Wi-Fi drops mid-call, or just after you open the lid, while your phone sits next to the laptop and stays online. It’s frustrating, and the cause is often a setting or a driver rather than your internet service.
This guide is for a connection that drops. If your laptop stays connected but pages won’t load, you have a different problem, so see our connected but no internet guide. The fixes below go from safest and easiest to most drastic. Most people find the answer in the first few.
Before you start
- Change one thing at a time, then test before moving on. That’s how you learn what actually worked.
- Write down any setting before you change it, so you can put it back.
- Test for longer than your usual gap between drops. If it drops every 10 minutes, wait at least 30 before calling it fixed. For sleep problems, test sleep and wake more than once.
- Have your Wi-Fi password ready. A couple of fixes need you to type it again.
- If the router isn’t yours (work, school, hotel), skip the router step in Fix 6.
Match your symptom to a fix
| What you notice | Try these first |
|---|---|
| Drops every few minutes | Fix 3, Fix 6 |
| Drops after sleep or closing the lid | Fix 3, Fix 7 |
| Started right after an update | Fix 5, Fix 3 |
| Only this laptop drops | Fix 1, Fix 5 |
| Drops when moving between rooms | Fix 6 |
| Drops when idle or on battery | Fix 3 |
These are starting points, not diagnoses. Your laptop may not follow the pattern.
Why Wi-Fi keeps disconnecting on Windows 11
Four things cause most drops:
Adapter power saving. Windows can switch the Wi-Fi adapter off briefly to save battery, and sometimes it doesn’t come back cleanly.
Driver problems. The driver is the software that lets Windows talk to the Wi-Fi hardware. A faulty or mismatched one, often after an update, can cause drops.
Router behaviour. Routers may push devices between bands, change channels, or hand devices between access points in mesh and extender setups.
Sleep and wake handling. Some laptops don’t restart the adapter properly when they wake up.
Windows also uses “random hardware addresses” on Wi-Fi for privacy. Rarely, this clashes with a router’s settings (see Fix 4).
Quick check: if you use a VPN, disconnect it briefly on a network you trust and see if the drops stop. Reconnect it straight away afterwards. If it’s a work or school VPN, leave it alone and ask your IT team.
Fix 1: Restart properly and confirm it’s this laptop
Click Start, then the power button, then Restart. Use Restart, not Shut down. Restart gives Windows a fuller reset.
Once Windows is back, use the laptop normally and see if the drops return.
If they do, test the laptop on another network, such as your phone’s hotspot. If it stays connected there, your home network or its settings are involved. If it drops there too, the laptop is the likely culprit.
Only then consider restarting the router. A router restart disconnects everyone in the house, so don’t do it first.
Finally, run the built-in check. Open Start, search for Get Help, and open it. Search for “connect to network and internet”, then choose Run network diagnostics and follow the prompts.
Undo: nothing to undo.
Fix 2: Forget the network and rejoin
Warning: make sure you know your Wi-Fi password before you start. Once you forget the network, you can’t rejoin without it.
Open Settings, then Network & internet, then Wi-Fi.
Select Manage known networks.
Click your home network, then Forget.
Go back to the Wi-Fi list, select your network, tick Connect automatically, and enter the password.
While you’re in Manage known networks, consider turning off Connect automatically for old saved networks (a neighbour’s, a café). It’s a possibility that your laptop is trying to jump to a weaker one, not a certainty.
Undo: rejoin any network at any time with its password.
Fix 3: Stop Windows turning off the Wi-Fi adapter
This is a common cause of drops, though not a guaranteed cure. There are two places to check.
Part A: Device Manager
Right-click the Start button and choose Device Manager.
Expand Network adapters.
Right-click your Wi-Fi adapter (the name usually contains “Wi-Fi”, “Wireless” or “WLAN”) and choose Properties.
Open the Power Management tab.
Untick Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power, then click OK.
Part B: Power plan
Open Control Panel, then Power Options, then Change plan settings next to your current plan.
Click Change advanced power settings.
Expand Wireless Adapter Settings, then Power Saving Mode.
Set both On battery and Plugged in to Maximum Performance.
Maximum Performance uses a little more battery. If battery life suffers and it didn’t help the drops, switch it back.
