How to Fix ‘WiFi Doesn’t Have a Valid IP Configuration’ Issue on Windows 10

Opting for a WiFi network is perfect for those who do not want to deal with wires. Therefore, you can move your laptop or other devices to different locations without being connected to cables. There is no doubt that WiFi technology provides several benefits. However, it is no stranger to problems. The ‘WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration’ problem is quite common to Windows 10 users.

In addition, it can occur at any time without earlier warning. Some users see ‘WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration’ error message when they troubleshoot their WIFI network while some users see this error message shortly after they log in to their PC. This error message shows that there is an issue with your machine TCP/IP network protocols; as a result, prevents you from using WiFi. The issue concerning not having a valid IP configuration can occur even if you use an Ethernet connection on your PC.

In most cases, troubleshooting your network may only find the problems but not provide solutions. After completing troubleshooting, you need to fix the problem manually. Here we will show you how to fix ‘WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration’ problem on Windows 10. The problem can be brought about by several issues, such as hardware issues, faulty network, network issues with your network operator, wrong network settings, disabled network services, etc.

In this article, we will explain some fixes step-by-step. You don’t have to try all the solutions, just work your way down the procedures until you find the one that works for you.

Fixing ‘WiFi Doesn’t Have a Valid IP Configuration’ Problem

Method #1: Using Advanced System Repair Tool

The easiest way to repair your computer is using Advanced System Repair Tool, we highly recommend it. It is a program that brings you all the tools you need to clean, fix, optimize, protect and boost the performance of your machine.

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After installation, the application immediately starts gathering crucial data about your PC such as memory and CPU performance. It also checks for junk files and continues scanning deeper into the system files. After scanning is completed, you are shown the critical issues to fix, items to clean and the amount of disk space to free up.

Click Fix, Clean & Optimize Now to initiate the cleaning process. All the issues found on your computer will be resolved.

Method #2: Reset Your Router

In some cases, you just need to reset your router to fix ‘WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration’ issue.

Step 1

First, shut down your machine. Then switch off your router.

Step 2

Unplug the power cables from your router. Wait for a few minutes before you plug back.

Step 3

Plug all your cables back to the router.

Step 4

Turn on the router again. Once your router is completely on, turn on your computer.

Method #3: Release and Renew Your IP Address 

Step 1

Go to the taskbar, click the search icon and type command prompt in the search box. Right-click on the first match and select Run as administrator.

When you open command prompt as admin, you will see a User Account Control window seeking permission to proceed. Click Yes.

Step 2

In the command prompt window, enter the following:

ipconfig/release

Press Enter. The above command line tells the DHCP server that the old IP address is free to be assigned.

Step 3

In the command prompt window, type the following:

ipconfig/renew

Press Enter. The above command line requests for a new IP address.

Step 4

After finishing entering the commands, type exit and hit Enter to close the command prompt.

Check to see if you can connect to the internet, continue to the next method if WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP.

Method #4: Flush Your Windows 10 DNS Cache

DNS cache can corrupt your files causing issues such as WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration. To clear DNS cache follow the following steps:

Step 1

Go to the taskbar, click the search icon and type command prompt in the search box. Right-click on the first match and select Run as administrator.

When you open command prompt as admin, you will see a User Account Control window seeking permission to proceed. Click Yes.

Step 2

In the command prompt window, enter the following:

ipconfig/flushdns

Press Enter. The above command line clears DNS cache.

Step 3

In the command prompt window, type the following:

ipconfig/renew

Press Enter. The above command line requests for a new IP address.

Step 4

After finishing entering the commands, type exit and hit Enter to close the command prompt.

If WiFi still doesn’t have a valid IP configuration, continue to the next method.

Method #5: Upgrade Your Network Adapter Drivers

Outdated drivers might interfere with your network connection. Updating them and trying to connect to your internet is a good way to solve WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration on Windows 10. To do so:

Step 1

Go to the toolbar, click the search icon, type device manager and select the first match.

Step 2

In the Device Manager window, select the device you want to upgrade. Right-click on the name of the device and choose Properties.

Step 3

In the next screen, you will see two options. Select Search automatically for updated driver software.

Step 4

Your computer will search for updates.

If you have the latest driver version, you will see a notification stating the best drivers for your device are already installed. Otherwise, your PC should perform an automatic update of the driver.

Step 5

Repeat the above steps to update other drivers you want. Once you finish updating all the drivers, restart your machine. Go to the taskbar, click the Windows icon, press the power icon and select Restart.

Check to see if you can connect to the internet, continue to the next method if WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP.

Method #6: Uninstall Wireless Adapter Driver

You may get the ‘WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration’ error due to a faulty network driver. Try uninstalling the driver for the wireless adapter and allow Windows 10 to automatically reinstall it after restarting. Follow the steps below to uninstall wireless adapter driver:

Step 1

Go to the toolbar, click the search icon, type device manager and select the first match.

Step 2

In the Device Manager window, expand the Network adapters and select the device you want to uninstall. Right-click and select Uninstall.

Step 3

Uninstall Device window pops up showing a warning that you are about to uninstall a device from your system. Click Uninstall to continue.

