Laptop Wi-Fi Keeps Disconnecting? Fixes in Order

Your laptop connects to Wi-Fi, works for a while, then drops. Maybe it comes back on its own, maybe you have to reconnect by hand. The cause can be the router, the signal, a power-saving setting, or the Wi-Fi driver. Start with the quick checks below and work down. Most of the time it's one of the settings in the first half.

If your laptop says connected but nothing loads at all, that's a different problem. See laptop connected to Wi-Fi but no internet.

Step 1: Check whether other devices drop too

This tells you which side the problem is on. Use your phone on the same Wi-Fi for a while (with mobile data off), in the same spot as the laptop.

• Phone and other devices drop too: It's the router, its placement, or your provider. Focus on Steps 2, 7, and 9.
• Only the laptop drops: It's the laptop. Do Step 2, then keep going.

If you have a USB Ethernet adapter or a cable, plug the laptop straight into the router for a bit. If the internet still cuts out on a cable, it's your provider or modem, not Wi-Fi.

Step 2: Restart the modem, router, and laptop

• Unplug the modem and the router (or the one combo box) from power.
• Wait at least 30 seconds.
• Plug the modem back in first and wait until its lights settle. Then plug in the router.
• Give it a few minutes, then restart the laptop (Restart, not just closing the lid).

Everyone on your Wi-Fi gets disconnected for a few minutes while you do this.

Step 3: Forget the network and rejoin

• Go to Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi > Manage known networks. (Same path on Windows 10 and 11.)
• Select your network and click Forget.
• Connect again and type the password. Make sure "Connect automatically" is checked.

This clears out an old saved profile that can cause odd drops, especially after you changed the router or its password.

Mac: System Settings > Wi-Fi, click the details button next to the network, and choose Forget This Network.

Step 4: Stop Windows from turning off the Wi-Fi adapter

This is the first setting I check when a laptop drops Wi-Fi. Windows can switch the adapter off to save battery, and sometimes it doesn't wake back up cleanly. Microsoft lists this fix for Wi-Fi that keeps dropping.

• Search for Device Manager and open it.
• Expand Network adapters and right-click your Wi-Fi adapter (it usually has Wireless, Wi-Fi, or 802.11 in the name). Choose Properties.
• Open the Power Management tab.
• Uncheck "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power." Click OK.

If there's no Power Management tab, your adapter or laptop doesn't offer it. That's normal on some newer laptops. Move on to the next step.

Step 5: Set the wireless adapter power plan to Maximum Performance

• Search for Control Panel and open it, then go to Hardware and Sound > Power Options.
• Next to the plan you use, click Change plan settings > Change advanced power settings.
• Expand Wireless Adapter Settings > Power Saving Mode.
• Set both "On battery" and "Plugged in" to Maximum Performance. Click OK.

This uses a little more battery. On some newer laptops this section doesn't show up at all. If it's missing, skip it.

Step 6: Check the adapter's advanced settings

Back in Device Manager, open your Wi-Fi adapter's Properties and go to the Advanced tab. The setting names depend on who made the Wi-Fi chip (Intel, Realtek, MediaTek, Qualcomm), so you may not see all of these. Write down what each one was before you change it.

• Power saving settings: Names like "MIMO Power Save Mode" or anything with "Power Save" in it. Set it to the option with no power saving (for example "No SMPS" on Intel adapters).
• Roaming Aggressiveness (or Roaming Sensitivity): This controls how quickly the laptop jumps to a different access point. With one router, or if it keeps hopping between mesh points, try setting it lower (for example "Lowest" or "Medium-Low"). If you have a mesh system and the signal is weak where you sit, the default is usually best.
• Preferred Band: If it's there, set it to prefer 5 GHz (or 2.4 GHz, see the next step) so the laptop stops flipping between bands.

Click OK and use the laptop for a while. If anything gets worse, change it back.

