While external interference can affect wireless connections, their wired counterpart is less prone to such factors. This is one of the reasons cable connections are still recommended for servers, download machines, media streaming, and gaming. Although Ethernet connections are easier to install and manage than wireless connections, sometimes they can be a bit of a headache to troubleshoot.

Why is my Ethernet not working?

There can be a lot of reasons why your Ethernet cable connection is refusing to work, so troubleshooting can be a bit difficult. However, we will try to highlight a few of the main issues that might prevent your PC from connecting to the Internet by using Ethernet.

Malfunctioning local devices – With the risk of stating the obvious, the most common problems for Ethernet connection problems are hardware issues or the ISP service. Corrupt or outdated drivers – If this problem occurred after you updated your OS or made any modifications to the system, you should check the network adapter driver. Malware or virus – Although it’s not too common, malware and virus infections can disable your Ethernet connection with harmful intentions, hence the need for a good antivirus.

Knowing all that, in this article, we will discuss how you can check the basics of an Ethernet connection on a machine running Windows 10.

What can I do if my Ethernet connection is not working?

Before applying any of the fixes below to fix the Ethernet connection not working issue, you should do the following:

Ensure that your ISP’s connection is active and all the local network components are working properly. In other words, check if the indicator lights on your router/modem are showing as they should and if the cables connecting your devices are not damaged and properly plugged in. Also, check the network cable to be sure it is not damaged.

1. Enable the connection

First of all, you can check if your Ethernet not working error is caused by a disabled connection. If this is the case, you can simply enable your connection.

  1. Right-click on the Start button and select Network Connections.

  2. Click on Ethernet from the left and choose Change adapter options from the right.

  3. Lastly, all you have to do is right-click on your connection and select Enable.

2. Check your drivers

After you have uninstalled your drivers, we recommend reinstalling them automatically, and the safer and easier way to update drivers on a Windows computer is by using an automatic tool. SPONSORED This software will automatically identify each device on your computer and match it with the latest driver versions from an extensive online database. Drivers can then be updated in batches or one at a time without requiring the user to make complex decisions. Driver updaters such as DriverFix are user-friendly and use very few system resources.

3. Check your connection details

For this, you’ll have to consult your router/switch/modem configuration manual or obtain the details from your ISP or network administrator.

4. Check for viruses

We recommend you try an advanced virus removal tool with all the features necessary to keep your PC fully protected. Thankfully, plenty of Windows 10 compatible antivirus software tools have great Internet security and can detect any network threats immediately.

5. Run the Internet connection troubleshooter

6. Roll back the network adapter driver

7. Turn off your antivirus/firewall and VPN software

8. Reset your network

We hope that your Ethernet connection has been restored by using one of our solutions presented in this article. For more troubleshooting steps, check out our guide on how to fix Windows 11 Ethernet if it’s not working. If your WiFi doesn’t work but Ethernet does, check out our guide to find out what solutions can be used. Lastly, if you want to use WiFi and Ethernet at the same time, we can teach you how to do that as well. If you’re sure the network you’re trying to connect to is set up properly and still can’t connect, please use the comments section below to ask for further assistance.

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