Wi-Fi Connected But No Internet Windows 11 [2026 Fix]

Quick Answer: Wi-Fi shows "Connected" but no internet because DNS resolution failed or your IP configuration is invalid. Run ipconfig /release then ipconfig /renew, flush DNS with ipconfig /flushdns, and restart your router to force a fresh DHCP lease.

Symptoms

• Wi-Fi icon shows connected with "No Internet, secured"
• Can connect to router admin page (192.168.1.1) but not websites
• Some apps work (WhatsApp) but browsers don't (DNS issue)
• Other devices on same Wi-Fi work fine
• Issue after sleep/wake or Windows Update
• "DNS probe finished, no Internet" in Chrome

Why This Happens (Root Cause)

"Connected but no internet" means layer 1-2 (Wi-Fi radio/link) works, but layer 3+ (IP/DNS/routing) is broken:

1. DNS Server Down: Windows is configured to use router (192.168.1.1) as DNS, but the router's DNS forwarding to ISP is down. Your computer can reach the router but not translate domain names to IP addresses.

2. IP Address Conflict: Another device on the network has the same IP. Windows detects conflict and stops using the IP, leaving you "connected" to Wi-Fi but unable to route traffic.

3. Default Gateway Missing: DHCP lease expired and Windows failed to renew. You have an IP but no gateway (router) to send internet traffic through.

4. Windows Firewall Blocking: Windows 11's firewall sometimes blocks all outbound traffic after updates, thinking the new network is "Public" with maximum restrictions.

How to Diagnose (Manual)

Check 1: Test IP Connectivity vs DNS

Test-Connection -ComputerName 8.8.8.8 -Count 4

Expected output if internet works:

PingReply from 8.8.8.8: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=118

If 8.8.8.8 responds but websites don't load → DNS issue. If 8.8.8.8 doesn't respond → IP/gateway issue.

Check 2: Inspect Network Configuration

Get-NetIPConfiguration | Where-Object {$_.NetAdapter.Status -eq "Up"} | Select-Object InterfaceAlias, IPv4Address, IPv4DefaultGateway, DNSServer

What you're looking for:

• IPv4DefaultGateway should show your router IP (e.g., 192.168.1.1)
• DNSServer should not be empty

Check 3: Check DHCP Lease Status

ipconfig /all | Select-String "DHCP Enabled|Lease Obtained|Lease Expires|Default Gateway|DNS Servers"

If Lease Expires is past or empty → DHCP renewal failed.

Check 4: Verify Windows Firewall

Get-NetFirewallProfile | Select-Object Name, Enabled, DefaultInboundAction, DefaultOutboundAction

If DefaultOutboundAction = Block → Firewall is blocking all traffic.

Step-by-Step Fix

Method 1: Release/Renew IP and Flush DNS (Recommended)

Run these commands in PowerShell as Administrator:

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
ipconfig /flushdns

Then:

1. Disconnect from Wi-Fi
2. Wait 10 seconds
3. Reconnect

This fixes: 80% of "connected but no internet" cases by forcing a fresh DHCP lease and clearing stale DNS cache.

Method 2: Set Google DNS (Bypass Router DNS)

1. Settings → Network & internet → Wi-Fi
2. Click your network → Properties
3. Scroll to DNS server assignment → click Edit
4. Select Manual → turn ON IPv4
5. Set:
   • Preferred DNS: 8.8.8.8
   • Alternate DNS: 8.8.4.4
6. Click Save

Alternative (Cloudflare): 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1

Method 3: Reset Network Stack

# Run as Administrator
netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
ipconfig /flushdns
Restart-Computer

This completely rebuilds: Winsock catalog, TCP/IP stack, DHCP lease, and DNS cache.

Method 4: Disable Windows Firewall Temporarily

# Run as Administrator
Set-NetFirewallProfile -Profile Domain,Public,Private -Enabled False

Test internet. If it works, firewall was the issue:

Set-NetFirewallProfile -Profile Domain,Public,Private -Enabled True

Then re-enable and create an exception, or run Windows Network Troubleshooter to auto-fix.

Method 5: Disable IPv6 (Common Router Incompatibility)

# Run as Administrator
Get-NetAdapterBinding -ComponentID ms_tcpip6 | Disable-NetAdapterBinding -ComponentID ms_tcpip6

Many home routers have broken IPv6 DHCP. Windows 11 tries IPv6 first and times out before falling back to IPv4.

Method 6: Registry Fix for Persistent DNS

Create a .reg file:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Dnscache\Parameters]
"NegativeCacheTime"=dword:00000000
"NetFailureCacheTime"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\DNSClient]
"RegistrationEnabled"=dword:00000000

What this does: Disables DNS negative caching that can persist "no internet" state after the actual issue is resolved.

Method 7: Router Reboot (If Multiple Devices Affected)

1. Unplug router power cable
2. Wait 30 seconds (clears router RAM)
3. Plug back in
4. Wait 2-3 minutes for full boot
5. Reconnect Wi-Fi on Windows 11

If only your Windows 11 PC is affected, it's a client-side issue (use Methods 1-6). If ALL devices are affected, it's a router/ISP issue.

How Againly Diagnoses This Automatically

Againly runs check_network_stack in 1.5 seconds and detects:

• DNS resolution failures (router vs public DNS)
• IP address conflicts from ARP table inspection
• DHCP lease expiration and renewal status
• Default gateway accessibility
• Windows firewall outbound blocking
• IPv6 fallback timeout delays

Instead of guessing, it shows: "DNS unreachable via router (192.168.1.1) — switching to Google DNS 8.8.8.8 and renewing DHCP lease."

[CTA: Try free diagnosis]

Prevention

• Set static DNS (8.8.8.8) instead of router-dependent DNS — prevents router DNS failures
• Keep router firmware updated — fixes DHCP bugs and IPv6 issues
• Don't let DHCP leases expire — set lease time to 24+ hours in router settings
• Use 5GHz Wi-Fi — less congestion, more stable than 2.4GHz

FAQ

Q: Why does my phone work but Windows 11 doesn't? A: Phones often use mobile data as fallback. Or they have cached DNS entries. Windows 11 may have stale DNS cache.

Q: Will resetting network delete my Wi-Fi passwords? A: No — netsh int ip reset only resets TCP/IP settings, not saved Wi-Fi profiles.

Q: Why does this happen after every sleep/wake? A: Windows 11's Modern Standby often fails to re-negotiate DHCP properly on wake. Disabling IPv6 or setting static IP fixes this.

Q: Is this a Windows 11 bug? A: Not specifically — it's DHCP/DNS robustness. But Windows 11 is stricter about IP validation than Windows 10, showing errors Windows 10 would silently retry.

Related: DNS Probe Finished No Internet Fix | Default Gateway Not Available Fix