How to manage network adapter settings on Windows 11

Although Windows 11 can detect and configure network adapters automatically, you may still need to perform additional steps to connect to a wireless network, enable specific features, review configurations, and troubleshoot problems.

In previous versions, you needed to use Control Panel to manage various aspects of Wi-Fi and Ethernet adapters. However, on Windows 11, you can now configure most of the networking settings and features from the "Network & internet" section. For example, you can now enable or disable network adapters and configure DNS over HTTPS to improve security. It's a lot easier to set a static or dynamic IP address, configure data limits, reset the adapters to fix most problems, and more.

In this Windows 11 guide, you will learn the different ways to manage network adapter settings through the Settings app.

How to enable or disable network adapter on Windows 11

To enable or disable a network adapter, use these steps:

Once you complete the steps, the adapter will disable and no longer be available for the system. The adapter will again be available to provide networking functionalities if you enable the option.

How to change network profiles on Windows 11

On Windows 11, changing the network profile type allows you to increase the networking security and make it easier to share files and other services with another computer in the network.

To make a network connection public or private, use these steps:

To change the network profile type for a Wi-Fi connection, use these steps:

After you complete the steps, depending on the profile you selected, the device will not be discoverable or be visible by other devices to access files and other services.

How to make network connection metered on Windows 11

A metered connection reduces the background data usage of Windows 11 and apps to prevent going over a limited data plan, such as on mobile hotspot plans that only offer a few gigabytes of data.

To make an Ethernet connection metered on Windows 11, use these steps:

To make a Wi-Fi connection metered, use these steps:

Once you complete the steps, Windows and apps will use less data. For example, Windows 11 won't download cumulative or feature updates, and some features like OneDrive won't sync files to the cloud, and apps won't download updates.

The settings will only apply to the current connection. If you connect to a different network, you must reconfigure the feature as needed.

If you want to disable the feature, you can use the same steps, but on step 5, turn off the Metered connection option.

How to manage known wireless networks on Windows 11

On Windows 11, you can also provision Wi-Fi configurations to make connections easier. You can also delete those connections you no longer use for better management.

To provision a new wireless connection, use these steps:

After you complete the steps, the network configuration will be applied to the device, and when the access point is within range, the computer will connect automatically without additional steps:

To delete a Wi-Fi connection from Windows 11, use these steps:

Once you complete the steps, the network configuration will no longer be available on the device.

How to connect to wireless network on Windows 11

To connect a computer to a wireless access point, use these steps:

Alternatively, you can also connect to the wireless network through the network icon in the Taskbar.

How to view wireless networks on Windows 11

To view the Wi-Fi networks in range, use these steps:

After you complete the steps, you will see a list of the access points within range.

How to enable or disable wireless connection on Windows 11

To disable or enable wireless connectivity on Windows 11, use these steps:

Once you complete the steps, the wireless radios will turn off and connections will not form, but the adapter will continue to be available in the adapter.

How to configure DNS over HTTPS on Windows 11

On Windows 11, DNS over HTTPS (DoH) is a network protocol to encrypt Domain Name System (DNS) queries using the standard Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) protocol to safeguard DNS queries, which results in improved security and privacy browsing the web.

To enable DoH on Windows 11, use these steps:

After you complete the steps, the DNS queries will be sent encrypted over the internet.

To confirm if the connection is encrypted, use these steps:

Once you complete the steps, if you see the "Encrypted" status, DNS over HTTPS is working as expected.

To configure DOH for a wireless connection, use these steps:

After you complete the steps, the wireless connection will transmit Domain Name System queries using the HTTPS protocol.

Once you complete the steps, if you see the "Encrypted" label, then it means DoH is working on Windows 11.

How to configure static IP address on Windows 11

If you have a computer providing files, media content, and printers over the work, it should be using a static Transfer Control Protocol Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) configuration instead of a dynamic configuration.

The reason is that a dynamic network configuration assigned by the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server can always change. When they do, other devices in the network won't be able to access the network resources. On the other hand, a static IP configuration doesn't change, allowing the service to be always reachable.

To set a static IP address configuration to an Ethernet adapter, use these steps:

After you complete the steps, the computer will start using the new static network configuration.

To configure a static TCP/IP configuration for a wireless adapter, use these steps:

Once you complete the steps, the wireless adapter will start using the new static IP address configuration.

We are focusing this guide on IP version 4, but you can also refer to these steps to set up an IP version 6 configuration if your network supports it. You only need to turn on the IPv6 option on step 7 and provide the IPv6 addresses according to your network configuration.

How to configure dynamic IP address on Windows 11

If you have a computer with a static IP address, you can also change its configuration to allow the device to receive the network settings through the local Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server.

To change the IP address of an Ethernet adapter from static to dynamic, use these steps:

To set a dynamic IP address for a wireless adapter, use these steps:

After you complete the steps, the Ethernet or Wi-Fi adapter will configure its IP address automatically through its Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server.

How to configure network data limits on Windows 11

Windows 11 also comes with the ability to set data limits for a specific network adapter. As you get closer to the limit, the system will send you a warning to help you stay under your data limit.

To configure data limit on Windows 11, use these steps:

Once you complete the steps, Windows 11 will notify you when the limit is getting closer to help you stay under the data limit.

How to reset network adapter on Windows 11

When your laptop or desktop computer has connectivity issues, the reset feature will remove and install all the network adapters and reset all the configurations to their defaults to fix the most common problems.

To reset all the network adapter configurations, use these steps:

After you complete the steps, the feature will remove and reinstall all the network adapters and will reset all the network configurations to their defaults, hopefully fixing any Ethernet or Wi-Fi problems. If you also had a wireless connection, you may need to re-enter the authentication to connect to the network.

How to view network data usage on Windows 11

To view data usage per network adapter and apps on Windows 11, use these steps:

Once you complete the steps, you will better understand the network data usage on your computer.

How to view network adapter properties on Windows 11

On Windows 11, you can find the network configuration information within the adapter's properties or through the Advanced network settings page.

To find out the IP address and other network settings of the Ethernet adapter, use these steps:

To determine the properties of the wireless adapter, use these steps:

To view the network information for the adapters installed on Windows 11, use steps:

After you complete the steps, you will be able to determine many networking configurations, such as link speed, IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, DNS server, driver version and manufacturer, MAC address, and more.

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10 and Windows 11, visit the following resources:

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