No Internet After a Windows 11 Update? How to Get Back Online

Updated Sources linked 3 min read October 3, 2026 · by Ryan Bennett

After installing a Windows 11 update, your PC shows a connection but no web page will load.

Why: Updates sometimes replace the network adapter driver or leave the network stack (Winsock and TCP/IP) in a corrupted state. The link looks “connected,” but the layers that actually move and translate traffic are broken.

Fix 1: Run the network troubleshooter

Let Windows try the automatic repair first.

Open the Get Help app, type connect to network and internet in the search bar, and select Run network diagnostics.
Let it run its checks and apply any fixes it suggests, then retest your browser.

This often resets a stuck adapter or fixes a misconfigured setting on its own.

Stack/network resets can interrupt the current connection and alter custom networking. Record static IP/DNS, VPN and virtual-switch settings and keep a local recovery route before using them on a managed or remotely accessed PC.

Fix 2: Reset the network stack

This is the targeted fix for update-corrupted networking.

Click Start, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and choose Run as administrator.

Run these in this exact order, pressing Enter after each:

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

Restart the PC. Windows can’t finish rebuilding these layers while they’re in use.

These commands reset the Winsock catalog, restore the TCP/IP stack to defaults, pull a fresh IP from the router, and clear the DNS cache.

Fix 3: Prepare and restore the network adapter driver

Before uninstalling or removing a driver package, download the correct Wi-Fi/Ethernet driver for your exact PC/adapter and Windows version from its manufacturer’s site. Save the installer locally or on a USB drive. If this PC cannot connect, download it on another device and transfer it by USB. Know how to run that installer offline.

In Device Manager → Network adapters, open the affected adapter’s Properties → Driver. If the issue began after a driver update and Roll Back Driver is available, try that first.
If reinstalling is necessary, choose Uninstall device. Initially leave Attempt to remove the driver for this device unticked unless a package replacement is specifically needed and the offline installer is ready.
Save work and restart. Windows may reinstall an available driver, but that is not guaranteed. If networking is still unavailable or the device has no driver, install the saved manufacturer package and restart as required.

Avoid removing your only working network driver’s package without a tested recovery route.

Fix 4: Set a public DNS, or do a full network reset

If the connection looks fine but pages still won’t load, the DNS resolver may have broken in the update.

Go to Settings > Network & internet, open Wi-Fi (then your network) or Ethernet.
Next to DNS server assignment, click Edit, choose Manual, turn on IPv4, and set Preferred DNS 8.8.8.8 / Alternate DNS 8.8.4.4 (Google) or 1.1.1.1 / 1.0.0.1 (Cloudflare). Click Save.

Still offline? As a last resort go to Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Network reset, click Reset now, then Yes. This wipes all adapters and settings to default and restarts the PC — you’ll re-enter Wi-Fi passwords afterward.

FAQ

Other devices on the same network are fine. That points toward this PC or its particular connection/settings; it does not prove the update caused it or rule out all network conditions. Compare the adapter driver and configuration before choosing a reset or rollback.

Can I just roll back the update? You can, but resetting the network stack (Fix 2) or reinstalling the driver (Fix 3) usually fixes it without giving up the update’s other changes.

Network reset warns about reinstalling software. Correct — after a network reset you may need to set up VPN client software or Hyper-V virtual switches again and re-enter saved Wi-Fi passwords.

Sources: Microsoft Support — Backup a network driver before uninstalling, Microsoft — Fix Wi-Fi connection issues in Windows · Microsoft — Fix Ethernet connection problems in Windows