How to Fix Ethernet Not Working in Windows 11

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Ankit Kumar
Windows 11NetworkFixTroubleshooting

The Problem

You plug in a Cat5e or Cat6 cable and Windows shows Unidentified network, No internet, or the port behaves as if nothing is connected—while Wi-Fi works fine. Wired should be the most reliable connection you have. When it is not, the cause is usually the physical link, a disabled adapter, the driver, or DHCP.

Wi-Fi problems instead? See can't connect to this network, No Internet, secured, or slow Wi-Fi speeds.

Step 1: Read the Link Lights

The two small LEDs beside the RJ45 port answer the first question before you touch Windows.

  • No lights at all → there is no electrical link. The problem is the cable, the port, or the adapter—not Windows. Nothing in Settings will help.
  • Lights on but no internet → the link is up and the fault is in Windows or the network configuration. Skip to Step 3.

With no lights:

  1. Push the plug in until the latch clicks audibly at both ends.
  2. Try a different, known-good cable. Cables fail more often than anything else here, and a damaged one can still look perfect.
  3. Try a different LAN port on the router or switch.
  4. Test the cable and port with another device.
  5. For a USB Ethernet adapter, plug it directly into the PC, not a hub.

Step 2: Check the Negotiated Speed

Open Settings → Network & internet → Ethernet and look at Link speed.

A gigabit connection showing 100/100 (Mbps) means only two of the four cable pairs are working—almost always a damaged cable or a badly crimped connector. Replace the cable. This is worth checking even when everything "works", because it silently caps your throughput.

Step 3: Enable the Adapter

  1. Win + R → ncpa.cpl.
  2. If Ethernet is greyed out, right-click → Enable.
  3. If there is no Ethernet entry at all, the driver is missing—go to Step 6.

Step 4: Check the IP Configuration

ipconfig /all
  • 169.254.x.x → DHCP never answered. Restart the router; if other devices work, the port or the cable is at fault.
  • A normal 192.168.x.x address with a gateway → the connection is fine and the problem is DNS. See DNS server not responding.
  • A static address left over from another network → set it back to automatic in Step 5.

Step 5: Reset the Stack and DHCP

In Terminal (Admin):

netsh winsock reset

netsh int ip reset

ipconfig /release

ipconfig /renew

ipconfig /flushdns

Restart the PC—netsh winsock reset does not apply until you do.

Then confirm DHCP: ncpa.cpl → Ethernet → Properties → Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) → Properties → Obtain an IP address automatically and Obtain DNS server address automatically, unless your workplace issued a static address.

Step 6: Reinstall the Driver

  1. Device Manager → Network adapters → find the Realtek, Intel, or Killer Ethernet device.
  2. Right-click → Uninstall device, then restart.
  3. If Windows does not restore it, install the driver from the motherboard or laptop maker's support page. Download it on another device first, since you have no wired connection to fetch it with.
  4. Avoid generic driver-updater bundles—for network hardware they routinely install a mismatched package.

Realtek adapters in particular often work better with the vendor's own driver than the one Windows Update supplies.

Step 7: Turn Off Power Saving and Green Ethernet

Two settings that cause a link to drop after sleep or under load.

  1. Device Manager → the Ethernet adapter → Properties → Power Management → untick Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.
  2. Advanced tab → set Energy Efficient Ethernet and Green Ethernet to Disabled if present.
  3. On the same tab, if the link is unstable, try setting Speed & Duplex to a fixed 1.0 Gbps Full Duplex rather than Auto Negotiation—occasionally a switch and adapter fail to agree.

Step 8: Remove Virtual Adapter Interference

VPN clients, VirtualBox, VMware, and Hyper-V all add virtual adapters that can capture routes.

  1. ncpa.cpl → disable any TAP, VPN, or virtual adapters you are not using.
  2. Disconnect any VPN and test.
  3. Check the routing table for leftovers:
route print

Step 9: Network Reset

Settings → Network & internet → Advanced network settings → Network reset → Reset now.

This removes and reinstalls every adapter. You will need to rejoin Wi-Fi networks and reinstall VPN clients afterwards.

Still Dead?

  • No link lights with three different cables and two ports → the onboard network chip has failed. A USB Ethernet adapter costs very little and works immediately; it is a perfectly reasonable permanent solution.
  • Works on another network but not yours → the router port, a VLAN configuration, or the ISP's equipment. Call the ISP and quote the link-light status.
  • Everything worked until a Windows update → roll it back: fix Windows 11 after a bad update.

Related: fix high ping and packet loss and speed up a slow internet connection.

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