If you can’t find either control: this is normal. Many newer laptops using Modern Standby don’t show the Power Management tab or the Wireless Adapter Settings entry. If either is missing, simply skip that part and move on. Don’t try to force it with registry edits or “optimizer” programs. They can cause bigger problems than a Wi-Fi drop.
Undo: tick the box again and set the power plan back to your noted original.
Fix 4: Turn off random hardware addresses (home network only)
Windows can use a made-up hardware address when joining Wi-Fi, which protects your privacy on public networks. This is not a general cause of drops. It’s a compatibility check worth trying if your router uses device registration, access control or MAC filtering.
Only do this on your own trusted home network. Turning it off lets that network see your laptop’s real hardware address, which is a small privacy trade-off.
Open Settings, Network & internet, Wi-Fi.
Click your network’s name (or its Properties).
Find Random hardware addresses and set it to Off.
Disconnect and reconnect, then test.
Some adapters don’t show this option. If you don’t see it, move on. It’s worth rechecking after a major Windows update or after a Forget-and-rejoin (Fix 2), since the setting may need confirming again.
Undo: set it back to On.
Fix 5: Update or roll back the Wi-Fi driver
Pick the path that matches your situation.
If the drops started right after a driver update, roll back first:
In Device Manager, expand Network adapters and double-click your Wi-Fi adapter.
Open the Driver tab and click Roll Back Driver.
If the button is greyed out, there’s nothing to roll back. Move on to the next path.
Restart and test.
If the problem has been there for a long time:
Open Settings, Windows Update, Check for updates, and install what’s offered. Then open Advanced options, Optional updates, and look for a Wi-Fi driver update. If updates fail to install, see our Windows 11 update errors guide.
If that doesn’t help, go to your laptop maker’s support site (Dell, HP, Lenovo, ASUS and so on), enter your exact model, and download the recommended Wi-Fi driver for Windows 11.
Run the installer and restart.
Before you uninstall anything later, download a backup driver now. Save the maker’s Wi-Fi driver to a USB stick or to a folder on your computer. You’ll need it if Fix 8 doesn’t go smoothly, and you can’t download it if your Wi-Fi isn’t working.
Undo: you can roll back a driver again, or reinstall the previous one from your saved download.
Fix 6: Signal, bands and the router
Part A: for everyone
Take your laptop into the same room as the router and use it there for a while. If drops stop, the problem is signal range, not Windows.
Try the other band. Most routers offer 2.4 GHz (longer range, slower) and 5 GHz (faster, shorter range). If you see two networks, try the one you aren’t using now.
If you have mesh Wi-Fi or an extender, ask: does it drop in one particular room? Or while you move between the router and the extender? Moving between access points is a common time for a brief disconnect, and a different position can help.
Part B: optional, advanced, and only on your own router
Warning: changing router settings disconnects every device for a moment. Write down each original setting first, change one thing at a time, and put it back if it doesn’t help. If the router isn’t yours, skip this part.
Log in to your router (the address and password are usually on a sticker on the router).
If supported, give the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands separate names, then connect your laptop to just one.
If you suspect radar-related channel changes, set the 5 GHz channel manually to a non-DFS channel as a test (36, 40, 44, 48, 149, 153, 157, 161 or 165, depending on your region).
Only if the router is currently on 160 MHz width, try 80 MHz.
A phone staying connected doesn’t prove a channel problem. It’s a clue, not proof.
Undo: restore your written-down settings.
Fix 7: Fix drops after sleep
This section is only for drops that happen after sleep or closing the lid.
Do a full Restart (not Shut down).
Test sleep and wake more than once. Close the lid, wait a minute, open it, check Wi-Fi, and repeat a couple of times.
Check your laptop maker’s support page for a newer Wi-Fi driver and any BIOS or firmware update that mentions wake or sleep problems. Follow their instructions closely.
As a workaround where it’s available, use Hibernate instead of Sleep. Hibernate isn’t offered on every laptop, and it takes a little longer to resume. If your Start power menu doesn’t list it, skip this.
Sleep versus Shut down: Sleep keeps your session in memory and wakes quickly. Shut down closes everything. Windows 11 also has a setting called Fast Startup, which only affects what happens after Shut down and power-on, not Sleep. Only if your drops happen after a shut-down and power-on, you can test turning it off: open Control Panel, Power Options, Choose what the power buttons do, Change settings that are currently unavailable, then untick Turn on fast startup. Don’t treat this as a sleep fix.
