How to Fix “No Internet Access” on Windows: Causes and Solutions (Wi-Fi & Ethernet)

It’s incredibly frustrating: your Windows PC suddenly shows the dreaded message — “No Internet access”. The Wi-Fi icon may appear connected, but you can’t browse any websites. Or, for wired connections, there’s simply no internet despite being physically plugged in.

This issue is surprisingly common across all versions of Windows. In this guide, we’ll walk you through all the main causes, simple fixes, and some advanced troubleshooting methods to help you restore your connection — even if you’re not a tech expert.

Common Causes of “No Internet Access” on Windows

Now let’s dive into step-by-step solutions for each of these causes.

Solution 1: Reboot Your Router and Modem (Quick Win)

In many cases, your networking hardware may just need a fresh start:

1. Turn off both your router and modem (physically unplug if needed).
2. Wait 30 seconds to fully discharge internal memory.
3. Plug them back in and allow the system to reboot completely.

This alone fixes a large percentage of connectivity problems, especially after storms, power surges, or ISP hiccups.

Solution 2: Check DHCP Settings (IP Address Auto Assignment)

Windows relies on DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) to automatically assign your IP address. If this fails, your connection will break.

1. Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Advanced network settings.
2. Select your active network adapter > View additional properties.
3. Ensure both IP assignment and DNS assignment are set to “Automatic (DHCP)”.

If your system was mistakenly configured for static IP addresses, correcting this to automatic can restore connectivity.

Solution 3: Manually Refresh Your IP Address

If DHCP appears correct but still failing, manually reset your IP address using Command Prompt:

1. Search for “cmd”, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.
2. Enter the following commands one by one:
   ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
ipconfig /flushdns

This sequence will release any old IP assignments, request a fresh address from DHCP, and clear out stale DNS cache.

Solution 4: Update or Reinstall Network Drivers

Sometimes, a faulty or outdated network driver can block your internet access entirely.

1. Open Device Manager.
2. Expand Network adapters.
3. Right-click your active adapter and choose Update driver.
4. Select Search automatically for drivers.

If no updates are found, consider visiting your PC or network adapter manufacturer’s website to manually download the latest drivers.

Solution 5: Check Firewall and Security Software

Some antivirus or firewall software may mistakenly block your internet access.

• Temporarily disable any third-party security software.
• Go to Windows Security > Firewall & network protection and test by disabling firewall temporarily.
• If disabling fixes the issue, review your firewall rules or reinstall the security software cleanly.

Solution 6: Switch to Public DNS Servers (Quick Trick)

Sometimes the problem lies with slow or unreliable DNS servers. You can manually configure public DNS:

1. Open your network adapter properties as in Solution 2.
2. Select Use the following DNS server addresses.
3. Enter these widely trusted options:
   Primary: 8.8.8.8
   Secondary: 8.8.4.4

This often restores access quickly if DNS was the culprit.

Solution 7: Verify ISP Status

Before spending too much time troubleshooting your system, check whether your ISP (Internet Service Provider) is experiencing issues:

• Test other devices on the same network (smartphones, tablets, etc.).
• Visit your ISP’s official website or social media for outage reports.

If others are affected too, it’s likely an ISP-side issue that requires no action on your part.

Advanced Techniques (When the Basics Fail)

Advanced 1: Use Windows Network Reset Feature

Windows 10 and 11 provide a built-in network reset that wipes all network configurations to factory defaults:

1. Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Advanced network settings > Network reset.
2. Click Reset now.
3. Reboot your PC.

Note: This erases saved Wi-Fi passwords, VPN profiles, and custom DNS settings — you may need to reconfigure those afterward.

Advanced 2: Assign a Temporary Static IP

If DHCP is failing entirely, manually assigning a fixed IP address may temporarily restore connectivity:

1. Open adapter properties and select IPv4 settings.
2. Choose Use the following IP address and enter:
   • IP: 192.168.1.100
   • Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
   • Default Gateway: 192.168.1.1
   • DNS: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4

This won’t fix the underlying DHCP problem but can temporarily get you back online.

Advanced 3: Perform a Winsock Reset

If your Windows networking stack is corrupted, resetting Winsock can help:

1. Run Command Prompt as administrator.
2. Type:
   7netsh winsock reset
3. Reboot your computer.

This fully resets the internal Windows network stack to default behavior.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q．Why does my Wi-Fi say “Connected, No Internet” even when the signal is strong?

The Wi-Fi signal only indicates your connection to the router. If the router itself can’t reach the internet due to ISP issues, hardware failure, or misconfiguration, you’ll see this error despite full signal bars.

Q．Only one of my devices can’t connect — others are fine. What’s wrong?

The problem is isolated to that specific Windows PC. Focus on updating drivers, resetting network configurations, or checking firewall/security conflicts.

Q．What exactly is DHCP, and why does it matter?

DHCP automatically assigns your device a valid IP address for internet communication. If it fails, your device won’t know how to talk to the network, leading to connectivity errors like 169.254.x.x addresses.

Q．Why does this issue keep happening repeatedly?

Frequent recurrence may indicate failing hardware (e.g., router overheating, faulty LAN cables, or a failing network card). Consider replacing aging components if basic fixes no longer help.

Summary Table of Solutions

If you follow these steps carefully, you’ll likely resolve your “No Internet Access” issue. Keep this guide bookmarked for the next time Windows misbehaves!

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タグ: Network Error, DNS problem, No Internet Access, Wi-Fi not working, DHCP failure, IP address error, Ethernet issue, Winsock reset