When diagnosing an inactive Internet connection in Windows 10, have you constantly encountered the error message “WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration”? This happens when your PC cannot protect a working IP (Internet Protocol) address over WiFi. You may also encounter IP-related errors similar to Ethernet.
If restarting your computer doesn’t solve the problem (if it didn’t, try it), the following troubleshooting tips will help you resolve the problem.
Restart Your Router
In most cases, the error “WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” occurs due to random failures on the router side. Solution: restart the router.
First turn off the router. Then wait at least 10 seconds before turning it back on. Once your computer re-establishes the connection to WiFi, check if you can access the Internet without problems.
Reset Wireless Network Adapter
Disabling and then re-enabling the PC’s wireless network adapter is another effective way to solve connection-related problems in Windows 10.
1. Press Windows+R to open the Run box.
2. Type ncpa.cpl and select OK.
3. Once the Network and Sharing Center shows up on the screen, right-click the wireless network adapter and select Disable.
4. Wait up to 10 seconds.
5. Right-click the Wi-Fi adapter again and select Enable.
Related: 4 Best WiFi Boosters to Expand Your Wireless Network
Renew Your PC’s IP Lease
If restarting the router or disabling / re-enabling the wireless network adapter does not solve the problem, you must force your computer to update the IP lease. You can do this by running various commands through Windows PowerShell.
1. Press Windows+X and select Windows PowerShell.
2. Run the commands below one after the other while pressing the Enter key:
- ipconfig /release
- ipconfig /flushdns (optional)
- ipconfig /renew
3. Exit Windows PowerShell.
Reset the TCP/IP Stack
If renewing the IP lease does not help, you need to reset the PC’s TCP/IP stack. This requires running a few commands again, but this time through an elevated Windows PowerShell console.
1. Press Windows+X and select Windows PowerShell (Admin).
2. Run the commands below one after the other while pressing Enter:
- netsh winsock reset catalog
- netsh int ip reset
3. Exit the command prompt console and restart the computer. If the source of the error is a corrupted TCP/IP stack, you should be able to surf the Internet without any problems.
Reinstall the Wireless Network Adapter
If you still receive the “WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” error message, you must uninstall and reinstall the wireless network adapter on your computer. This should exclude the damaged driver from the equation.
1. Press Windows+X and select Device Manager.
2. Expand Network adapters.
3. Right-click your wireless network adapter and select Disable device.
4. Select Yes.
5. Right-click the wireless network adapter again and select Uninstall device.
6. Restart the computer and it should automatically reinstall the wireless network adapter.
Note: If your computer does not detect and install the wireless network card after restarting, please open the Device Manager again, right-click your computer name at the top, and select Scan for hardware changes.
Update the Wireless Network Adapter
If disabling and reinstalling the wireless network adapter does not help, you should update your driver. Windows 10 installs universal drivers by default, but it’s best to get an updated copy from the device manufacturer’s website. Obviously, you must use a device with an active internet connection for this.
After downloading and transferring the driver configuration file, just run it and follow all the instructions on the screen to update the wireless network adapter.
Obtain the IP Address Automatically
Have you configured your PC’s wireless network adapter with custom IP address and DNS settings? If so, you should retrieve them automatically.
1. Press Windows+R to open the Run box. Then, type ncpa.cpl and select OK.
2. Right-click the Wi-Fi adapter and select Properties.
3. Under the Networking tab, double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties.
4. Select the radio buttons next to Obtain an IP address automatically and Obtain DNS server address automatically.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) Properties.
Change the Router’s SSID and Password
Another way to fix the “WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” error is to change the router’s SSID and password. To do this, you need to access the settings of the router.
Note: You need the router’s gateway IP, username and password to access its configuration. You can usually find detailed information on a label somewhere on the router.
1. Enter the gateway IP into a new browser tab—in Chrome, Firefox, or Edge—and press Enter.
2. Log in to the router using the username and password.
3. Sift through the router settings and change the SSID and password. Then, save your changes.
Once this is done, you must update the connection between the PC and the router with the new SSID and password. Don’t forget to update the network on other devices connected to it.
Run the Network Adapter Troubleshooter
Now that you have completed a lot of repairs, it’s time to use the Windows 10 Network Troubleshooter to diagnose your WiFi connection again.
1. Press Windows+X and select Network Connections.
2. Select Network troubleshooter.
3. Select Wi-Fi. Then, select Next and follow the onscreen instructions to resolve any issues.
If you run into the “Wi-Fi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” again, move onto the next fix.
Reset Your PC’s Network Settings
It’s time to reset the PC’s network settings. This should restore every network-related setting to its default value and possibly fix incorrect or damaged settings forever.
1. Press Windows+X and select Network Connections.
2. Select Network reset.
3. Select Reset now.
After resetting the network settings and reconnecting to the WiFi, you may no longer encounter the “WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” error.
The Wi-Fi IP Configuration Is Valid
You can usually restart the router, reset the wireless network adapter or update the IP lease to solve the “WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” error. However, if the problem reappears after a period of time, we recommend that you perform some of the above advanced repairs until it disappears permanently.
Related: WiFi Keeps Disconnecting All The Time? How To Fix It
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