A quick and effective way to make an internet connection available to other devices like computers, tablets, and mobile phones, is by using a hotspot. A hotspot is also a good alternative to a Wifi connection, especially if the Wifi connection is weak or is not functioning. However, some of you may still face issues with connectivity while using your mobile hotspot for your computer. Generally, this happens due to the network connectivity issues on your mobile. If you are facing a similar issue, you can check out this guide which highlights all the different ways in which you can deal with such an issue.
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Why My Laptop is not Connecting to Mobile Hotspot Windows 11/10/7/8?
When you are using a hotspot, your laptop is basically connecting to another device that may have its own issues and limitations. This means that there would be multiple things that can possibly go wrong and eventually stop your laptop from establishing a connection with the hotspot. A few reasons why your laptop may not be able to connect to your mobile hotspot are given below.
- The connection may be lost due to a temporary issue.
- The distance between your laptop and the hotspot device might be too much.
- The data connection on your mobile may be turned off.
- The frequency band on which your mobile hotspot is operating may be not supported by your laptop.
- The data on your mobile’s network may be over.
- You may have not listed your laptop in the ‘allowed devices’ of your mobile.
Quick Fixes if your Computer won’t Connect to a Hotspot
If your laptop is not connecting to the hotspot, you can first try these quick fixes before moving on to the other methods.
- Try restarting your mobile and turning on the hotspot again.
- Restart your computer or laptop.
- Switch off the bluetooth on your computer.
- Turn the Wifi in your laptop off and then turn it on again.
- Check whether you are in the mobile network range.
- Ensure that the hotspot on your mobile has been set up properly.
How do I Connect My Hotspot to My Computer?
If you have tried all the above quick fixes and your laptop still won’t connect to your phone’s hotspot, you can move on to these next fixes to connect your laptop to your phone’s hotspot.
1. Try Creating a New Connection
This method would generally resolve the issue of your laptop not connecting your phone’s hotspot.
- Click on the Wifi icon from the taskbar on your computer.
- Right click on the hotspot which you want to connect your computer to.
- Click on ‘Forget’, wait for the name of the hotspot to reappear, and reconnect back to it.
2. Update your Operating System
The hardware and software on your laptop is managed by the operating system running on it. An outdated operating system can give rise to several issues and your laptop being unable to connect to your phone’s hotspot is one of them. You can update the operating system on your laptop by following the steps given below.
- Go to ‘Start’ from your taskbar and click on ‘Settings’.
- Go to ‘Update & Security’.
- From the ‘Windows Update’ section, click on ‘Check for updates’.
- If your laptop is up to date, you will get a message saying ‘You’re up to date’ and if there are available updates, they will be downloaded and installed on your computer.
3. Update to Network Drives
Network adapter driver is a crucial part of your internet connection. If the network adapter driver is outdated it can lead to hotspot connectivity issues. Here’s how you can update your network driver.
- Go to ‘Device Manager’ from your taskbar.
- Click on ‘Network Adapters’.
- Right click on the network adapter and select ‘Search automatically for updated driver software’.
- Click on ‘Update driver’ and restart your laptop or computer.
4. Check Your Wi-Fi Adapter
Your network adapter or Wifi adapter can be faulty due to which you may be facing trouble establishing a connection to the hotspot. You can check whether the Wifi adapter is enabled and working fine by following the steps given below.
- Click on ‘Win+X’ keys and select ‘Device Manager’ from there.
- From the drop down menu, click on ‘Network adapters’.
- Look for your Wifi adapter’s name from the list and right click on it. If it shows ‘Enable’, it means that your Wifi adapter was disabled. You can click on ‘Enable’ it to enable the Wifi adapter and get it working fine.
5. Update all Essential Drivers
You can quickly update all essential drivers on your laptop by using the steps given below.
- Launch ‘Settings’ by clicking ‘Win+X’ keys, and then clicking on ‘Settings’ on the screen.
