Laptop on a repair bench with a smartphone beside it that cannot connect to the laptop hotspot

Windows 11 Hotspot Not Working: 7 Fixes That Work

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The Windows 11 hotspot usually fails because of a stuck Internet Connection Sharing setup, the 5 GHz band, or a bad Wi-Fi driver. Switch the hotspot band to 2.4 GHz, turn off power saving, then reset sharing on your internet adapter. Expect your phone to see the network and load pages once sharing is rebuilt.

Introduction

You switch on Mobile hotspot in Windows 11, the toggle flips, and your phone either finds nothing or joins with no internet. Sometimes the settings page reads 0 of 8 devices while the phone insists it is connected. This guide gives you seven fixes in order, from free and quick to hardware. Work down the list and stop the moment the hotspot holds.

Symptoms

Phone showing a Wi-Fi warning next to a laptop whose Windows 11 hotspot is not working
  • The Mobile hotspot toggle turns itself off within seconds.
  • The toggle sticks on “Turning on” or “Disconnecting”.
  • Your phone or tablet cannot see the hotspot name.
  • Devices join, then show “connected, no internet”.
  • The settings page shows 0 of 8 devices while a device is joined.
  • The hotspot disappears a few minutes after the last device leaves.
  • Older devices never see the network, while newer ones connect.
  • The message “We can’t set up Mobile Hotspot” appears.
  • The problem started right after a Windows update or after plugging in a LAN cable.

What Causes Windows 11 Hotspot Not Working

  1. Internet Connection Sharing is stuck. Windows builds the hotspot on Internet Connection Sharing and the Mobile Hotspot service, and a cable swap or network change can leave them out of step. You will see devices join with no internet, or a count of 0 of 8. Confirmation: turning sharing off and on in the source adapter properties brings internet back.
  2. The Wi-Fi driver changed. A feature update or Windows Update can swap a working driver for one that cannot host a network. You will see the failure begin right after an update, with the toggle refusing to stay on. Confirmation: the driver date in Device Manager is recent, or rolling the driver back restores the hotspot.
  3. Band mismatch or adapter limits. The hotspot may broadcast on 5 GHz, which older phones, TVs and laptops cannot see, and some adapters cannot host at all. You will see newer devices connect while older ones never find the name. Confirmation: switching to 2.4 GHz makes the network appear on the older device.

How to Fix Windows 11 Hotspot Not Working

Technician holding an M.2 Wi-Fi card over an open laptop to fix a Windows 11 hotspot fault

Fix 1: Change the band, power saving and password

Cost: Free Time: 3 minutes Difficulty: Easy Steps:

  1. Open Settings > Network & internet > Mobile hotspot.
  2. Click Edit under Properties, set Network band to 2.4 GHz, enter a new password, and save.
  3. Switch off the power saving option that turns the hotspot off when no devices are connected.
  4. Turn off any VPN and Bluetooth, then toggle the hotspot off and on.
  5. On your phone, forget the hotspot network and join again with the new password.

Expected Result: The phone sees the network, joins, and keeps the connection. If Failed: Go to Fix 2.

Fix 2: Restart the hotspot services

Cost: Free Time: 5 minutes Difficulty: Easy Steps:

  1. Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
  2. Find Windows Mobile Hotspot Service, WLAN AutoConfig and Internet Connection Sharing (ICS).
  3. Open each one, set Startup type to Automatic, and click Start or Restart.
  4. Restart the laptop and turn the hotspot on again.

Expected Result: The toggle stays on after you switch it. If Failed: Go to Fix 3.

Fix 3: Reset Internet Connection Sharing

Cost: Free Time: 5 minutes Difficulty: Moderate Steps:

  1. Turn the Mobile hotspot on first so the new adapter (named like Local Area Connection* 2) is created.
  2. Press Win + R, type ncpa.cpl, and press Enter.
  3. Right-click the adapter that carries your internet (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) and open Properties > Sharing.
  4. Untick “Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet connection”, click OK, then turn the hotspot off and on.
  5. Return to the same Sharing tab, tick the option again, and pick the Local Area Connection* adapter from the list.

Expected Result: Connected devices get internet and the count rises above 0. If Failed: Go to Fix 4.

Fix 4: Test the firewall, VPN and security software

Cost: Free Time: 5 minutes Difficulty: Easy Steps:

  1. Disconnect any VPN on both the laptop and the phone.
  2. Open Windows Security > Firewall & network protection and switch off the firewall for the private network.
  3. Pause any third-party antivirus or firewall suite.
  4. Test the hotspot, then turn every protection back on at once.

