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Understand connections and work through common network problems.
Search this topicSelect the Network, Sound, and Battery area on the taskbar, then expand the Wi-Fi control to see available networks. Choose the network you recognize, select Connect, and enter its password when asked. If the list is empty, confirm Wi-Fi is turned on and refresh the network list. Use the network name and password supplied by its owner; nearby networks with similar names may belong to someone else.
Open Settings, Network & internet, and the connected network’s Properties. Next to Wi-Fi network password, select Show. To check a different saved network, open Wi-Fi, Manage known networks, select that network, and use Show beside its password. This lets you retrieve credentials Windows already has rather than changing the router’s password. Share them only with people you want to allow onto that network.
A Wi-Fi connection can reach the router while the router itself has no internet access. Try another website and another device on the same network to narrow down the problem. In Windows, check that Wi-Fi is enabled and airplane mode is off, then run the Network and Internet troubleshooter in Get Help. If several devices fail, restart the network equipment and check with your internet provider for an outage.
Unplug the router’s power cable and the modem’s power cable, then wait at least 30 seconds. Reconnect the modem first and wait for its status lights to settle. Reconnect the router and wait a few minutes before testing the connection. A combined modem-router needs only its own power cycle. This briefly disconnects everyone using the network; restarting through power is different from pressing a factory-reset button.
On the iPhone, open Settings, Personal Hotspot, or look under Cellular, then turn on Allow Others to Join. Check the Wi-Fi password shown there. On the laptop, select the iPhone’s name from the Wi-Fi network list and enter that password. Your carrier and plan must support Personal Hotspot, and usage can count toward mobile data limits or charges. Turn sharing off when you no longer need it.
Open Settings, Network & internet, Hotspot & tethering, then Wi-Fi hotspot. Check the hotspot’s name and password and turn it on. On the other device, choose that network and enter its password. If Wi-Fi tethering is unavailable, check whether Data Saver needs to be turned off. Carrier restrictions or extra charges can apply, and connected devices use the phone’s mobile connection. Turn the hotspot off after use.
Open Settings, Wi-Fi and tap the hotel’s network, then wait for its login screen. If it does not appear, tap the network’s information button and choose Join Network. Enter the credentials or accept the terms supplied by the hotel. Some networks require payment or a room-specific login. Canceling the login can disconnect you from that network, so complete the sign-in before testing a website.
Open Settings, Wi-Fi, tap the information button beside the network, and turn off Auto-Join. This keeps the saved credentials while letting you decide when to connect. If you want to remove the saved network entirely, choose Forget This Network and confirm instead. Forgetting removes its saved password, so you will need the credentials to reconnect. With iCloud Keychain, the forgotten network can also be removed from other connected Apple devices.
On a computer, open Chrome’s three-dot menu and choose Delete browsing data. Select a time range, then select Cached images and files. Review the other checkboxes and leave browsing history, cookies, and other categories unselected if you want to keep them. Confirm the deletion, then reload the affected website. Cached files may be downloaded again, so a page can initially load more slowly afterward.
Open Chrome’s three-dot menu and use the plus or minus controls beside Zoom. On a computer, keyboard shortcuts also work: Control and plus or minus on Windows, or Command and plus or minus on Mac. To set a usual size across websites, open Settings, Appearance, then Page zoom. Changing only font size may not affect every website, so page zoom is useful when the whole page is hard to read.
Press Control, Shift, and T on Windows or Linux, or Command, Shift, and T on a Mac. Chrome reopens a recently closed tab, and repeating the shortcut brings back earlier closed tabs in the order they were closed. Use it soon after the mistake so the tab is easy to identify. The shortcut restores closed tabs; it does not guarantee recovery of unsaved information you had entered on a page.
On a computer, right-click the tab and choose Pin. Chrome moves it into the pinned area and displays a smaller tab showing the site’s icon. This is useful for keeping a few frequently used pages easy to find while other tabs accumulate. To return it to a normal tab, right-click it and choose Unpin. You can also drag tabs to arrange their order.
Use WPA3 Personal when your devices support it, or WPA2/WPA3 Transitional to accommodate older equipment. If necessary, use WPA2 Personal with AES rather than obsolete WEP or TKIP modes. Keep a strong password and updated firmware. Check compatibility before changing the setting, since some devices may need to forget and rejoin the network.
Not automatically. Apple recommends 20 MHz on 2.4 GHz to reduce interference and reliability problems, particularly around neighboring networks and Bluetooth devices. A wider setting can occupy more crowded spectrum. Start with automatic channel selection and compare real performance instead of assuming a larger width always makes the connection faster.
Try an open, raised location near the center of the area you actually use, while keeping its modem connection practical. Avoid hiding it behind furniture, inside a cabinet, or on the floor. Walls, metal, appliances, and even an aquarium can weaken the path. Test the important rooms after each placement change.
Place it partway toward the weak area, where it can still communicate well with another point or the main router. A node stranded beyond reliable coverage has little useful signal to relay. Keep it exposed and raised, then run the mesh system’s connection test and adjust its position before adding more equipment.
In the Google Home app, open Home, then Wifi, Points, and Test mesh. This measures links between the main router and additional points, not just your phone’s signal. If a point rates poorly, move it closer or clear obstacles and repeat. The test is available when the network has multiple mesh devices.
The phone may have a good connection to that nearby point while the point itself has a weak link back to the main router. Check the mesh connection separately. Moving the point closer to another node can improve that link, even if it means the point is farther from your phone.
Both ends of the connection matter. An older adapter may support fewer Wi-Fi capabilities, and devices may connect on different bands or have different signal conditions. Compare them near the same router with other transfers paused. A new router cannot give an old client radio features that its hardware does not support.
Test the same device close to the router in an open path, then in the problem room under similar conditions. A large difference points toward local coverage or interference rather than proving the internet plan is too slow. Try repositioning the router or mesh point before deciding that a service upgrade will solve it.
Open Google Home, select Home, Wifi, then Network Preference and Run speed test. This checks download and upload at the main router, so it can help separate the internet connection from a weak wireless link to one device. Compare it with a device test, and note the test conditions.
Upload measures data leaving your home, including video-call camera feeds, cloud backups, and files you send. Download measures incoming data. A plan can provide very different rates in each direction. Check both when troubleshooting calls or backups rather than using the headline download number as a description of every task.
Each test is a snapshot using a particular server, path, device, and moment. Network congestion and other traffic can change the result. Repeat under comparable conditions and look for a pattern, including different times of day. One unusually good or bad measurement is not a dependable description of every website or future connection.
Source checks for these answers: September 21, 2026 – September 22, 2026. Product instructions and local requirements can vary.