- From here, go to ‘Update & Security’, and then select ‘Windows Update’.
- Click on ‘Check for updates’.
- Click on ‘View optional updates’, and select ‘Driver updates’.
- Pick the driver you wish to update and click on ‘Download and install’
6. Run the Internet Connections Troubleshooter
If you suspect any issues in the network connections, you can run the internet connections troubleshooter by using the steps given below.
- From the taskbar, click on ‘Start’ and go to ‘Settings’.
- Here, select ‘Update & Security’, and then click on ‘Troubleshoot’.
- Go to ‘Additional troubleshooters’, and select ‘Network Adapter’.
- Once done, click on ‘Run the troubleshooter’ and follow the onscreen instructions.
7. Temporarily Turn off Firewalls and Antivirus
At times, the firewalls and antivirus software on your laptop can prevent your laptop from establishing a connection with the hotspot. If you suspect that is the issue, you can temporarily turn off firewalls and antivirus by using the steps given below.
- From the taskbar, go to ‘Start’, and click on ‘Settings’.
- From there, go to ‘Update & Security’, and select ‘Windows Security’.
- Click on ‘Virus & threat protection’, and then on ‘Manage settings’.
- Turn off the ‘Real-time protection’ from here.
- Go back to ‘Windows Security’, and click on ‘Firewall & network protection’.
- After that, select ‘Private Network’, and switch off ‘Microsoft Defender Firewall’.
8. Check Registry System
Some issues with the registry system may be the culprit behind your laptop being unable to connect to your phone’s hotspot. When the registry’s entries get modified it can affect several actions on your laptop. You can check the registry system on your laptop for errors by using the steps given below.
- From the ‘Start’ menu, key in ‘Regedit’ in the search bar, and open the ‘Registry Editor’.
- Right click and click on ‘Run as Administrator’.
- Navigate to ‘HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\WlanSvc\Parameters\HostedNetworkSettings\.
- Go to the right pane and right click on the ‘HostedNetworkSettings’ and click on ‘Delete’.
9. Connection Error by Resetting out of Box Configuration
When you do this, the hotspot configuration will be set back to the factory settings. This can fix the hotspot connectivity issue for you. You can reset out of box configuration by following the steps given below.
- From ‘Settings’, go to ‘Network & Internet’.
- Select ‘Hotspot & Tethering’, and tap on ‘Reset OOB’.
- Confirm the action by tapping on ‘RESET OOB’.
10. Reset the Network Settings on Your PC
If none of the above fixes helped you in resolving the hotspot connectivity issue, you will have to reset the network settings on your PC in the following way. Note that this would remove all the saved passwords and even reinstall the network adapters.
- From your taskbar, go to ‘Start’, and click on ‘Settings’.
- From there, go to ‘Network & Internet’.
- From the left pane, select ‘Status’, click on ‘Network reset’, and follow the instructions given on the screen.
Connect To My Hotspot On My Computer – FAQS
Ans: There may be many reasons why you may be unable to connect to hotspots. Your device software may be outdated, you may be out of network range, the distance from the hotspot may be too much, or there may be issues with your network connection.
Ans: To reset the hotspot settings, go to ‘Settings’ > ‘General Management’ > ‘Reset’ > ‘Reset Network Settings’ > ‘Reset Settings’.
Ans: When there is an issue with the network settings of your phone, it can lead to your hotspot not being in your settings. You can fix this by resetting the network settings.
Ans: There may be a temporary issue with your device or the internet due to which your hotspot may be secured but there may be no internet. If this happens, a quick restart of the device can generally fix it.
Conclusion
A hotspot has made connecting to the internet very easy when you are on-the-go. However, it can be pretty annoying when you are not able to use it when you have something important to do and have no other way to connect to the internet. This guide walks you through the multiple ways in which you can fix the problem of your laptop not getting connected to your phone’s hotspot.