Expected Result: If the hotspot now works, a security rule was blocking shared traffic. Check your security suite’s network rules for hotspot or sharing entries. If Failed: Go to Fix 5.

Fix 5: Roll back or reinstall the Wi-Fi driver

Cost: Free Time: 15 minutes Difficulty: Moderate Steps:

  1. Download the Wi-Fi driver for your exact model from the Dell, HP, Lenovo, ASUS, Acer or MSI support page and save it to a USB drive or your phone.
  2. Press Win + X, open Device Manager, and expand Network adapters.
  3. Open the Wi-Fi adapter Properties > Driver. If the failure began after an update, click Roll Back Driver and restart.
  4. If rollback is greyed out, uninstall the device without ticking “Attempt to remove the driver for this device”, run the downloaded installer, and restart.

Expected Result: The adapter lists without a warning icon and the hotspot toggle turns on. If Failed: Go to Fix 6.

Fix 6: Reset the network stack

Cost: Free Time: 15 minutes Difficulty: Moderate Steps:

  1. Right-click Start and open Terminal (Admin).
  2. Run these commands one at a time: netsh winsock reset, then netsh int ip reset, then ipconfig /flushdns.
  3. Run sfc /scannow, then DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth, and restart.
  4. If it still fails, open Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Network reset and confirm.

Expected Result: Windows rebuilds its network components and the hotspot starts cleanly. If Failed: Go to Fix 7.

Fix 7: Test or replace the Wi-Fi hardware

Cost: Price of a USB Wi-Fi adapter or an internal Wi-Fi card Time: 5 to 30 minutes Difficulty: Easy for USB, hard for an internal card Steps:

  1. Plug in a USB Wi-Fi adapter that lists hotspot or soft AP support and install its driver.
  2. Turn the hotspot on with that adapter. If it works, the internal card or its driver support is the fault.
  3. To replace the internal card, shut down, unplug the charger, open the base, disconnect the battery connector, swap the M.2 card, and reattach both antenna leads.

Expected Result: The hotspot runs on the new radio and holds a connection. If Failed: Stop and book a repair, since the antenna cables or motherboard may be at fault.

Mistakes to Avoid

Uninstalling the driver with the delete box ticked. Ticking “Attempt to remove the driver for this device” before you have a replacement leaves the laptop with no Wi-Fi and no way to download one. Save the maker’s driver first.

Editing the registry without a backup. Many guides push registry edits for the hotspot. A wrong value in the network keys can leave Windows with broken networking that only a reset or reinstall fixes.

Running Network reset blind. The reset removes saved Wi-Fi passwords and VPN adapters. Write down passwords and export VPN profiles first.

Using driver updater tools or random driver packs. A wrong driver can leave the card unrecognised, and an interrupted firmware flash can leave it dead. Stick to your laptop maker’s support page.

When to Stop and Get Professional Help

Stop if the Wi-Fi adapter vanishes from Device Manager after a clean driver install, or shows error Code 10 or Code 43 on the maker’s driver. Stop if the laptop runs hot near the Wi-Fi card, the battery looks swollen, or liquid has reached the base. A card, antenna lead or motherboard fault needs a bench test, and forcing it can damage connectors.

Prevention Tips

Laptop with a USB Wi-Fi adapter, USB drive and Ethernet cable laid out on a clean repair desk
  1. Download Wi-Fi drivers only from your laptop maker’s support page.
  2. Create a restore point before each feature update so a bad driver can be rolled back.
  3. Choose 2.4 GHz when you share with older phones, TVs or consoles.
  4. Restart the hotspot after plugging in or removing an Ethernet cable.
  5. Test the hotspot once after every big Windows update, not when you urgently need it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my Windows 11 hotspot turn off by itself? The power saving option switches it off when no device is connected for a few minutes. Turn that option off in Settings > Network & internet > Mobile hotspot.

Why does my phone connect but have no internet? Internet Connection Sharing is usually not passing traffic to the hotspot adapter, or a VPN or firewall is blocking it. Reset sharing as shown in Fix 3.

Can every Windows 11 laptop make a hotspot? Not always. The Wi-Fi adapter and driver must support hosting, and the laptop needs an active internet source.

How many devices can join the Windows 11 hotspot? Windows 11 allows up to 8 connected devices.

Conclusion

Most Windows 11 hotspot failures come from a stuck sharing setup, a 5 GHz mismatch, or a driver swapped during an update. Start with the 2.4 GHz band and the sharing reset, then move to the driver and network stack. If the adapter vanishes from Device Manager or fails on a clean driver, the card needs a technician or a replacement.

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