How to Fix WiFi Doesn't Have a Valid IP Configuration [SOLVED]

WiFi can be a convenient technology, especially for devices that are mobile such as laptops, phones and tablets. It can also bring a handful of challenges. For example, sometimes trying to connect to a wireless network will fail. You go through the usual troubleshooting steps that most of us will look at initially, such as checking your password to make sure it's correct, making sure that your wireless adapter is enabled, and other basic steps.

However, if you still have trouble connecting, Windows does have a built-in network troubleshooter that can help find and resolve issues.

This network troubleshooter is accessed by right-clicking on the network icon in the lower-right corner of your taskbar:

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And then selecting "Troubleshoot problems":

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A troubleshooting wizard will open and try to detect the issue, then offer suggestions on how to resolve it. However, sometimes the result you get is an error message that reads "WiFi doesn't have a valid IP configuration":

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Unfortunately the troubleshooter wizard does not offer any solutions to this error. There are a few things that you can try, however, to fix this issue on your own and get connected to your wireless network:

Method 1: Release and Renew IP Address

Releasing and renewing your IP address will allow Windows to attempt to "refresh" its IP address by "releasing" its current IP address and requesting a new one from the DHCP server (a server that is responsible for issuing IP addresses - on a home network, a modem or router typically does this).

  1. Open an Administrator Command Prompt by typing "cmd" into the Search box next to the Start menu. Then right-click on "Command Prompt" in the results at the top and select "Run as administrator":

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  3. Say "Yes" to the User Account Control prompt:

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  5. Type "ipconfig /release" at the prompt, and wait for it to complete the request and return to the prompt:

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  7. Type "ipconfig /renew" at the prompt, and once the request has completed go ahead and try the wireless connection again:

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Method 2: Reset TCP/IP

Sometimes resetting your TCP/IP protocol settings can solve issues with connecting to the internet or wireless networks. TCP/IP is the internet protocol that is used to transmit data across the internet. To manually reset TCP/IP on your PC, follow these steps:

  1. Open an Administrator Command Prompt by typing "cmd" into the Search box next to the Start menu. Then right-click on "Command Prompt" in the results at the top and select "Run as administrator":

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  3. Say "Yes" to the User Account Control prompt:

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  5. At the prompt, type "netsh winsock reset" and press enter:

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  7. At the next prompt, type "netsh int ip reset" and press enter:

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  9. Reboot your PC and try the wireless connection again to see if your issue is resolved.

Method 3: Uninstall WiFi Adapter

The next method to try is to uninstall your WiFi adapter. This might sound drastic, but upon rebooting, Windows should detect the adapter and install the necessary drivers for it to work again. Follow these steps to remove and reinstall the WiFi adapter on your PC:

  1. Open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting Device Manager:

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    Some older versions of Windows 10 may not have the Device Manager option available when right-clicking the Start menu. If that is what you find in your case, simply type "Device Manager" in the Search box and it will be displayed.

  3. Locate your wireless adapter, which should be located under the "Network adapters" section:

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  5. Right-click the WiFi adapter, and select "Uninstall device":

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  7. Click on the "Uninstall" button when the dialog box appears:

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  9. This will remove the device drivers from your PC. You'll need to reboot now and once you do, Windows should detect the device and reinstall the drivers so that you have a functioning WiFi adapter. Depending on the device, you may need to check the manufacturer's website just to be sure you have the latest drivers available for that particular device.

  10. Now try connecting again to the wireless network and see if this solves your issue.

Method 4: Update WiFi Adapter Drivers

  1. Open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting Device Manager:

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    Some older versions of Windows 10 may not have the Device Manager option available when right-clicking the Start menu. If that is what you find in your case, simply type "Device Manager" in the Search box and it will be displayed.

  3. Locate your wireless adapter, which should be located under the "Network adapters" section:

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  5. Right-click the WiFi adapter, and select "Update driver":

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  7. On the next screen that you see, you will be given the option of searching automatically for new drivers, or you can choose to browse to a specific location if you have the drivers that you know you need (if you have a disk or have downloaded the drivers from the internet, for example):

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  9. Pick the option that best applies in your situation. If you have drivers on a disk, or if you have downloaded drivers from the manufacturer or from DriverGuide, you can select "Browse my computer for driver software" and point to the location of the driver files. If you do not have the drivers, then you can select "Search automatically for updated driver software", and Windows will search online for the best drivers.

  10. After the drivers have been updated, try the wireless connection again and see if you can connect.

Hopefully by going through the methods above, at least one of them will help to resolve your issue of connecting to a wireless network. It may even take a combination of multiple methods to solve your issue, but these are some of the more common resolutions for the "WiFi doesn't have a valid IP configuration" error.

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