Wi-Fi Doesn't Have a Valid IP Configuration: How to Fix It

What Does "Doesn't Have a Valid IP Configuration" Mean?

Windows shows this when its network troubleshooter finds that your Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter has no usable IP address. Without one, nothing on the internet can reach your PC, so you are connected to the network but can't get online.

On a home network your router hands out addresses using DHCP. When the router doesn't answer, Windows doesn't wait forever. Microsoft explains that "a Windows computer can assign itself an Internet Protocol (IP) address in the event that a DHCP server is not available or does not exist on the network". That feature is Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA), and the address it picks is always in 169.254.0.0 to 169.254.255.255. (Microsoft)

A 169.254 address is a sign, not the fault: it tells you the router never gave your PC an address.

Check Your Address in 10 Seconds

Open Command Prompt (search for cmd) and run:

ipconfig

Our Subnet Calculator explains any address you see, including which special range it belongs to.

Is It the Router or This PC?

Microsoft's own troubleshooting includes this test: "try to connect to the same network on a different device".

If other devices also can't get online, the router (or the internet connection behind it) is the problem: restart it first. To look at its DHCP settings, log in to it: our Router Login finds its address and the default login for your model.

If only this PC fails, the problem is on the PC: its adapter, driver or network settings. Work through the fixes below.

How to Fix It, in Microsoft's Order

These follow Microsoft's own steps for Wi-Fi problems in Windows 11 and 10. Check after each one.

1. Restart your modem and routerUnplug them, wait, and plug them back in. Microsoft: "This helps create a new connection to your Internet service provider (ISP)." Everyone on the network is disconnected for a moment.
2. Forget and reconnect to the Wi-Fi networkSelect Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi > Manage known networks, select your network and Forget, then reconnect with the password.
3. Run the network reset commandsOpen Command Prompt as administrator and run Microsoft's commands in this order (below). They reset the network stack and ask the router for a fresh address.
4. Turn off power saving for the Wi-Fi adapterIn Device Manager, expand Network adapters, right-click your Wi-Fi adapter, choose Properties, open the Power Management tab and uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.
5. Reinstall the network adapter driverKeep a copy of the driver from the PC maker's site first. Then uninstall the adapter in Device Manager and restart: Microsoft says "Windows will automatically install the latest driver."
6. Use Network reset, lastSettings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Network reset (Windows 11). Microsoft: "Using network reset should be the last step you try".

netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
ipconfig /flushdns

"Ethernet Doesn't Have a Valid IP Configuration"

The Ethernet version means exactly the same thing: the wired adapter got no address from the router. The same ipconfig check and fixes apply, with Wi-Fi's "forget the network" step replaced by the cable:

Try another cable and another port on the router. If the adapter shows "Media disconnected" in ipconfig, Windows doesn't see a working link at all, which points at the cable, the port or the adapter rather than DHCP.

Older versions of Windows call the wired adapter Local Area Connection, so "Local Area Connection doesn't have a valid IP configuration" is the same error.

Why It Keeps Coming Back

If the fixes work but the error returns, look at what changes over time:

• The router's DHCP stalls again: update its firmware, and if it keeps happening, the router may need replacing.
• Power saving turns the Wi-Fi adapter off and it doesn't come back cleanly: keep it switched off for that adapter (step 4).
• A fixed (static) IP address set on the PC that doesn't match the network: set the adapter's IP assignment back to automatic (DHCP).
• VPN or security software that adds its own network adapter: update or reinstall it after a network reset.