A laptop that drops Wi-Fi every few minutes is one of the most frustrating problems in everyday computing. The good news is that most cases come down to one of three culprits: a power-saving setting that shuts off your wireless adapter, an outdated or glitchy driver, or a router configuration issue. Work through these fixes in order.

1. Stop Windows from Powering Down Your Wi-Fi Adapter

Windows sometimes turns off your wireless adapter to save battery — and then forgets to turn it back on properly.

  1. Right-click the Start button and choose Device Manager.
  2. Expand Network adapters and double-click your Wi-Fi adapter (it usually contains the word “Wireless” or “Wi-Fi”).
  3. Click the Power Management tab.
  4. Uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.
  5. Click OK.

2. Update or Reinstall the Wi-Fi Driver

Drivers go stale, especially after a Windows update.

  1. In Device Manager, right-click your Wi-Fi adapter and choose Update driver.
  2. Select Search automatically for drivers and let Windows look.
  3. If that finds nothing, visit your laptop manufacturer’s support site and download the latest wireless driver for your exact model.

3. Set Your Wi-Fi Adapter to Maximum Performance

  1. Open Control Panel and go to Power Options.
  2. Click Change plan settings next to your active plan, then Change advanced power settings.
  3. Expand Wireless Adapter Settings → Power Saving Mode.
  4. Set it to Maximum Performance.
  5. Click OK and restart your laptop.

4. Forget and Reconnect to the Network

Sometimes a corrupted saved network profile causes repeated drops. Click the Wi-Fi icon in the taskbar, right-click your network name, choose Forget, then reconnect from scratch by entering your password again.

5. Check Your Router

If other devices also drop off occasionally, the problem may be the router itself. Try moving your laptop closer, then restart the router (unplug it for 30 seconds). If drops only happen on your laptop, the adapter is the likely cause. If they happen on every device, ask us — it may be an ISP or router firmware issue.