Are you facing the “Wi-Fi doesn’t have valid IP configuration” error on your Windows 10 machine? This error happens when there is something wrong with the way your WiFi is set up. In order to fix this, you need to do a few things that are listed in this tutorial. We have a bunch of solutions for you to eliminate this error and while it is easy to eliminate, it can be frustrating since the internet is something that we use every day.
Let’s get started with the solutions and you may have to try these one by one and see if the error fixed or not.
Windows 10 – Wi-Fi-Doesn’t have Valid IP Configuration, How to Fix?
Change wireless channel width.
Forget WIFI connection and reconfigure.
Change Network SSID and password
Solution #1: Reset your TCP/IP – For people with dynamic IP addresses
If you have an internet connection that provides a dynamic IP address every time you use it, this solution might work for you. We will follow the steps listed below and basically reset and get a new IP address for our connection. This will rule out the error in case the error is showing up due to a bad IP. Follow the steps given below.
- Open your Windows 10 start menu and type “cmd”. Right click on Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator.
- The Command Prompt will be started in administrator mode and now enter the following commands one by one.
- netsh winsock reset
- netsh int ip reset
This will reset your computer’s IP address and the error should finally go away now. You can also try these commands one by one and they might help as well.
- ipconfig /release
- ipconfig /flushdns
- ipconfig /renew
After all these commands have been entered, you should restart your PC and you will notice that the error has gone away. If this didn’t work for you, move on to the next solution.
Solution #2: Change your wireless channel width
We will change the channel width which is by default set to 2.4GHz to Auto and this will eliminate the issue if this error is being caused due to a channel width issue. To change your channel width, follow the steps below.
- Open the Control Panel and then move to Network and Sharing Center.
- You will notice the network that your computer is connected to right now. Click on the name of the network. It will show up like the following image.
- Click on the connection name and it will open up a new window named “WiFi Status”.
- In this window, click on Properties and then in the new window that just opened, click on Configure.
- Find 802.11n Channel Width and change it from 2.4 to Auto.
- After all is done, click OK and restart your computer.
If this error was showing up due to the channel width issue, it should be solved. If not, we have another solution that you can try.
Solution #3: Reset the number of DHCP users
A lot of times this error comes up when a router has to serve to a lot of DHCP users. In this case, the router isn’t able to assign IP addresses to these devices properly and to fix this, you can reset the number of DHCP users to remove the ones that aren’t using the network.
You can also choose to increase the number of users that can connect to your network to make it less crowded and to make it easier for your router to assign IP addresses. Different routers have different settings for this and a simple look at your router’s manual will tell you how to perform these tweaks.
Solution #4: Assign IP address for your computer manually
As mentioned above, if the router is having a hard time assigning IP addresses to devices, it can result in the error. To counter this, you can assign IP address for your computer manually by following the steps given below.
- Open the Control Panel and then head over to the Network and Sharing Center.
- Now click on your network’s name and click on the Properties button in the WiFi Status window that opens up.
- Look for the option that says “Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)” and then once again, click on the Properties button.
- A new window will open up which will look something like this:
- Now choose “Use the following IP address” option and set the IP address, Subnet mask, Default gateway as provided by your ISP.
- You can choose to use another DNS server but it is completely your choice. We suggest you to use the DNS server provided by your ISP.
After you have set everything up properly, click the OK button and exit. Restart your computer once and the error should now go away.
Solution #5: Forget the WiFi connection & Reconnect
This is something that you should do only if nothing else or any of the solutions mentioned above are not working. Follow the steps listed below.
- Click on the WiFi icon on your task bar and it will open up the WiFi networks available near you.
- Right click on the connection you are connected to and you will see three options.
- Click on the Forget option and Windows 10 will deregister the network from the saved list of networks.
- Now try to reconnect to the network by clicking on the Connect button and enter your network’s password.
- The error should now go away and if it doesn’t move to the next solution.
Solution #6: Change your network’s SSID and password
Changing your network’s SSID means changing its name and the password you use to log in to the network. To do this, you need access to your router’s admin console usually accessible at 192.168.2.1 or 192.168.1.1 ip address or check your router’s manual or sticker below your router as shown below.
Find the details and log in to your router’s admin console. Move on to change your network’s name and password. Save the settings and the router will reboot to show the new network name. You can connect to the network by clicking Connect on this network’s name and entering your password.
If all else fails, it’s your ISP’s fault
Sometimes it can be as simple as a fault from your ISP’s end which only they can fix. If you have tried everything listed above and still struggling with this error, you can easily contact your ISP’s customer support and submit a ticket with them to fix this. These were a bunch a solutions that might help you in getting rid of the “Wi-Fi doesn’t have valid IP configuration” error.
