Even though Ethernet might not be as versatile or practical as a WiFi connection, you do get super network speeds from it. Not only that but Ethernet also offers low latency and a much affordable option for making large scale networks. Thus, a large number of computers and computer users prefer Ethernet over WiFi or other networking options.
Although, in some cases, you may face an issue where Ethernet is not working in Windows 10. Since this can be quite frustrating because you cannot access the internet or your local network, we are here with a complete
What is Ethernet not Working in Windows 10?
In case you have faced the Ethernet not working in Windows 10 issue for the first time, you may want to know more about it. Generally, if you are facing the Ethernet not working in Windows 10, you will completely lose access to a given network. This means that you will not be connected to the internet or even access other devices on your local network. In some cases, it may even show you that the network cable is unplugged despite having a functional Ethernet cable for your networking needs.
How to Fix Ethernet not Working in Windows 10?
Because losing access to your network and the internet can be quite frustrating, it is quite important to fix Ethernet not working in Windows 10. Although, such an issue can be caused due to a possible number of reasons. Hence, we are here with multiple solutions and fixes regarding this Ethernet issue. You can simply go through the following methods one by one to fix Ethernet not working in Windows 10:
1. Use Network Troubleshooter
Since there are a lot of possible issues that you may face on your Windows 10 computer, Windows offers a handy tool called troubleshooter. It simply checks for any possible issues and then gives you solutions accordingly. As a result, if you are facing issues like Ethernet not working, then you can also consider running the network troubleshooter by following these steps:
- To run the network troubleshooter in Windows 10, press Windows Key + I on your keyboard to open Windows Settings.
- Now, head over to the Update & Security menu and open the Troubleshoot tab from the left hand side panel.
- Then, click on the Additional Troubleshooters option and find the Internet Connections option to run the network troubleshooter. With this, Windows will then check for all possible issues and fix the Ethernet not working issue on your computer.
2. Reset Windows Ethernet Adapter
Most modern computers have multiple networking devices or networking adapters installed at a given time. But since these can also interfere with each other, there might be a possibility that Ethernet might not be working due to multiple Ethernet adapters. To prevent this, you can simply reset Windows Ethernet adapter via Windows Settings:
- For resetting Windows Ethernet adapter, you need to open Windows Settings by pressing Windows Key + I on your keyboard.
- In here, go to the Network & Internet menu where you can find all network details under the Status tab.
- After that, scroll down and open the Network Reset option, where you have to click on the Reset Now option.
- Finally, your computer will reboot and reset Windows Ethernet adapter to fix all issues related to it.
3. Update Drivers for the Ethernet Device
All of the hardware devices and connections of your computer, including Ethernet, have a companion device driver. This driver allows your computer to communicate with the software side of things. Unfortunately, if you are using an outdated or corrupted Ethernet device driver, then it may not work in Windows 10. Hence, make sure to update drivers for the Ethernet device to the latest version by going through these instructions:
- To open Device Manager for updating drivers, press Windows Key + X on your keyboard.
- Then, expand the Network Adapters list and right-click on your primary Ethernet device to select the Update driver option.
- After that, choose the Search automatically for the updated driver software option. Doing so will make Windows find and download the latest Ethernet device driver on your computer and fix all related issues.
4. Turn on your Ethernet Connection
In some cases, the Ethernet connection of your computer might have been turned off or disabled accidentally. This might have been done by you or a program installed on your computer. Thankfully, you can easily turn on your Ethernet connection again by going through the given steps as shown:
- First, press Windows Key + R on your keyboard to open Windows Run. Then, type ncpa.cpl and press enter to open the Network Connections menu.
- Now, simply right click on your Ethernet device and simply select Enable to turn on your Ethernet connection and get it working right away.
5. Disable Windows Defender Firewall Temporarily
The Windows Defender Firewall is a great Windows tool which is there for security purposes. It allows or restricts internet access to the different programs installed on your computer. This is to ensure that only the apps you want are able to access the internet.
Because of this, there is a possibility that the Ethernet connection of your computer is working fine and Windows Defender Firewall is restricting network access. In that case, you can consider disabling the Firewall temporarily and check if things workout as given here:
- In order to disable Windows Defender Firewall, press Windows Key + R on your keyboard. Once you are in Windows Run, type firewall.cpl and press enter to open Windows Defender Firewall Settings.
- Now, select the Turn Windows Defender Firewall On or Off from the left-hand side panel menu.
- After that, check the Turn Off Windows Defender Firewall options below the public network section and the private network section and click on OK to save all changes.
- Then, try accessing the internet in any desired application to check if your Ethernet connection is working.
6. Reset TCP/IP and Flush DNS in Windows
All of the network adapters of your computer, including the Ethernet, have various TCP/IP and DNS configuration for connecting to the internet. Although, if these configurations are improper, then you can face various issues. Thus, you can try to reset TCP/IP and Flush DNS in Windows via Command Prompt by going through these instructions:
- Use Windows Search to open Command Prompt as an administrator on your computer.
- Once you are inside the Command Prompt window, type the following commands one by one and press enter after each one to execute them:
- ipconfig /release
- ipconfig /flushdns
- ipconfig /renew
- ipconfig /flushdns
- nbtstat –r
- netsh int ip reset
- netsh winsock reset
- netsh winsock reset catalog
- netsh int ipv4 reset reset.log
- After executing all these commands, reboot your computer to fix possible issues with Ethernet configuration.
7. Configure Ethernet Power Management Settings
If you are using a laptop, it most likely uses custom power settings for all external devices, including your Ethernet connection. This is due to the reason that with a low power configuration, the battery of your laptop can be extended further. But if your Ethernet connection is not able to get enough power, it may not work at all. Hence, make sure to configure Ethernet power management settings as given here:
- For changing power management settings, head over to Device Manager by pressing Windows + X on your keyboard and selecting Device Manager from the list.
- Then, expand the Network Adapters list and right-click on your primary Ethernet device to open its Properties.
- Now head over to the Power Management tab and remove the Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power option from this window.
- At last, reboot your computer to enable Ethernet by disabling power limits.
8. Switch to Google DNS
While the default DNS service of your computer or ISP may work just fine, it might not be functional at all times. Therefore, you can consider switching to Google DNS, which offers much better performance. This can be done via Control Panel in Windows 10 as shown here:
- Once you are inside the Control Panel, head over to the Network and Internet menu.
- Now, click on the Change Adapter Settings option in the left side panel.
- After that, right-click on your Ethernet and open its Properties.
- Then, select Internet Protocol Version 4 and open its Properties.
- In here select the Use the following DNS server addresses option and type the given DNS addresses:
- 8.8.8
- 8.4.4
- Now, click on OK to save settings which will make your computer use Google DNS.
9. Look for Hardware Defects in Networking Cable
If none of these software fixes have worked for you, then there is a pretty high chance that the issue is with the Ethernet cable itself. You can either inspect the cable or simply try a different one to make sure that the issue is not present due to the same.
Conclusion
Coming to an end to this guide regarding Ethernet not working in Windows 10, you must know quite a lot about this issue by now. But more importantly, since we have stated multiple fixes for this problem, you must have successfully fixed Ethernet not working in Windows 10 by now. All of the different solutions stated above take a different approach to this issue and allow you to get Ethernet working once again. If you have gone through all the various solutions, present above regarding Ethernet not working in Windows 10, make sure to share your thoughts in the comments section. You can also post any questions down there if you have any!
