What you will achieve
Remove a corrupted Wi‑Fi profile from Windows and reconnect with a fresh password or certificate — fixing endless “Can’t connect to this network” loops without resetting the entire network stack.
1) Forget the network from Settings
- Open Settings → Network & internet → Wi‑Fi (Windows 10: Settings → Network & Internet → Wi‑Fi → Manage known networks).
- Click Manage known networks (Windows 11) or select the network name (Windows 10).
- Select the problem network and click Forget.
2) Forget from the system tray
- Click the Wi‑Fi icon in the taskbar.
- Right-click the network name → Forget (Windows 11 quick settings may require going through Settings for some builds).
- Re-scan and select the network to enter the password again.
3) Remove the profile with netsh
When Settings forget fails or the network is hidden, open Admin Command Prompt:
netsh wlan show profiles
netsh wlan delete profile name="YourNetworkName"Replace YourNetworkName with the exact SSID from the profile list. Reconnect from the Wi‑Fi list afterward.
4) Rejoin with correct security settings
- Select the SSID and enter the current password — not an old one saved in your password manager by mistake.
- For enterprise WPA2-Enterprise networks, choose the correct EAP method and certificate if prompted.
- Tick Connect automatically only after you confirm stability.
5) When forget-and-rejoin is not enough
If connection still fails after a fresh profile:
- Reboot the router and PC.
- Update the Wi‑Fi adapter driver in Device Manager → Network adapters.
- Run Settings → Network & internet → Advanced network settings → Network reset as a last resort — this removes all saved networks.
6) Reconnect hidden or enterprise networks
For hidden SSIDs, choose Connect to a hidden network from the Wi‑Fi menu (Windows 10) or Add device → Wi‑Fi in Settings. Enter SSID, security type (WPA2-Personal, WPA3, etc.), and password exactly as the router admin page shows — a wrong security type produces the same loop as a wrong password. Toggle aeroplane mode off and on if the adapter refuses to scan after forgetting.