Windows help network connections

Feedback will be sent to Microsoft: By pressing the submit button, your feedback will be used to improve Microsoft products and services.

Privacy policy. This article describes the network connections that Windows 10 and Windows 11 components make to Microsoft and the Windows Settings, Group Policies and registry settings available to IT Professionals to help manage the data shared with Microsoft.

If you want to minimize connections from Windows to Microsoft services, or configure privacy settings, there are a number of settings for consideration. For example, you can configure diagnostic data to the lowest level for your edition of Windows and evaluate other connections Windows makes to Microsoft services you want to turn off using the instructions in this article.

While it is possible to minimize network connections to Microsoft, there are many reasons why these communications are enabled by default, such as updating malware definitions and maintaining current certificate revocation lists. This data helps us deliver a secure, reliable, and up-to-date experience.

Microsoft provides a Windows Restricted Traffic Limited Functionality Baseline package that will allow your organization to quickly configure the settings covered in this document to restrict connections from Windows 10 and Windows 11 to Microsoft.

The Windows Restricted Traffic Limited Baseline is based on Group Policy Administrative Template functionality and the package you download contains further instructions on how to deploy to devices in your organization. Since some of the settings can reduce the functionality and security configuration of your device, before deploying Windows Restricted Traffic Limited Functionality Baseline make sure you choose the right settings configuration for your environment and ensure that Windows and Microsoft Defender Antivirus are fully up to date.

Failure to do so may result in errors or unexpected behavior. To use Microsoft Intune cloud-based device management for restricting traffic please refer to the Manage connections from Windows 10 and Windows 11 operating system components to Microsoft services using Microsoft Intune MDM Server. We are always striving to improve our documentation and welcome your feedback.

You can provide feedback by contacting telmhelp microsoft. The following sections list the components that make network connections to Microsoft services by default. You can configure these settings to control the data that is sent to Microsoft. To prevent Windows from sending any data to Microsoft, configure diagnostic data at the Security level, turn off Microsoft Defender Antivirus diagnostic data and MSRT reporting, and turn off all of these connections.

The following table lists management options for each setting, For Windows 10 beginning with Windows 10 Enterprise version and Windows See the following table for a summary of the management settings for Windows Server with Desktop Experience.

See the following table for a summary of the management settings for Windows Server Server Core. See the following table for a summary of the management settings for Windows Server Nano Server. The Automatic Root Certificates Update component is designed to automatically check the list of trusted authorities on Windows Update to see if an update is available. Although not recommended, you can turn off Automatic Root Certificates Update, which also prevents updates to the disallowed certificate list and the pin rules list.

By not automatically downloading the root certificates the device may not be able to connect to some websites. Use Group Policies to manage settings for Cortana. Using the Group Policy editor these steps are required for all supported versions of Windows 10 and Windows 11, however they are not required for devices running Windows 10, version or Windows Server Right-click Outbound Rules , and then click New Rule.

The New Outbound Rule Wizard starts. On the Rule Type page, click Program , and then click Next. On the Action page, click Block the connection , and then click Next. On the Profile page, ensure that the Domain , Private , and Public check boxes are selected, and then click Next.

On the Name page, type a name for the rule, such as Cortana firewall configuration , and then click Finish. Right-click the new rule, click Properties , and then click Protocols and Ports. Configure the Protocols and Ports page with the following info, and then click OK. If your organization tests network traffic, do not use a network proxy as Windows Firewall does not block proxy traffic. Instead, use a network traffic analyzer. Based on your needs, there are many network traffic analyzers available at no cost.

Fonts that are included in Windows but that are not stored on the local device can be downloaded on demand. The Windows Insider Preview program lets you help shape the future of Windows, be part of the community, and get early access to releases of Windows 10 and Windows This setting stops communication with the Windows Insider Preview service that checks for new builds. Although the diagnostic data level may initially appear as Required Basic , a few hours after the UI is refreshed or the machine is rebooted, the setting will become Optional Full.

If you're running a preview version of Windows 10 or Windows 11, you must roll back to a released version before you can turn off Insider Preview builds. The following Group Policies and Registry Keys are for user interactive scenarios rather than the typical idle traffic scenario. ActiveX control blocking periodically downloads a new list of out-of-date ActiveX controls that should be blocked. For more info, see Out-of-date ActiveX control blocking.

Use the below setting to prevent communication to the Microsoft Account cloud authentication service. Many apps and system components that depend on Microsoft Account authentication may lose functionality. Some of them could be in unexpected ways. For example, Windows Update will no longer offer feature updates to devices running Windows 10 or higher and Windows See Feature updates are not being offered while other updates are. This setting is often on a Wireless Settings page.

