You might experience limited connectivity issues when you run the Internet Connections Troubleshooter. You will notice an error message “The default gateway is not available” on Windows 10. There will be a yellow exclamation mark on the Wi-Fi icon or a red X mark on your computer network icon in the system tray. Until the issue is fixed, you won’t be able to access the internet.
Many users reported this problem after a Windows 10 update. Sometimes, this error resolves after running the network troubleshooter. If the troubleshooter doesn’t resolve your problem and the no default gateway still continues, you should keep on reading for another working solution.
Why The Default Gateway Is Not Available On Your PC?
The non-availability of a network gateway might happen due to several reasons. According to reports, some users got no default gateway error after having a Windows 10 update. It indicates some bugs causing damage towards network adapter drivers. Many malwares are also known to cause connection issues and corrupt the network files.
Certain software programs and security tools might be the reasons triggering an unstable network connection on Windows 10. It is also possible to have such an issue due to incompatible or outdated network drivers. Incorrect network settings or even the ISP/router configuration sometimes make the default gateway not available.
This is most likely a fixable issue. All you need to do is to follow the solutions provided below and apply them accordingly one after one. Some effective solutions are mentioned in his article to help you to resolve no default gateway in Windows 10.
Easy Fixes If You Can’t Connect To Default Gateway
Make sure to create a restore point before starting with the solutions. If something wrong happens, the last restore point will restore your Windows to the last working condition. To know how to create a restore point, read how to create a system restore in Windows 10, 8 and 7.
Solution 1: Perform Network Troubleshooting
It seems that you are one of the sufferers and you should start with the general network troubleshooting if not done yet. In case the troubleshooter cannot fix your issue, apply the next one. Follow these steps provided below to run the network troubleshooting:
- Press the Win + I key from the keyboard that will open the Settings window.
- Go to the Update and Security option.
- Select the Troubleshoot section from the left pane.
- Now locate and click on the Internet Connections option.
- Click on the button Run the troubleshooter and follow on-screen instructions to complete the troubleshooting process.
- When the troubleshooting completes, another window will appear on the screen showing you the result.
- If the troubleshooting fixes the error, it will show you as ‘Fixed’ with a green tick mark .
- In case the troubleshooter could not solve the error, it will show you as ‘Not fixed’ with a red X sign.
After applying the above-mentioned steps, default gateway problem should not appear again.
This solution didn’t work for you? then you should try the next solutions.
Solution 2: Disable The Anti-Malware Software Temporarily
It might happen that you can’t connect to default gateway due to antivirus software installed on your computer. Antivirus software sometimes interferes with your network configuration. Hence, you should disable the antivirus temporarily. If the issue is resolved after disabling the antivirus, you should uninstall the software completely to ensure that it will not occur such an issue in the future. To remove the program from your computer, follow these steps below:
- Press Win + R key from the keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
- Now type appwiz.cpl and hit the enter key.
- It will open the Programs and Features window. Select the antivirus program from the app list and right-click on it.
- Select the Uninstall option to completely remove the program. You can also select the Uninstall option from the top of the application list after selecting the antivirus program.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to finish the process successfully.
If this solution didn’t resolve your problem, try other solutions provided below.
Solution 3: Update Or Reinstall The Network Adapter Driver
If your network adapter driver is damaged or outdated, it might affect your network connectivity. You should try updating the network adapter first. If there is no update available for your driver or the driver is already updated, then you should reinstall the driver. Sometimes, updating or reinstalling the network adapter driver helps to resolve no default gateway in windows 10.
If you need assistance for updating the driver, read how to update your device driver easily.
Is there no update available for your driver? Don’t worry. The following steps will help you to reinstall the device driver automatically. Apply these steps to your system carefully.
- To reinstall the program, you need to uninstall it first. To remove the device driver, press Win + R and type devmgmt.msc in the search box.
- Hit the Enter key on the keyboard.
- It will open the Device Manager window. Now select the Network adapters section and expand it.
- Locate your network driver you are using in the list of drivers and right-click on it.
- Click on the Uninstall option from the context menu.
- Finally, confirm the uninstallation and click OK to remove the driver.
- Make sure to reboot your computer after the process completes.
Now it is time to perform a fresh installation of the network adapter driver. To install the driver:
- Go to the Device Manager window by following the process stated above.
- Click on the Action tab at the top and select the option Scan for hardware changes.
- Windows will start scanning for missing drivers and install them automatically.
If Windows didn’t install the missing network adapter driver automatically, try installing it manually. You need to download the network adapter driver from the motherboard manufacturer’s website. At the time of installation, browse your computer for the downloaded driver and locate it to start the installation process.
After the installation completes, restart your computer and check if the problem still persists.
