How to forget a network in Windows 10 or Windows 11

Shaant Minhas

Updated on:

router

Wi-Fi is a handy way to set up your laptop with an internet connection. But, if you’ve been using this way of network connectivity for a while, then there your Wi-Fi settings might have a massive list of networks to choose from.

If you take a closer look at those networks, you might realize that a lot of them haven’t been in use for a long while. Moreover, for whatever reason, in some rare cases the network itself might stop working properly. In situations like these, it’s best to forget them. In this article, we cover how you can forget a Wi-Fi network in Windows.

1. How to forget Wi-Fi network through Settings

The Settings is a central hub in Windows that lets you tweak almost all things in your computer. Unsurprisingly, to forget the Wi-Fi settings of your PC, you can access the Settings section again. However, before you forget a network it’s essential you take note of your Wi-Fi password, so you can log in again.

When you’ve noted down the password, you can move on to clearing the Wi-Fi network. Here’s how:

  1. Go to the Start menu search bar, type in ‘settings,’ and select the Best match. Alternatively, press Windows key + I.
  2. From the Settings option, click on Network & Internet and select Wi-Fi option from the left.
  3. Now click on Manage known networks

network and internet settings

wifi settings

As soon as you do that, you’ll get taken to a screen where you can see a host of Wi-Fi networks. From here, pick the network you want to forget and click on Forget. Right when you do this, your network will be forgotten.

2. From Quick Settings

The second method to forget the Wi-Fi network in Windows is through the use of Quick Settings. Don’t worry, it’s right there at your desktop tray. Here’s how you can do it:

  1. Go to the lower-right corner of your taskbar and press the quick settings button. Alternatively, press the Windows key + A shortcut to launch the Quick Settings.
  2. When the new menu pops open, click on Network.

As soon as you follow the above points, a whole list of your network will drop down. From there, right-click on a network you want to forget and select Forget.

forgetting wifi in windows

Forgetting a network in Windows 10 or Windows 11

Random problems can arise in a Wi-Fi network if you haven’t done the usual checkup for a while. By forgetting the network manually in your Windows, you can then hope to troubleshoot the issue and try to log in again. Hopefully, one of these ways helped you clear whatever Wi-Fi network you wanted to remove from your PC.