How to open wifi settings

Setting up a wireless network in Windows

A wireless network at home lets you get online from more places in your house. This article describes the basic steps for setting up a wireless network and starting to use it.

Get the right equipment

Before you can set up your wireless network, here’s what you’ll need:

Broadband Internet connection and modem. A broadband Internet connection is a high-speed Internet connection. Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) and cable are two of the most common broadband connections. You can get a broadband connection by contacting an Internet service provider (ISP). Typically, ISPs that provide DSL are telephone companies and ISPs that provide cable are cable TV companies. ISPs frequently offer broadband modems. Some ISPs also offer combination modem/wireless routers. You can also find these at computer or electronics stores, and online.

Wireless router. A router sends info between your network and the Internet. With a wireless router, you can connect PCs to your network using radio signals instead of wires. There are several different kinds of wireless network technologies, which include 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, and 802.11ax.

Wireless network adapter. A wireless network adapter is a device that connects your PC to a wireless network. To connect your portable or desktop PC to your wireless network, the PC must have a wireless network adapter. Most laptops and tablets—and some desktop PCs—come with a wireless network adapter already installed.

To check whether your PC has a wireless network adapter:

1. Select Start , type device manager in the search box, and then select Device Manager.
2. Expand Network adapters.
3. Look for a network adapter that might have wireless in the name.

Setting up the modem and Internet connection

After you have all the equipment, you’ll need to set up your modem and Internet connection. If your modem wasn’t set up for you by your Internet service provider (ISP), follow the instructions that came with your modem to connect it to your PC and the Internet. If you’re using Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), connect your modem to a phone jack. If you’re using cable, connect your modem to a cable jack.

Positioning the wireless router

Put your wireless router somewhere where it will receive the strongest signal with the least amount of interference. For better results, follow these tips:

Place your wireless router in a central location. Place the router as close to the center of your home as possible to increase the strength of the wireless signal throughout your home.

Position the wireless router off the floor and away from walls and metal objects, such as metal file cabinets. The fewer physical obstructions between your PC and the router’s signal, the more likely that you’ll be using the router’s full signal strength.

Reduce interference. Some networking equipment uses a 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) radio frequency. This is the same frequency as most microwaves and many cordless phones. If you turn on the microwave or get a call on a cordless phone, your wireless signal might be temporarily interrupted. You can avoid most of these issues by using a cordless phone with a higher frequency, such as 5.8 GHz.

Securing your wireless network

Security is always important; with a wireless network, it’s even more important because your network’s signal could be broadcast outside your home. If you don’t help secure your network, people with PCs nearby could access info stored on your network PCs and use your Internet connection.

To help make your network more secure:

Change the default user name and password. This helps protect your router. Most router manufacturers have a default user name and password on the router and a default network name (also known as the SSID). Someone could use this info to access your router without you knowing it. To help avoid that, change the default user name and password for your router. See the documentation for your device for instructions.

Set up a security key (password) for your network. Wireless networks have a network security key to help protect them from unauthorized access. We recommend using Wi-Fi Protected Access 3 (WPA3) security if your router and PC support it. See the documentation for your router for more detailed info, including what type of security is supported and how to set it up.

Some routers support Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS). If your router supports WPS and it’s connected to the network, follow these steps to set up a network security key:

1. Do one of the following, depending on which version of Windows is running on your PC:
   • In Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, select Start, start typing Network and Sharing Center, and then choose it in the list.
   • In Windows 10, select Start , then select Settings >Network & Internet >Status >Network and Sharing Center.
   • In Windows 11, select Start, type control panel, then select Control Panel >Network and Internet >Network and Sharing Center.
2. Select Set up a new connection or network.
3. Select Set up a new network, then choose Next.

The wizard will walk you through creating a network name and a security key. If your router supports it, the wizard will default to Wi‑Fi Protected Access (WPA2 or WPA3) security. We recommend that you use WPA3 if you can, because it offers better security than WPA2, WPA, or Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) security. With WPA3, WPA2 or WPA you can also use a passphrase, so you don’t have to remember a cryptic sequence of letters and numbers.

Write down your security key and keep it in a safe place. You can also save your security key on a USB flash drive by following the instructions in the wizard. (Saving your security key to a USB flash drive is available in Windows 8 and Windows 7, but not in Windows 10 or Windows 11.)

Use a firewall. A firewall is hardware or software that can help protect your PC from unauthorized users or malicious software (malware). Running a firewall on each PC on your network can help control the spread of malicious software on your network, and help protect your PCs when you’re accessing the Internet. Windows Firewall is included with this version of Windows.

Connect a PC to your wireless network

1. Select the Network or Wifi icon in the notification area.
2. In the list of networks, choose the network that you want to connect to, and then select Connect.
3. Type the security key (often called the password).
4. Follow additional instructions if there are any.

If you have problems with your Wi-Fi network when using Windows 10, see Fix Wi-Fi problems in Windows for advanced troubleshooting info.