Undo: tick Fast Startup again, and go back to Sleep if you changed your habit.
Fix 8: Reinstall the Wi-Fi adapter
Warning: don’t do this unless you’ve already downloaded the correct driver for your exact laptop model (Fix 5). Windows usually reinstalls a driver on its own, but sometimes it doesn’t.
Right-click Start and open Device Manager.
Expand Network adapters, right-click your Wi-Fi adapter, and choose Uninstall device.
Don’t tick the box that says to delete or remove the driver software. Leave it unticked unless a support technician tells you otherwise.
Click Uninstall, then Restart your laptop.
Windows should detect the adapter and reinstall a driver. Reconnect and test.
If no Wi-Fi appears, install the backup driver you saved in Fix 5.
This can’t repair physical damage to the adapter or antenna.
Undo: reinstalling the saved driver puts things back.
Fix 9: Network Reset (last resort)
Try this only after everything above. It isn’t guaranteed to work.
Warning: Network Reset removes your saved Wi-Fi networks, so you’ll need to re-enter every password. VPN software may need reinstalling or reconfiguring. Your networks may also return to the Public profile, so you may need to set a trusted home network back to Private.
It is not a Windows factory reset and does not delete your personal files.
Open Settings, Network & internet, Advanced network settings.
Select Network reset, then Reset now.
Confirm and let the laptop restart.
Reconnect to your Wi-Fi and test.
Undo: rejoin your networks and reinstall any VPN software.
Still dropping? Read your Wi-Fi report
Windows can write a report of your recent Wi-Fi activity. It’s your best clue when nothing else works.
Right-click Start and choose Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin).
Type netsh wlan show wlanreport and press Enter.
The result shows where the report was saved. Open that file (it opens in your browser).
Look at the times of the disconnects and the reasons listed. If they line up with sleep, that points to power settings. If they repeat at regular intervals, it points to the router or driver. If the reasons mention the network being unavailable, think signal or router. The report contains network details, so don’t share it publicly.
Is the adapter faulty? If the laptop drops on several different networks, the maker’s driver doesn’t help, and a USB Wi-Fi adapter works perfectly, a faulty built-in adapter is plausible, though not proven. In that case, contact the laptop maker. If drops only happen at home and only the router changes help, contact your internet provider or the router’s maker.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my Wi-Fi disconnect every few minutes?
A regular rhythm often points to adapter power saving, the router moving devices between bands, or a driver problem. Try Fix 3 first, then Fix 6. The Wi-Fi report can show whether the drops are evenly spaced.
Why does Wi-Fi drop after my laptop sleeps?
The adapter may not restart cleanly when the laptop wakes. Check Fix 3, then update the maker’s Wi-Fi driver and firmware as described in Fix 7. Test sleep and wake more than once.
Why does only my laptop disconnect while my phone stays online?
Laptops and phones handle power saving, bands and drivers differently, so a problem can affect one and not the other. That points to the laptop’s settings or driver, though a router quirk is still possible. Start with Fix 1 and Fix 5.
Can a Windows update cause Wi-Fi disconnects?
Yes, sometimes. An update can change a driver or reset a setting. If drops began right after one, roll back the driver (Fix 5) and recheck Fix 3 and Fix 4.
Will Network Reset delete my files or passwords?
It won’t delete your files, but it will remove saved Wi-Fi networks and their passwords. Have your Wi-Fi password ready and expect to set up any VPN again.
The Power Management tab is missing. What do I do?
That’s normal on many newer laptops, so skip that step. Try the power plan setting in Fix 3 instead. If that’s missing too, move on to Fix 5. Don’t use registry edits or third-party tools to bring it back.
How do I know if it’s a hardware problem?
Suspect hardware if the laptop drops on several networks, the maker’s driver doesn’t help, and a USB Wi-Fi adapter works fine. That points toward the built-in adapter, but it isn’t proof. Contact the laptop maker.
Conclusion
Work through the fixes in order and test after each one. Most people find their answer by Fix 3 or Fix 5, and the later ones are there if you need them. If your laptop is also running slowly, see our slow laptop guide.