Select the Start button. Start typing cmd and right-click Command Prompt in the list. Select Run as Administrator , and then select Yes. Write down the address that appears next to Physical Address for your wireless network adapter. Sign in with your user name and password, then look for a setting that says MAC Address Filter or something similar. Look in the Wireless Network section. If Wi-Fi is on, the button should say Turn wireless off.

In the search box, type wireless and then select Manage wireless networks. Select Add , and then select Manually create a network profile. If you want Windows to automatically connect when the network is in range, select the Start this connection automatically check box. Select the Connect even if the network is not broadcasting check box, select Next , and then select Close.

Open the Network troubleshooter by right-clicking the network icon in the notification area and then selecting Troubleshoot problems. Type cmd in the search box, right-click cmd in the list, select Run as administrator , and then select Yes.

Open the Network Adapter troubleshooter by selecting the Start button and then selecting Control Panel. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation. Type cmd in the search box and right-click cmd in the list. Select Run as administrator , and then select Yes. Windows 11 Windows 10 Windows 8. Things to try first Try these things first to help you fix or narrow down the connection problem.

To run the Network troubleshooter Select the Start button, then type settings. Follow the steps in the troubleshooter and see if that fixes the problem. The results should be something like this: Reply from At the command prompt, run the following commands in the listed order, and then check to see if that fixes your connection problem: Type netsh winsock reset and select Enter.

Check if your network adapter is compatible with the latest Windows Update If you lost your network connection immediately after upgrading to or updating Windows 11, it's possible that the current driver for your network adapter was designed for a previous version of Windows.

To check, try temporarily uninstalling the recent Windows Update: Select the Start button, then enter settings. Select the most recent update, then select Uninstall. If uninstalling the most recent update restores your network connection, check to see if an updated driver is available: Select Search on the taskbar, type Device Manager , and then select Device Manager from the list of results. Use network reset Using network reset should be the last step you try.

Wait for your PC to restart, and see if that fixes the problem. Check your Wi-Fi settings Wi-Fi adapter manufacturers might have different advanced settings you can change based on your network environment or connection preferences. To find the wireless mode setting In Device Manager, select Network adapters , and then double-click the network adapter name.

Wi-Fi profile settings Windows uses the Wi-Fi profile to save the settings that are needed to connect to a Wi-Fi network. To forget a network Select the Start button, then enter settings. Select the network you want to forget, then select Forget. Related topics Setting up a wireless network How to find your wireless network password Analyze the wireless network report Wi-Fi tools and apps Make a Wi-Fi network public or private in Windows.

Follow the steps in the troubleshooter, and see if that fixes the problem. Unplug the power cable for the router from the power source. On your PC, try to connect again. Check if your network adapter is compatible with the latest Windows Update If you lost your network connection immediately after upgrading or updating Windows 10, it's possible that the current driver for your network adapter was designed for a previous version of Windows.

If uninstalling the most recent update restores your network connection, check to see if an updated driver is available: In the search box on the taskbar, type Device Manager , and then select Device Manager from the list of results.

Check for additional symptoms for the "No internet connection" icon There may be additional troubleshooting steps you can try, depending on which symptoms you're having. Related topics Setting up a wireless network How to find your wireless network password Analyze the wireless network report Wi-Fi tools and apps Make a Wi-Fi network public or private in Windows Make sure Wi-Fi is turned on.

Turn on Wi-Fi. Turn off Airplane mode. Move closer to the router or access point if you can. Type the network name and select Next. Type the password and select Next. Follow any additional instructions to get connected. To connect to the network, follow these steps: Open Connect to a Network by selecting the network icon in the notification area.

Run network commands after using the Network Troubleshooter. Release the IP address. Renew the IP address. Flush and reset the DNS client resolver cache.

Here's how to run networking commands in a command prompt: Select the Start button, start typing cmd , right-click Command Prompt in the list, select Run as Administrator , and then select Yes.

Open Status settings. Next, select Show available networks , and if a network you expect to see appears in the list, select it, then select Connect. See if you can use the Wi-Fi to get to websites from a different device. Windows 11 Windows 10 More Try these things to troubleshoot network connection issues in Windows Try turning Wi-Fi on and off. This can solve issues by restarting your connection. Open Status settings Make sure Wi-Fi is on.

Need more help? Hello I am a fellow community member here to help. I know this is very frustrating. Many users have found home networking difficulties since the spring updates. Please let me know if this helps you. Note: This is a non-Microsoft website.

The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP Potentially Unwanted Products.