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Reset Windows Networking

There are a multitude of different ways to reset the Windows Networking Stack. The following guides are ordered from least invasive to most invasive, meaning that one or more restarts will be required.

Option 1: Unplug the Ethernet Cable / Restart WLAN/WAN

The least invasive of the options is to unplug the ethernet cable or turn the WLAN (WiFi) or WWAN (Cellular). Wait at least 10 seconds before plugging the ethernet cable back in or turning the WLAN or WWAN back on. A restart is not required.

Option 2: Flush the DNS Cache

Flushing the DNS cache can clear out any corrupt or invalid DNS entries. A restart is not required.

  1. On the affected device, open Command Prompt.
  2. Type ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter.

Option 3: Reset the ARP Cache

Resetting the ARP cache can clear out any cached ARP addresses that may be corrupt. A restart is not required.

  1. On the affected device, open Command Prompt as an Administrator.
  2. Type arp -d * and press Enter.

Option 4: Renew the IP Address

Renewing the IP address can resolve unknown IP address conflicts. A restart is not required.

  1. On the affected device, open Command Prompt.
  2. Type ipconfig /release and press Enter.
  3. When the release completes, type ipconfig /renew and press Enter.

Option 5: Reset the Windows 10 Networking

Resetting the Windows 10 Networking does not require Administrator rights and can often fix issues that the other options can't. However, it should be known that when reset the device will lose all networking and restart by itself. Some remote support software, such as Teamviewer, will be affected by this and may stop working. A restart is required.

  1. On the affected device, click the Start button.
  2. Click Settings.
  3. Click Network & Internet.
  4. Verify that Status is selected on the left-hand navigation tabs.
  5. At the bottom of the Status window, click Network Reset.
  6. On the Network Reset view, click Reset Now.
  7. When prompted to reset, click Yes and wait for the device to restart of manually restart it.

Option 6: Reset the Windows Networking Stack

This is by far the most invasive of the options as all steps must be run through an elevated command prompt and multiple restarts take place. This is a complete reset of the Windows Networking Stack at a kernel level, Some remote support software, such as Teamviewer, will be affected by this and may stop working. Multiple restarts are required.

  1. On the affected device, open Command Prompt or PowerShell as an Administrator.
  2. Enter the following commands, pressing Enter after each command.
    1. netsh int ip reset
    2. netsh int ipv6 reset
    3. netsh winsock reset
  3. Restart the device.
  4. When the device restarts, open Device Manager.
    1. On Windows 8 and above, this can be done by right-clicking the Start Button, or pressing Windows Key+X, and clicking Device Manager.
  5. Expand the Network Adapters group.
  6. For each WAN Miniport adapter, right-click the device and select Uninstall.
  7. Once all the WAN Miniport adapters have been removed, right-click the Network Adapters group and select Scan for Hardware Changes.
  8. Restart the machine.

Option 7: Update or Reinstall the Networking Drivers

Sometimes the networking drivers can be corrupt or plagued by an unpatched bug. Updating or reinstalling the networking drivers can generally fix these issues. Multiple restarts may be required and other issues may arise.

From Windows Update

  1. Open Windows Update and click View Optional Updates.
  2. From here expand the Drivers group and select the drivers to update.
  3. Click Download and Install to begin updating the drivers.

From the Manufacturer's Website

If you are using a pre-built device, such as an HP, Dell or Lenovo, head over to the device's support page and download the newest drivers. If you are using a custom built device, head to the motherboard or networking card manufacturer website to download the updated drivers.

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