Why does it say Can’t connect to this network?
First of all, there is not a particular explanation for this error as this error can be caused due to any number of reasons and mostly it depends on the user’s system configuration and the environment. But we will discuss all the possible causes which seem to lead to this error message “Can’t connect to this network.” Below are all the possible reasons listed due to which this error can appear:
Why does it say Can’t connect to this network?Fix Windows Can’t connect to this network errorMethod 1: Reset your routerMethod 2: Uninstall Your Network Adapter DriversMethod 3: Update Network Adapter DriverMethod 4: Disable IPv6Method 5: Flush DNS and Reset TCP/IPMethod 6: Run Windows Network TroubleshooterMethod 7: Disable 802. 1 1n Mode of your network adapterMethod 8: Add your network connection manuallyMethod 9: Change Network Key (Security) for your Wireless AdapterMethod 10: Temporarily Disable Antivirus and FirewallMethod 11: Change channel width for your network adapterMethod 12: Forget the Wireless connectionMethod 13: Disable and Re-Enable your wireless connectionMethod 14: Registry FixMethod 15: Change Power Management settings
Incompatible, corrupted, or outdated Wireless Network Adapter Drivers Conflicting 802. 11n specification for wireless LAN (WLAN) communications Encryption key problem Corrupted Wireless Network Mode IPv6 conflicting issues Corrupted connection files Antivirus or Firewall intervention Invalid TCP/IP
These are some of the possible explanations as to why you are facing the “Can’t connect to this network” error message and now that we know the cause, we can actually fix all of the above-listed problems one by one in order to fix the issue. So without wasting any time let’s see how to fix Windows can’t connect to this network error with the below-listed troubleshooting guide.
Fix Windows Can’t connect to this network error
Make sure to create a restore point just in case something goes wrong.
Method 1: Reset your router
Resetting the modem and your router can help fix the network connection in some cases. This helps create a new connection to your Internet service provider (ISP). When you do this, everyone that is connected to your Wi-Fi network will be temporarily disconnected.
In order to access your router admin page, you need to know the default IP address, username, and password. If you don’t know then see if you can get the default router IP address from this list. If you can’t then you need to manually find the router’s IP address using this guide.
Method 2: Uninstall Your Network Adapter Drivers
1.Press Windows Key + R then type “devmgmt.msc” and hit Enter to open Device Manager.
2.Expand Network Adapters and find your network adapter name.
3.Make sure you note down the adapter name just in case something goes wrong.
4.Right-click on your network adapter and uninstall it.
5.If ask for confirmation select Yes.
6.Restart your PC and try to reconnect to your network.
7.If you’re not able to connect to your network then it means the driver software isn’t automatically installed.
8.Now you need to visit your manufacturer’s website and download the driver from there.
9.Install the driver and reboot your PC.
By reinstalling the network adapter, you can fix Windows 10 Can’t connect to this network error.
Method 3: Update Network Adapter Driver
1.Press Windows key + R and type “devmgmt.msc” in the Run dialogue box to open device manager.
2.Expand Network adapters, then right-click on your Wi-Fi controller(for example Broadcom or Intel) and select Update Drivers.
3.In the Update Driver Software Windows, select “Browse my computer for driver software.”
4.Now select “Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer.”
5.Try to update drivers from the listed versions.
6.If the above didn’t work then go to the manufacturer’s website to update drivers: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/
Method 4: Disable IPv6
1.Right click on the WiFi icon on the system tray and then click on “Open Network and Sharing Center.”
2.Now click on your current connection in order to open settings.
Note: If you can’t connect to your network then use an Ethernet cable to connect and then follow this step.
3.Click the Properties button in the window that just open.
4.Make sure to uncheck Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IP).
5.Click OK then click Close. Reboot your PC to save changes. This should help you fix Windows 10 Can’t connect to this network error and you should again able to access the internet but if it wasn’t helpful then continue to the next step.
6.Now select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties.
7.Check mark “Use the following DNS server addresses” and type the following:
Preferred DNS server: 8.8.8.8 Alternate DNS server: 8.8.4.4
7
8.Close everything and you may be able to Fix Windows Can’t connect to this network error.
If this doesn’t help then make sure to enable IPv6 and IPv4.
Method 5: Flush DNS and Reset TCP/IP
1.Right-click on Windows Button and select “Command Prompt(Admin).”
2.Now type the following command and press Enter after each one: (a) ipconfig /release (b) ipconfig /flushdns (c) ipconfig /renew
3.Again open Admin Command Prompt and type the following and hit enter after each one:
ipconfig /flushdns nbtstat –r netsh int ip reset netsh winsock reset
4.Reboot to apply changes. Flushing DNS seems to Fix Can’t connect to this network error.
Method 6: Run Windows Network Troubleshooter
1.Right-click on the network icon and select Troubleshoot problems.
2.Follow the on-screen instructions.
3.Now press Windows key + W and type Troubleshooting hit enter.