Step 7: Try the other band and check distance

Most routers broadcast two bands:

• 5 GHz is faster but doesn't go through walls as well. Far from the router, it drops more.
• 2.4 GHz reaches farther but gets more interference from neighbors, microwaves, and Bluetooth gear.

If your router shows two network names, try the other one. If it uses one name for both, some routers let you split them in their settings so you can test each band.

Then try the laptop right next to the router. If the drops stop there, it's a signal problem, not a broken laptop. Moving the router up high and out in the open helps, and a mesh system or extender helps in big or thick-walled homes.

Step 8: Update or roll back the Wi-Fi driver

If the drops started right after a Windows update, the driver is a good suspect.

Before you start, download the Wi-Fi driver from your laptop maker's support page (search your exact model). Intel also has its own Wi-Fi drivers on its site for Intel cards.

• In Device Manager, right-click your Wi-Fi adapter and choose Properties > Driver tab.
• If it broke after an update and Roll Back Driver isn't grayed out, click it.
• Otherwise, install the driver you downloaded. You can also uninstall the device (check "Attempt to remove the driver for this device" if you see it) and restart so Windows reinstalls it.

Step 9: Update the router firmware or change its channel

Do this if other devices drop too, or the laptop only drops at home.

• Log in to your router (the address and login are usually on a sticker on the router, or in its phone app).
• Look for a firmware update and install it. Don't unplug the router while it updates.
• If you live near lots of other networks, try a different channel. On 2.4 GHz, channels 1, 6, and 11 don't overlap each other.

If your router is from your provider, they may update it for you. If it's very old and drops everything, a new router can be the real fix.

Step 10: Run the reset commands, then a network reset

First the commands. These are from Microsoft's own Wi-Fi help page.

• Search for Command Prompt, then choose Run as administrator.
• Type netsh winsock reset and press Enter.
• Type netsh int ip reset and press Enter.
• Type ipconfig /release and press Enter.
• Type ipconfig /renew and press Enter.
• Type ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter.
• Restart the laptop.

Want to see when it dropped? In the same admin Command Prompt, type netsh wlan show wlanreport. It makes a report of your recent Wi-Fi sessions and disconnects, and tells you where it saved the file (usually C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WlanReport\wlan-report-latest.html). Open it in your browser.

More useful commands for a sick PC: commands on a sick PC.

If the drops keep happening, do a full network reset. Microsoft says to save this for last. It removes your network adapters and sets them back to default, and you'll have to rejoin your Wi-Fi networks. VPN software may also need to be set up again.

• Windows 11: Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Network reset > Reset now.
• Windows 10: Settings > Network & Internet > Status > Network reset > Reset now.

The laptop restarts on its own after a few minutes.

Step 11: When a USB Wi-Fi adapter or a new Wi-Fi card is the fix

If none of the above helped, and your other devices stay connected in the same spot, the laptop's Wi-Fi card or its antenna is likely the problem. Signs I watch for:

• It drops even right next to the router.
• The Wi-Fi adapter disappears from Device Manager for a moment, or shows an error.
• Signal is weak only on this laptop, especially after it was opened up or dropped.

Easiest test: plug in a USB Wi-Fi adapter. If the drops stop, the built-in card (or its antenna wires) is the issue. You can just keep using the USB adapter. A heat problem can also make the card act up, so if it drops more when the laptop is hot, see laptop running hot.

On many laptops the Wi-Fi card is a small M.2 card that can be swapped. iFixit has replacement guides for a lot of models. Check that the antenna wires are clicked on tight while you're in there. Some thin laptops and all recent MacBooks have Wi-Fi built onto the board, so it can't be swapped. A few laptop makers also only accept certain cards. Check your model before you buy one. Use a USB adapter or the warranty if you can't swap it.

If you open the laptop, unplug it, follow anti-static habits that matter, and use a good screwdriver set: precision screwdriver set.

Running out of USB ports for the adapter? See USB-C hub that doesn't kill the port.