Windows Network Troubleshooter Not Working: How to Fix It

Quick Answer: If the Windows Network Troubleshooter won’t open, freezes, closes immediately, or runs without actually fixing anything, the cause is almost always one of three things: the Diagnostic Policy Service isn’t running, a corrupted network adapter driver, or damaged Windows networking components (Winsock or TCP/IP stack). Restarting the Diagnostic Policy Service, then working through a manual reset using netsh and ipconfig commands, resolves the vast majority of cases. And importantly, a broken troubleshooter doesn’t mean your actual network problem can’t be fixed.

The troubleshooter is just one tool. Everything it does can also be done manually, and this guide walks through both the troubleshooter-specific fixes and the manual fallback path.

Why the Network Troubleshooter Fails in the First Place

The Network Troubleshooter isn’t magic. It’s a small diagnostic program that depends on other Windows services to actually inspect your network stack. When one of those underlying pieces breaks, the troubleshooter itself breaks along with it. The most common root causes are:

• The Diagnostic Policy Service (DPS) is stopped or disabled. This Windows service is what actually powers network diagnostics; without it running, the troubleshooter has nothing to talk to.
• A corrupted or outdated network adapter driver. If the driver itself is misbehaving, the troubleshooter often can’t even gather accurate information to diagnose against.
• Damaged Winsock or TCP/IP components. These are the underlying Windows networking libraries; corruption here can cause the troubleshooter to hang, crash, or report a generic “unexpected error.”
• A recent Windows update. Diagnostics-breaking regressions after cumulative updates aren’t uncommon. This has happened before and gets fixed in later patches, but not always immediately.
• Missing file associations or a corrupted Troubleshooting platform, which shows up as errors like “This file does not have an app associated with it for performing this action.”

How to Open the Network Troubleshooter (Two Ways)

If the troubleshooter won’t launch from your usual spot, try the alternate path first. Windows actually exposes it in two different places, and one sometimes works when the other doesn’t.

Method 1 – via Settings:

1. Press Windows key + I to open Settings.
2. Go to System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters (Windows 11) or Network & Internet > Status > Network troubleshooter (Windows 10).
3. Select Run next to Network and Internet, or Internet Connections.

Method 2 – via the Get Help app:

1. Open the Get Help app from the Start menu.
2. Search for “network” and choose the Network and Internet troubleshooter.
3. This version can run diagnostic tests and restart the adapter even in some cases where the classic Settings-based troubleshooter fails outright.

If both methods fail to even open, skip ahead to the Diagnostic Policy Service fix below. That’s the most common blocker.

Fix 1: Restart the Diagnostic Policy Service

This is the single most common fix and should be your first stop.

1. Press the Windows key + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
2. Scroll down and find Diagnostic Policy Service.
3. Right-click it and select Properties.
4. Set Startup type to Automatic.
5. Click Start if the service isn’t already running, then click Apply and OK.
6. Try running the Network Troubleshooter again.

If the service refuses to start or immediately stops again, the underlying issue is often a permissions problem. Fix it from an elevated Command Prompt:

1. Search for Command Prompt, right-click it, and choose Run as administrator.
2. Run these two commands, pressing Enter after each: net localgroup Administrators /add networkservicenet localgroup Administrators /add localservice
3. Restart your PC and check whether the Diagnostic Policy Service starts normally.

Fix 2: Reinstall or Update the Network Adapter Driver

A corrupted driver can prevent the troubleshooter from gathering accurate information about your connection, which is a common reason it reports vague or unhelpful results, or fails to load at all.

1. Right-click Start and open Device Manager.
2. Expand Network adapters.
3. Right-click your Wi-Fi or Ethernet adapter and select Uninstall device.
4. Confirm the prompt, then click the Scan for hardware changes icon (or restart your PC) to let Windows reinstall the driver automatically.
5. If Windows doesn’t reinstall a working driver on its own, download the latest driver directly from your laptop or network card manufacturer’s support page rather than relying solely on Windows Update.

Fix 3: Reset Winsock and TCP/IP (the Manual Reset Path)

This is the most reliable fix when the troubleshooter itself is too broken to run, since it repairs the same underlying components the troubleshooter would normally check; just directly, through Command Prompt.

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
2. Run each of these commands one at a time, pressing Enter after each and waiting for “The command completed successfully”: netsh winsock resetnetsh int ip resetnetsh advfirewall resetipconfig /releaseipconfig /renewipconfig /flushdns
3. Restart your PC. This step matters, since some of these changes only take effect after a reboot.

A note on netsh advfirewall reset: this returns Windows Firewall to its default settings, which will remove any custom firewall rules you’ve manually added. If you rely on custom firewall rules (for a specific app or a home server, for example), note them down before running this command so you can re-add them afterward.

Fix 4: Run Network Reset (Last Resort Before Reinstalling)

Network Reset is a more aggressive option that removes and reinstalls all network adapters and resets networking components to their default state. Microsoft explicitly positions this as a step to try after the above fixes, not before.

1. Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Status.
2. Scroll down and select Network reset.
3. Select Reset now, then confirm.
4. Your PC will restart automatically.

Important: After a network reset, you’ll likely need to reconnect to Wi-Fi networks and re-enter any saved passwords, and you may need to reinstall networking-related software such as VPN clients or virtual network adapters. Network profiles may also revert to “Public,” so double-check your firewall and sharing settings afterward if you use file sharing on a home network.

What to Do If the Troubleshooter Still Won’t Work

If you’ve tried the above and the troubleshooter itself remains broken, remember: you don’t actually need it. Everything the troubleshooter attempts to do, like check adapter status, verify IP configuration, and test connectivity, can be done manually:

• Check adapter status manually: Right-click the network icon in the taskbar and confirm Wi-Fi or Ethernet shows as Connected, not Limited or Unidentified.
• Check your IP configuration: Open Command Prompt and run ipconfig /all to review your IP address, gateway, and DNS settings directly. If you’re seeing an invalid or self-assigned IP address, our guide on Wi-Fi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration walks through that specific fix.
• Test basic connectivity: Run ping 8.8.8.8 to check whether you can reach the internet at all, and ping [your router's IP] to check whether the problem is local (your PC to your router) or further upstream.
• Check for a “connected but no internet” state: if Windows shows you’re connected but nothing loads, see our guide on the Windows 10 “No Internet, Secured” error for that specific scenario.
• Rule out the router itself: if multiple devices are having issues, not just this one PC, the problem is more likely on the router side; see our common router issues guide.

Common Troubleshooter Errors and What They Mean

Prevention: Keeping the Troubleshooter (and Your Network Stack) Healthy

• Keep Windows Update current, but if a network issue starts right after a specific update, check whether that update is a known culprit before assuming it’s your hardware.
• Keep your network adapter driver updated directly from the manufacturer rather than relying solely on generic Windows Update drivers, especially on laptops with less common Wi-Fi chipsets.
• Avoid running multiple third-party “network booster” or “internet optimizer” utilities alongside Windows’ own networking stack. Competing tools that both try to modify TCP/IP settings are a common, underappreciated cause of instability.
• If your connection issues seem to cluster around specific devices joining or leaving your network (smart home devices, IoT gadgets), that’s often a router-side issue rather than a Windows one. See our guide on Matter/Thread devices disconnecting Wi-Fi if that matches your situation.

Frequently Asked Questions