4.From there select “Network and Internet.”
5.In the next screen click on Network Adapter.
6.Follow the on-screen instruction to fix Windows Can’t connect to this network error.
Method 7: Disable 802.1 1n Mode of your network adapter
1.Right click on the Network icon and select “Open Network and Sharing Center.”
2.Now select your Wi-Fi and click on Properties.
3.Inside Wi-Fi properties click on Configure.
4.Navigate to the Advanced tab then select 802.11n Mode and from the value drop-down select Disabled.
5.Click OK and Reboot your PC to save changes.
Method 8: Add your network connection manually
1.Right click on the WiFi icon in the system tray and select Open Network and Sharing Center.
2.Click Set up a new connection or network at the bottom.
3.Choose “Manually connect to a wireless network” and click Next.
4.Follow on-screen instruction and Enter username & password to configure this new connection.
5.Click Next to finish the process and check if you’re able to fix can’t connect to this network error or not.
Method 9: Change Network Key (Security) for your Wireless Adapter
1.Open Network and Sharing Center and click on your current WiFi connection.
2.Click Wireless Properties in the new window that just opened.
3.Switch to Security tab and select the same security type that your router is using.
4.You might have to try different options in order to fix this issue.
5.Restart your PC to save changes.
Method 10: Temporarily Disable Antivirus and Firewall
Sometimes the Antivirus program can cause Windows Can’t Connect to this network error and in order to verify this is not the case here, you need to disable your antivirus for a limited time so that you can check if the error still appears when the antivirus is off.
1.Right-click on the Antivirus Program icon from the system tray and select Disable.
2.Next, select the time frame for which the Antivirus will remain disabled.
Note: Choose the smallest amount of time possible for example 15 minutes or 30 minutes.
3.Once done, again try to connect to the WiFi network and check if the error resolves or not.
4.Press Windows Key + I then select Control Panel.
5.Next, click on System and Security.
6.Then click on Windows Firewall.
7.Now from the left window pane click on Turn Windows Firewall on or off.
8.Select Turn off Windows Firewall and restart your PC. Again try to connect to the WiFi network and see if the issue is resolved or not.
If the above method doesn’t work make sure to follow the exact same steps to turn on your Firewall again.
Method 11: Change channel width for your network adapter
1.Press Windows Key + R then type ncpa.cpl and hit Enter to open Network Connections.
2.Now right-click on your current WiFi connection and select Properties.
3.Click Configure button in the Wi-Fi properties window.
4.Switch to the Advanced tab and select the 802.11 Channel Width.
5.Change the value of 802.11 Channel Width to 20 MHz then click OK.
6.Close everything and reboot your PC to save changes. You may be able to fix Can’t Connect to this network error with this method but if for some reason it didn’t work for you then continue.
Method 12: Forget the Wireless connection
1.Click on the Wireless icon in the system tray and then click Network Settings.
2.Then click on Manage Known networks to get the list of saved networks.
3.Now select the one which Windows 10 won’t remember the password for and click Forget.
4.Again click the wireless icon in the system tray and connect to your network, it will ask for the password, so make sure you have the Wireless password with you.
5.Once you have entered the password you will connect to the network and Windows will save this network for you.
6.Reboot your PC and again try to connect to the same network and this time Windows will remember the password of your WiFi. This method seems to resolve Windows Can’t connect to this network error.
Method 13: Disable and Re-Enable your wireless connection
1.Press Windows Key + R then type ncpa.cpl and hit Enter.
2.Right-click on your wireless adapter and select Disable.
3.Again right-click on the same adapter and this time choose Enable.
4.Restart your and again try to connect to your wireless network and see if you’re able to fix Windows 10 cannot connect to this network error.
Method 14: Registry Fix
1.Press Windows Key + X then select Command Prompt (Admin).
2.Type the following command into cmd and hit Enter:
reg delete HKCR\CLSID{988248f3-a1ad-49bf-9170-676cbbc36ba3} /va /f
netcfg -v -u dni_dne
3.Close the command prompt and reboot your PC.
Method 15: Change Power Management settings
1.Press Windows Key + R then type devmgmt.msc and hit Enter.
2.Expand Network adapters then right-click on your installed network adapter and select Properties.
3.Switch to Power Management Tab and make sure to uncheck “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.”
4.Click Ok and close the Device Manager.
5.Now press Windows Key + I to open Settings then Click System > Power & Sleep.
6.On the bottom click Additional power settings.
7.Now click “Change plan settings” next to the power plan which you use.
8.At the bottom click on “Change advanced power settings.”
9.Expand Wireless Adapter Settings, then again expand Power Saving Mode.
10.Next, you will see two modes, ‘On battery’ and ‘Plugged in.’ Change both of them to Maximum Performance.
11.Click Apply followed by Ok. Reboot your PC to save changes.
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That’s it you have successfully Fix Windows Cannot connect to this network error but if you still have any questions regarding this guide then feel free to ask them in the comment’s section.
