Network problems are always annoying.
It’s very common, but it always takes a lot of time to fix. Sometimes there is a problem with the Internet Service Provider (ISP)’s line, sometimes the router is out of action, but occasionally, the issue lies with our own computer. Corrupted drivers, DNS errors, incorrect network configurations… these can all cause network problems. I can’t imagine how much effort it would take to troubleshoot these problems one by one.
Is there a method or tool that we can use to try to repair the network even if we don’t know where the problem is?
Of course it does, and it’s built into your Windows system.
Global Network Reset
Since we don’t know the source of the network problem, resetting the network to its default state is the quickest solution.
This feature works on almost any version of Windows, including Windows XP, Windows 7, and all the way up to Windows 11. However, users of Windows 10 Build 14361 or later can use the graphical interface to operate, while users of previous versions can only use the command line.
For Windows 10 Build 14361 Or Later
As there are interface differences between Windows 11 and Windows 10, I would like to demonstrate them separately.
1. Windows 11
Navigate to System Settings, select Network & internet from the menu on the left, and then click on the option labeled Advanced network settings at the bottom of the page.
And then, select the option Network reset.
Confirm the action by click on the Reset now button. Please read the notice above that button before performing this.
You’ll see a pop-up asking you to confirm again. Click on Yes to continue.
Right after you click on Yes, Windows 11 states that you’re about to be signed out. There is nothing else to do, system restarts itself in 5 minutes, all the operation would be done during restart.
The network problem is most probably solved if it’s not related to hardware.
2. Windows 10
Navigate to Settings – Network & Internet, make sure that you’re in Status page. Scroll down to the bottom of this page, you’ll see the option named Network reset, that’s it.
The remaining steps are the same as on Windows 11 and will not be repeated here.
For Any/Previous Versions
If you prefer to use command lines, which looks more geeky, may follow the steps below.
1. Open Windows Command Line Interface (CLI)
Right click on the Start Menu, select corresponding CLI entry according to the system version.
| Windows version | Name of CLI |
|---|---|
| XP – 8.1 | Command Prompt(Admin) |
| 10 | Windows PowerShell(Admin) |
| 11 | Terminal(Admin) |
Click on Yes in the pop-up User Account Control(UAC) window to grant the administrator privilege. If you’re using a standar account, you have to input Admin user’s password to continue.
2. Run the Command
Input manually or copy and paste(click on the right button of your mouse in CLI window) following command into CLI window, and then press Enter button.
netsh winsock resetIf the command is correct, you will see a prompt like this:
Sucessfully reset the Winsock Catalog.
You must restart the computer in order to complete the reset.
3. Reboot Windows to Complete the Reset
As you can see, to complete the reset you must restart the computer, just the same as we did with GUI. The only difference is that, you have to restart the computer manually but not automatically.
The End
As mentioned at the beginning, many factors can cause network problems, some caused by software and some caused by hardware. If it is a software problem, then this method will most likely solve the problem. If this method does not solve the problem, then further investigation is needed, or hardware may have to be considered.
Thank you for reading this far, I hope this article can help you.
