test, even though browsing still works.

Windows periodically sends a small HTTP request to a Microsoft server; if it does not get the expected response, it shows “No Internet” / “Not connected” on the network icon, even if some internet access is available.

To reduce false “Not connected” indications, try these steps:

1. Toggle Wi‑Fi
   • Turn Wi‑Fi off and back on, then reconnect to the network.
2. Renew IP configuration
   • Open Command Prompt as administrator.
   • Run:

          ipconfig /release
          ipconfig /renew
     

3. Flush DNS cache
   • In the same elevated Command Prompt, run:

          ipconfig /flushdns
     

4. Check proxy settings
   • Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Proxy.
   • Turn off any Manual proxy setup unless intentionally required.
5. Verify IP address
   • Check that the IP is not in the form 169.254.x.x (which indicates no valid address from the router). If it is, ensure DHCP is enabled on the router and reconnect.
6. Check DNS server reachability
   • In Command Prompt, run ipconfig /all and note the DNS server address.
   • Try ping <DNS‑server‑IP> to confirm it responds.
7. As a last resort, use Network reset
   • Settings > Network & internet.
   • On Windows 11: Advanced network settings > Network reset.
   • Select Reset now > Yes, let the PC restart, then reconnect to Wi‑Fi.
   • Note: this reinstalls network adapters and resets their settings; VPN clients and virtual switches might need to be reconfigured afterward.

If the icon still shows “Not connected” but all apps and sites work normally, it is likely only the connectivity detection check failing, not the actual internet connection.

---

References:

• Fix Wi-Fi connection issues in Windows
• Fix Ethernet connection problems in Windows