How to Fix Slow WiFi on Windows: Complete Troubleshooting Guide

Is it the WiFi or the internet?

First, separate the two: connect a laptop directly to the router with an ethernet cable. If speeds are fine on cable but slow on WiFi, the problem is wireless — continue below. If cable is also slow, see our internet speed guide.

Step 1: Check your actual link speed

1. Settings → Network & internet → Wi-Fi → (your network) properties.
2. Look at Link speed. It should be roughly your plan speed. If it shows 72 Mbps on a 1 Gbps plan, something is limiting you.

Step 2: Update the WiFi driver

The #1 cause of slow WiFi on Windows is an outdated or generic driver. Open Device Manager → Network adapters, find your wireless card (Intel, Realtek, MediaTek, Qualcomm), right-click → Update driver → Search automatically. Better: download the exact driver from your laptop or adapter vendor's site.

Step 3: Move to the 5 GHz (or 6 GHz) band

2.4 GHz reaches further but is slow and crowded. In Settings → Network & internet → Wi-Fi → Manage known networks, or in your adapter's advanced properties, prefer 5/6 GHz. If your router combines bands under one name, split them into "Home-2.4G" and "Home-5G" in the router settings.

Step 4: Choose a less crowded channel

Use a free analyzer (WiFi Analyzer on Android, or inSSIDer) to find the least used channel, then set it manually in your router — avoid "Auto" if the router picks badly.

Step 5: Reposition the router

• Central, elevated, away from walls, metal cabinets, microwaves and fish tanks.
• Antennas vertical; try rotating the router or adjusting antenna angles.
• If you can't move it, consider a mesh system or access point.

Step 6: Disable power saving

Windows sometimes throttles WiFi to save battery. In Device Manager, open your WiFi adapter's properties → Power Management → untick "Allow the computer to turn off this device". On the Advanced tab, set Roaming aggressiveness to medium/high and disable any "power save" modes.

Step 7: Reset the network stack

As admin, run these and reboot:

netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset
ipconfig /flushdns