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Fix “Wi-Fi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” Error

Getting “Wi-Fi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” while connecting to a Wi-Fi network? Here is how to fix the problem in simple steps.

On successfully connecting to a Wi-Fi network, the router automatically assigns a new IP address to the computer. In simple terms, this IP address is responsible for recognizing your computer on the network and allow communication. When Windows cannot get an IP address from the Wi-Fi router, it cannot connect to the network and displays the infamous “Wi-Fi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” error message. As you can guess, if you cannot connect to a network, you cannot access the internet or communicate with other devices on the local network.

Why do I see the “Wi-Fi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” error?

The “Wi-Fi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” appears when Windows cannot get an IP address from the Wi-Fi router. There are many reasons why Windows cannot get an IP address. These reasons include but are not limited to a misconfigured router or IP settings, problems with Windows TCP/IP stack, corrupted cache, malfunctioning network adapters, driver problems, Wi-Fi network properties, etc.

Solutions to fix the “Wi-Fi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” error

Since there are various reasons why the error appears in the first place, there are multiple things you can do to fix the problem. To troubleshoot and fix the “Wi-Fi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” error, follow the below solutions one after the other until the problem is solved. All the solutions listed here are pretty easy to follow. So, it should not be a big problem.

  1. Reboot the computer and router
  2. Disable and enable network adapter
  3. Run network troubleshooter
  4. Enable DHCP in the router
  5. Setup static Wi-Fi IP address in Windows
  6. Reset TCP/IP stack
  7. Renew IP address
  8. Flush DNS cache
  9. Perform Windows network reset
  10. Update or reinstall network driver

1. Reboot the computer and router

When something goes wrong with your gadgets, the first and foremost thing you should do is reboot them. The computer and router are no different. Sometimes, the router’s software can malfunction, or Windows might behave oddly.

To reboot Windows, right-click on the Start menu and select the “Shut down or sign out > Restart” option.

reboot Windows to fix "Wi-Fi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration" error

To reboot the router, find the power button at the back of the router, press it, and wait 30 seconds before turning it on. If you cannot find the power button, unplug it from the power socket, wait 30 seconds, and plug it in again.

More often than not, this simple restart procedure will fix the error.

2. Disable and enable network adapter

You will get the “Wi-Fi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” error when the network adapter is malfunctioning or got stuck for some reason. In that case, disabling and enabling the network adapter will fix the problem. Here is how to do it.

Press the Start key on your keyboard, search for “View network connections,” and open it. Next, find the Wi-Fi network adapter, right-click on it and select the “Disable” option. This will disable the selected network card.

disable and enable network adapter

After that, right-click on the adapter again and select the “Enable” option.

After disabling and enabling the network adapter, you should no longer see the error.

3. Run network troubleshooter

Windows 10 has a built-in network troubleshooter, which can troubleshoot and fix the most common network problems and errors. Here is how to run the Windows 10 network troubleshooter.

Press the “Start key + I” shortcut to open the Windows 10 Settings app. Next, go to the “Network & Internet > Status” page, and click on the “Network Troubleshooter” button. Next, follow the troubleshooter wizard. It will try to identify the issue and solve the problem or show you the steps to fix it yourself.

run network troubleshooter

4. Enable DHCP in the router

Routers use DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) to assign IP addresses to connected devices automatically. If the DHCP is not enabled, the router will not assign IP addresses automatically. Sometimes, it can confuse Windows and show the “Wi-Fi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” error.

So, log into your router’s admin page, find the DHCP section, and enable it. Depending on your router, the login page address, authentication, and the location of the DHCP settings will be different. Please consult the user manual if you don’t know how to access the login page or find the DHCP settings.

router dhcp settings

5. Setup static Wi-Fi IP address in Windows

If the router’s DHCP functionality is not working or you don’t want to use it, you can set up a static IP address in the router and Windows. A static IP address will make sure Windows will get the same IP address every time. This simple trick will open fix the “Wi-Fi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” error.

6. Reset TCP/IP stack

According to some network and Windows forums, problems in the TCP/IP stack will cause the “Wi-Fi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” error from time to time. In that case, you have to reset the TCP/IP stack. Here is how.

Open the elevated Command Prompt window. To do that, search for “CMD” in the Start menu, right-click on “Command Prompt,” and select the “Run as administrator” option. Next, execute the below commands one after the other.

netsh winsock reset catalog
netsh int ip reset

After that, close the Command Prompt window. You should no longer see the error.

7. Renew IP address

To renew the IP address, open the Command Prompt window and execute the below commands one after the other. As soon as you do that, Windows will try to renew or get a new IP address. This should fix the Wi-Fi network error.

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

8. Flush DNS cache

Though not often, a corrupted DNS cache can sometimes cause all kinds of issues. The Wi-Fi invalid IP configuration is nothing different. In that case, it is better to flush the DNS cache.

To do that, open the Command Prompt window and execute the “ipconfig /flushdns” command.

9. Perform Windows network reset

Windows 10 lets you perform a network reset with a single click. When there is a network problem that is hard to troubleshoot, a simple reset will fix it. Keep in mind that you might have to reconfigure the network settings after performing a reset. For example, if you use a static IP address, you have to reconfigure the static IP details.

To reset the network, open the Settings app, go to the “Network & Internet > Status” page, and click on the “Network reset” link. Next, follow the Network Reset wizard.

reset network to fix the "Wi-Fi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration" error

10. Update or reinstall network driver

Sometimes, driver issues can cause the “Wi-Fi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” error. In that case, you have to update or reinstall the network driver. You can do that from the Device Manager. Here’s how to do it.

To start, open the Device Manager program by right-clicking on the Start menu and selecting the “Device Manager” option. Next, expand the “Network adapters” tree.

open device manager

Update the network driver

Right-click on the Wi-Fi network adapter and select the “Update driver” button. Next, click the “Search automatically for drivers” option. Doing so will make Windows search for driver updates and install them, if available.

update network driver

Reinstall the network driver

To reinstall the driver, right-click on the Wi-Fi network adapter and select the “Uninstall driver” option. If you see a warning or confirmation message, accept it. Once done, close the Device Manager and reboot the computer.

uninstall and reinstall network driver

As soon as you reboot, Windows should reinstall the network driver automatically.

That is it. The above methods should successfully fix the “Wi-Fi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” error.

I hope that helps.

If you need help, comment below, and I will try to help as much as possible.

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