One of the most common problems of Windows 10 in terms of connectivity occurs when the dreaded and irritating message of "It is not possible to connect to this network". When these occur, it is impossible to surf the internet, download programs or perform any other action online.
The truth is that when we find ourselves in such a situation, it is easy to end up losing patience trying to solve the error. That is why we have prepared this post, in which we are going to see some ways to solve such an annoying question.
First of all, it should be noted that this is not a problem exclusive to Windows 10, since it also occurs quite frequently in previous versions. In principle, if the drivers for the Ethernet card are correctly installed, there should be no obstacle to connecting via cable to the network. Another different issue is WiFi connection. This is where the error most often occurs.
The most frustrating thing about the "cannot connect to this network" message is that the operating system does not give us no clue about the source or cause of the error. Nor does it tell us the exact point at which the connection has been interrupted. Nothing. Just the message, repeated over and over again, with each attempt we make to establish the connection.
In this situation, it is difficult to know what to do or where to start to fix the mismatch. Especially if we take into account that there are many and varied causes for which this failure can occur. We find ourselves lost.
To shed some light on the matter, we are going to review the most common cases and the solution for each of them. Keep in mind that the information that follows is equally valid for both Windows 10 and the Windows 10 Pro version.
Preliminary checks
The first step: check your router and computer connections
It may seem obvious, even ridiculous, but The first thing to do When we find the message of "cannot connect to this network" in Windows 10, it is to rule out the most obvious and common errors:
Check the Wi-Fi key
Surely you are thinking that it is silly, but it is necessary to go in order and discard this point before trying other solutions.
If the password is memorized in our equipment, it is practically impossible for this to be the cause of the connection failure. On the other hand, if it is the first time that we use the network in question or if we are connecting to it from a new device, make a mistake when entering the key or password it is a fairly frequent situation. We are all human and as such we are much more wrong than we are willing to admit.
Turn on and turn off
If the key is not the problem, you have to do something as simple as disconnect and reconnect all devices of the network (the router, the PLCs or the access points, the computer or device from which we try to connect, etc.). It is the famous "off and on" method that is so widely used in computing.
In many cases this simple procedure is used so that the connection is reconfigured automatically and works again without any problem.
Check connection on other devices
If this does not work, we will proceed to usar another computer device or equipment with which to verify that the Wi-Fi network works correctly. If we see that the incident occurs on other devices, we will have identified the source of the failure. In that case, you must contact the company that provides internet service. If not, it will be necessary to continue trying by other means.
Update drivers
Update drivers to fix internet connection problems
Once the preliminary checks explained in the previous section have been carried out, the next step we can try is update drivers network card or Wi-Fi card.
Under normal circumstances, it is very quick and easy to perform this operation using Windows Update: just go to "Windows Settings", click on the start menu button, then on the options button and finally access the gear-shaped icon. There you have to look for the "Update and security" section where all the options related to system updates are housed. But this is not going to help us without an Internet connection.
Then, How to do this without being connected to the network? In this case, there will be no choice but to search for the updates from another computer that does have a connection, copy them from the card manufacturer's website to a USB and install them on our computer through the device manager.
If this does not work, you will have to download network device driver from the official website of the manufacturer. Once downloaded, it is installed and the computer restarts to verify that the connection is available again.
Clear network settings
One way to fix the root problem: clear network settings and reconfigure them
Another option to solve the problem and eliminate once and for all the message of "it is not possible to connect to this network" is to try changing the router's Wi-Fi settings. You can for example select another channel temporarily. It's worth a try before trying other solutions. If it doesn't work either, keep reading.
At this point and without having found the correct formula to solve the question, it is necessary to try a more drastic solution: reset all Windows 10 network settings. To carry out this process, these are the five steps to follow:
- Access the menu "System configuration".
- In section "Network and Internet" click in the menu the option «Wi-Fi». Next, the list of all nearby Wi-Fi networks detected by the equipment will be displayed.
- At the end of the list we will find the button "Manage Wi-Fi settings." Clicking on it will open a new window with a series of settings related to the wireless connectivity of the computer.
- Select the option "Manage known networks", which opens a list of all the networks to which the PC has been connected at some point.
- Finally, you have to choose the network with which you have connection problems and click on the button "Stop remembering."
This procedure will automatically erase all network parameters in Windows 10. Our computer will "stop remembering" everything that concerns this particular network. Everything will be erased, also the possible problems that could exist in the configuration of our local network.
Then there is nothing left but start from scratch. Clean and clean. As if it were the first time we connected to this wireless network. That is, you have to start the connection again manually, entering the password again. This in almost all cases should be the ultimate solution to the problem.
Use the Windows "troubleshoot" tool
Windows 10 troubleshooter can be very helpful in troubleshooting network connection errors
After trying all this, does the problem still persist? Does the 'can't connect to this network' message keep popping up stubbornly? Nothing happens, there is still one last resort: the Windows 10 troubleshooters.
It must be said that this set of tools offers valuable help, although they will not always help us to solve the problem that affects us. In any case, they are very useful to identify the cause of the error and provide us with a lot of information that can give us the odd clue to know how to act.
How do you access Windows 10 troubleshooters? We explain it to you below:
- First of all, you have to open the menu "Windows 10 Settings".
- Then you have to access the section of "Update and Security".
- Finally, you must select the menu "Solve problems".
Once in this menu, you have to try your luck with the tools that are made available to the user and that could be better adapted to the problem at hand: the impossibility of connecting to a wireless network. For example, you can try "Internet Connections", "Incoming Connections" or "Network Adapter".
You have to select one of them and let it act. While the Insights A "detecting problems" message appears on the screen. After a few minutes, the result will appear. If this is negative, a box will be displayed with the following message: "The problem could not be identified", below which a link will appear where we can write our own comments about the solver.
But don't be discouraged if it doesn't work out the first time. It is likely that some of these tools hide the solution to be able to connect to the Internet again without problems. When the problem solver has finished his task, it is necessary Restart the system.