Solution 4: Change The Channel Of Your Router
If you are using a wireless router, then the wireless channel and dual-band wireless adapters might cause some issues with the gateway. You should try changing the channel to a certain value if it is already set as automatic.
Setting the value as 6 resolved the problem for some users. But you should try setting different values and check if the problem is fixed in your computer. Follow your wireless router manual to get assistance while changing the channel value.
Some users also changed the encryption method which worked for them to get rid of such an issue. You might try using the WPA-WPA2 encryption method in order to find out a way to fix the default gateway is not available.
Solution 5: Disable The Auto Logon Feature On Windows
Auto-login was introduced in Windows 8. As soon as the computer starts, the auto-logon feature enables the user to get into the user account that was active at the time of the last shut down automatically. It remains in use when the computer shuts down.
You should disable this feature to check if it works for you to resolve no default gateway issue. You might assign a password that will prevent the auto-login feature from being activated automatically. If you found the error resolved with setting up a password, there will be no need to disable the feature.
Solution 6: Adjust The Router Frequency
Some new generation routers support 5 GHz frequency, but the adapter you are using might not support the frequency greater than 2.4 GHz. You should try changing the frequency of your router to match what the network adapter supports. You will find help regarding the process of changing the frequency in your router’s manual. Follow the instructions properly given in the manual to fix the issue related to no default gateway found.
Solution 7: Change The Wireless Mode Of Your Router
Adjusting the wireless mode might help you to resolve no default gateway in windows 10. Users reported that changing the default gateway from 802.11n to 802.11a or 802.11g/b to 802.11g whichever applied in their case, worked well to fix the network issue. Follow these steps provided below to change the wireless mode of your router:
- Press Win + R key from the keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
- Type ncpa.cpl and hit the enter key.
- It will open the Network Connections window. Now select your Wi-fi network adapter and right-click on it.
- Select the Properties option.
- In the properties window, click on the Configure button and navigate to the Advanced tab.
- Under the advanced section, choose Wireless Mode from the property list and change the value from the drop-down menu at the right.
- Finally, click on the OK button to save the settings.
Check if the no default gateway still persists after applying this method.
Solution 8: Change Power Management Option
The Power Saving feature in the newer version of Windows sometimes occurs network issue. It can be the reason to show you the default gateway is not available. Disabling this feature may fix the problem of your network adapter. You need to follow these steps provided below in order to do that:
- Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box.
- Type devmgmt.msc and hit the Enter button.
- In the Device Manager window, expand the Network adapter section and right-click on your adapter name.
- Select the Properties option.
- In the network properties window, navigate to the Power Management tab.
- Locate the option ‘Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power’ and uncheck it if already enabled.
- Finally, click on the OK button to save changes.
Solution 9: Verify The Power Saving Mode
If you have a laptop and connect it to wi-fi, you might get the no default gateway found message. It can occur due to wrong settings in Power Saving Mode. In order to fix the issue, you should check some settings by following the procedure stated below:
- Click on the Start icon and type Control Panel in the search box.
- Select the Control Panel app from the search result.
- Expand the System and Security option.
- Locate the Power Options and click on it.
- Now click on the Additional Power Settings option on the bottom.
- Select the “Change plan settings” option next to the power plan you use.
- Navigate to the option “Change advanced power settings” at the bottom.
- Find and locate the Wireless Adapter Settings section and click on it to expand the section.
- Now, expand the Power Saving Mode section.
- Make sure to set this option to Maximum Performance.
- Finally, click on the Apply and OK button to save the changes.
Check if the changes you made resolved the issue.
Solution 10: Manually Reset The TCP/IP Address
If any of the above-discussed solutions didn’t work for you, you might try setting the gateway and IP address manually. Many users reported that the default gateway is not available was fixed by resetting the TCP/IP.
Know how to set the IP address manually by clicking on flush DNS and reset TCP/IP.
Solution 11: Reset The Network Connection
If the default gateway still not found, this is the last option you can try. Resetting the network connection will restore all connection settings to default. To reset the connection, do the followings:
- Press Win + I key from the keyboard and select the Network and Internet option from the Settings window.
- Select the Status section from the left panel.
- Click on the Network Reset option at the bottom.
- A new window will open with a message that performing network reset will remove then reinstall all the network adapters and set other networking components back to their original settings. Click on the Reset Now button to continue to the next stage.
- Another confirmation window will open. Click on the Yes button to continue to the reset process.
- After the reset process ends, reboot your computer.
Now check if the error continues with the default gateway is not available message. The issue should be resolved by now.
Conclusion
Now you know why ‘the default gateway is not available’ showed to you and what to do when you get no default gateway in Windows 10. If you find this article helpful, let us know by commenting below. If you still can’t connect to default gateway, feel free to tell us here.