1. Select the Network icon in the notification area, then select the > icon next to the Wi-Fi quick setting to see a list of available networks.
2. Choose the network that you want to connect to, and then select Connect.
3. Type the security key (often called the password).
4. Follow additional instructions if there are any.

If you have problems with your Wi-Fi network when using Windows 11, see Fix Wi-Fi problems in Windows for advanced troubleshooting info.

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How To Open Wi-Fi Settings In Windows 10

Want to view and change the default Wi-Fi settings in Windows 10? This guide shows you the top five ways out there to open the Wi-Fi settings in Windows 10.

Windows 10 allows you various options and settings to configure the Wi-Fi. For example, you can make a network private/public, add or remove saved Wi-Fi networks, set data limit, view Wi-Fi data usage, and view Wi-Fi information.

Open Wi-Fi settings via search in Windows 10

Step 1: In the Start/taskbar search, type Wi-Fi settings and then hit the Enter key to open the Wi-Fi settings page of the Settings app.

Open Windows 10 Wi-Fi settings

Step 1: Open the Settings app using the search or Windows logo + I hotkey.

Step 2: Click on Network & Internet.

Step 3: Click Wi-Fi to see all Wi-Fi-related settings.

Open Wi-Fi settings via the Run command in Windows 10

Step 1: First of all, open the Run command dialog using the search or Windows logo + R hotkey.

Step 2: Type ms-settings:network-wifi and press the Enter key to open the Wi-Fi settings page.

Access Wi-Fi settings via Command Prompt in Windows 10

The Wi-Fi settings page can also be opened via the Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell. Here is how.

Step 1: Open the Command Prompt or PowerShell. No need to open it as an administrator.

Step 2: Type start ms-settings:network-wifi and then hit the Enter key to open the Wi-Fi settings page.

Open Windows 10 Wi-Fi settings from the taskbar

Step 1: Click on the Wi-Fi icon on the taskbar. If the icon is missing, refer to fix to Wi-Fi icon missing from Windows 10 taskbar guide to restore it.

Step 2: Once the Wi-Fi flyout is up, perform a right-click on the Wi-Fi tile and then click Go to Settings to open the Wi-Fi Settings page. Simple as that!

How to reinstall the Wi-Fi driver in Windows 10 guide might also interest you.

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6 Ways To Open Wi-Fi Settings In Windows 11

If your computer has a Wi-Fi adapter and device driver for the Wi-Fi adapter, Windows 11 offers various settings and options to change the default Wi-Fi settings.

The Wi-Fi settings page offers the following settings/options:

• Turn on or off Wi-Fi
• Change Wi-Fi network profile type to public or private
• Set a Wi-Fi connection as metered
• Set a data limit to the Wi-Fi network
• Turn on or off random hardware address
• Add or delete a saved Wi-Fi network
• Monitor the data used by your PC when connected to a Wi-Fi network
• View detailed information about a connected Wi-Fi network, including the protocol, security type, manufacturer, driver version, network band, network channel, link speed, IPv6 and IPv4 address, physical (MAC) address

To access all these Wi-Fi-related settings, you will have to open the Wi-Fi page of the Settings app. Here are the six easy ways to access the Wi-Fi settings page in Windows 11.

Open Wi-Fi settings in Windows 11

Step 1: Open the Settings app using the search or Windows logo + I hotkey.

Step 2: In the left pane of Settings, click Network & internet.

Step 3: On the right side, click on Wi-Fi to see the Wi-Fi settings page.

Open Wi-Fi settings via Quick Settings in Windows 11

The Quick Settings, the flyout which pops up when you click on the network/volume/battery icon on the taskbar, offers basic Wi-Fi settings such as toggle on or off and connect and disconnect. The Quick Settings flyout can also be used to access the Wi-Fi settings page. Here is how.

Step 1: Open the Quick Settings flyout by clicking on the battery/volume/network icon on the taskbar. If you prefer using keyboard shortcuts, use Windows + A hotkey.

Step 2: Perform a right-click on the Wi-Fi icon (refer to the picture below) and click on the Go to Settings option to open the Wi-Fi settings page.

Open Wi-Fi settings page using search in Windows 11

Step 1: In the search, type Wi-Fi settings and hit the Enter key to open the Wi-Fi settings page of the Settings page.

Another way to open Wi-Fi settings in Windows 11 is via Quick Settings

Step 1: Open Quick Settings by clicking on the volume/network/battery icon.

Step 2: Click on the right arrow icon (>) next to the Wi-Fi icon.

Step 3: Click the More Wi-Fi settings link to open the Wi-Fi settings page.

Open Wi-Fi settings via Command Prompt, PowerShell or Terminal in Windows 11

Step 1: Open the Command Prompt or Terminal using search.

Step 2: Type start ms-settings:network-wifi and then hit the Enter key to open the Wi-Fi settings.

Open Wi-Fi settings via the Run command in Windows 11

Step 1: Open the Run command box using search or Windows + R hotkey.

Step 2: In the Open field, type ms-settings:network-wifi and then hit the Enter key to open Wi-Fi settings.

How to open taskbar settings in Windows 11 guide might also interest you.

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