Prevent your PC from automatically joining a wireless network.
Connecting to an open Wi-Fi network can put your device and data at risk because that network may not be encrypted. If your device often connects to multiple Wi-Fi networks that you don’t plan to use, you need to prevent Windows 10 from automatically connecting to a Wi-Fi network.
Here are four ways to prevent your PC from joining a Wi-Fi network.
Uncheck Connect automatically
The easiest and fastest way to stop Windows 10 from automatically connecting to a Wi-Fi network is to click the Wi-Fi icon in the taskbar, select the network name and uncheck Connect automatically.
Sometimes Windows 10 will check this box for you and connect your device to the Wi-Fi network when it is in range. To solve it, try one of the solutions that we have listed below.
If the Wi-Fi network is password protected, just forget this network on your PC and it will not connect to it automatically.
Using the control panel
Follow these steps to manage Wi-Fi networks through Control Panel:
-
In the Start menu search bar, search for Control Panel and select the Best match.
-
Head toward Network and Internet> Network and Sharing Center.
-
Click it Change adaptation parameters option in the left menu.
-
Open the Wireless connection you are currently using.
-
Select the Wireless properties button.
-
In the Link tab, uncheck Automatically connect when this network is in range.
Use settings
-
Click on Start, then head to Settings> Network and Internet.
-
From the left pane menu, select Wireless.
-
Click on the Wi-Fi connection you are currently using.
-
Disable the toggle below Automatically connect when you’re in range.
Using the Command Prompt
-
In the Start menu search bar, type Command Prompt and select the Best match.
-
Type netsh wlan show profile and press Enter. This will show you information about the saved network profiles.
-
To prevent Windows 10 from automatically connecting to any of these networks, type netsh wlan set profileparameter name = profile name connection mode = manual.
-
hurry Enter.
To note: If you want to undo the changes, use the type netsh wlan set profileparameter name = profile name connection mode = auto order.
Prevention is better than cure
Automatically connecting your Windows 10 computer to a Wi-Fi network can save you time because you will quickly receive notifications about emails, news, or messages from your colleagues. However, this feature can connect you to an unreliable or dangerous network.
To protect your data and device, you can use any of the four methods described in this article.
Read more
About the Author
