How to fix and resolve 'Wi-Fi connected but no internet access' on Windows 11 after changing your router password

When you change your Wi-Fi password on your router, your Windows 11 PC often retains the old password in its saved network profile. This causes a frustrating state where the PC shows as connected to the Wi-Fi network, but no data flows — pages don’t load, apps can’t sync, and the network icon may display a warning. This guide walks you through clearing the stale credentials and reconnecting with the new password.

Quick Fix Steps

1. Click the network icon in the system tray (bottom-right corner of the screen).
2. Right-click the Wi-Fi network you are connected to and select Forget.
3. Reconnect to the same network and enter the new password when prompted.

Detailed Instructions

Step 1: Forget the Saved Network

Windows 11 stores each Wi-Fi network’s password in a saved profile. After a router password change, this profile becomes outdated.

1. Press Windows key + I to open Settings.
2. Select Network & internet from the left sidebar.
3. Click Wi-Fi.
4. Click Manage known networks.
5. Locate your Wi-Fi network in the list and click Forget next to it.

Step 2: Reconnect with the New Password

1. Click the network icon in the system tray.
2. Click the arrow next to the Wi-Fi toggle to expand available networks.
3. Select your network from the list.
4. Enter the new router password in the Enter the network security key field.
5. Click Next.
6. Wait for the status to change to Connected, secured.

Step 3: Flush the DNS Cache

If you still have no internet access after reconnecting, stale DNS entries may be causing the problem.

1. Press Windows key + X and select Terminal (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin).
2. Type the following command and press Enter:

You should see a confirmation message: Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache.

Step 4: Renew Your IP Address

1. In the same admin terminal, type the following commands one at a time, pressing Enter after each:

Wait for each command to complete before running the next. The /renew command may take up to 30 seconds.

Troubleshooting

The network does not appear in the available networks list

• Ensure your router is powered on and broadcasting.
• Move closer to the router to rule out signal strength issues.
• Toggle Wi-Fi off and on: click the network icon, then click the Wi-Fi tile to disable it, wait 10 seconds, and click it again to re-enable.

Windows says “Can’t connect to this network”

• Double-check the new password for typos. Passwords are case-sensitive.
• Verify the password on another device (such as a phone) to confirm it works.
• Restart your PC and try again.

Connected but still no internet on this PC only

• Check if other devices on the same Wi-Fi network can access the internet. If they cannot, the issue is with the router or your internet service, not the PC.
• Run the Windows Network Troubleshooter: go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters, then click Run next to Internet Connections.
• Disable any VPN software temporarily to rule out conflicts.

Router settings changed beyond the password

If you also changed the Wi-Fi network name (SSID) or security type, your PC may be trying to connect using outdated settings. After forgetting the network as described above, ensure you select the correct security type when reconnecting. Most modern routers use WPA2-Personal or WPA3-Personal.

If you have completed all steps above and still cannot access the internet, please Open a Ticket and include details of your router model and any error messages you have seen.