Step 4

Finally, you need to restart your machine for the changes to take effect. Go to the taskbar, click the Windows icon, press the power icon and select Restart.

Check to see if you can connect to the internet, continue to the next method if WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP.

Method #7: Reset the TCP/IP

This method is also simple therefore you should first try out the other methods. You will execute commands in the command prompt. First, you need to create a system restore point before performing this procedure.

Step 1

Go to the taskbar, click the search icon and type command prompt in the search box. Right-click on the first match and select Run as administrator.

When you open command prompt as admin, you will see a User Account Control window seeking permission to proceed. Click Yes.

Step 2

In the command prompt, type the following:

netsh winsock reset catalog

Press Enter. The above command line resets the network adapter. 

You will see the below confirmation that Winsock Catalog has successfully reset and you must restart your computer in order to complete the reset.

Step 3

In the command prompt, type the following:

netsh int ipv4 reset reset.log

Press Enter.

Step 4

A confirmation list will be displayed. In the command prompt, type the following:

netsh int ipv6 reset reset.log

Press Enter. Another confirmation list is displayed.

Step 5

After finishing entering the commands, type exit and hit Enter to close the command prompt.

Step 6

Finally, you need to restart your machine for the changes to take effect. Go to the taskbar, click the Windows icon, press the power icon and select Restart.

Step 7

Press the Windows Key + R to open Run. Type “services.msc” and click OK.

Step 8

Scroll down the list of services to Wired AutoConfig. Double-click to open its properties.

Step 9

In the general tab, set the Startup type to automatic and press Start to run the service. Furthermore, you need to click Apply and OK for the changes to take effect.

Step 10

Again, select Wired AutoConfig service and double-click to open its properties.

Step 11

Make sure the Startup type is Automatic and the Service status is running. After you make changes, press Apply and OK. This should fix your ‘WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration’ error. If it doesn’t solve your issue, proceed to the next method.

Method #8: Set Your IP Address Manually

When you connect to a WiFi network, you are provided with a unique IP address by DHCP. However, if there is a problem with DHCP or with its settings, you will encounter ‘WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration’ error.

The problem is occurring because your computer is not receiving a valid IP configuration. Therefore, you can manually add an IP address to your system to fix this problem. To do that, follow the below steps:

Step 1

Press Windows Key + X.

Step 2

Select Network Connections from the list.

Step 3

In the Network status window, choose Change adapter options to see network adapters and change connection configuration.

Step 4

In the Network Connections window, select your wireless network.

Step 5

Right-click on your WiFi network and select Properties from the menu.

Step 6

In the Wi-Fi Properties window, choose Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) from the list. Then click Properties.

Step 7

When IPv4 Properties window opens, select Use the following IP address and type the IP address, Subnet mask, and Default gateway.

Set IP address to 192.168.1.x (you can replace x with any number, in our case we have used 14).

Set Subnet mask to 255.255.255.0. Then set Default gateway to 192.168.1.1.

Step 8

Here, mark Use the following DNS server addresses and set Preferred DNS server to 208.67.222.222. Then set Alternate DNS server to 208.67.220.220.

Step 9

Click OK. Check if the solution has fixed your ‘WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration’ issue. If not, continue to the next procedure.

Method #9: Perform a Clean Boot

A clean boot is done to launch Windows by using only the basic set of drivers and startup applications. By performing a clean boot, you will have to disable all third-party programs and services to determine if any of these programs is interfering with your WiFi connection thus causing ‘WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration’ error. To do a clean boot, do the following:

Step 1

Press Windows Key + R. Type “msconfig” into the Run box and click OK to open System Configuration.

Also, you can go to the taskbar, type system configuration into the search box and enter the first match.

Step 2

In the System Configuration window, select selective startup and unmark the checkbox next to Load startup items.

Step 3

Click the Services tab and mark the checkbox next to Hide all Microsoft services. This will hide all Microsoft applications and services because we only need to disable third-party programs.

Step 4

Press Disable all.

Step 5

Click the Startup tab and enter Open Task Manager.

Step 6

In the Task Manager window, you will view a list of startup programs. Right-click each enabled program and disable it. Also, you can select each enabled application and click the Disable button.

Step 7

After finishing disabling startup applications, close the Task Manager and return to the System Configuration. Click Apply and OK.

Step 8

Finally, you need to restart your machine for the changes to take effect. Go to the taskbar, click the Windows icon, press the power icon and select Restart. This should fix your ‘WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration’ error. If it doesn’t fix your issue, continue to the next method.

Method #10: Increase the Number of Allowed DHCP Users

There are reports from Windows 10 users that you can fix ‘WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration’ error by adding the number of DHCP users. Routers are commonly limited to 50 DHCP users.

To solve this issue, access your router and increase the number of users manually. You will need to check your router manual to learn how to change the DHCP number of users.

Method #11: Uninstall Your Antivirus

Windows 10 users have reported that antivirus software can cause ‘WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration’ error. Your antivirus software could be interrupting the IP configuration. Therefore, you will need to uninstall it from your operating systems.

Step 1

Press Windows Key + R to open Run.

Step 2

Type “appwiz.cpl” and click OK or hit Enter.

Step 3

In the Programs and Features window, you will a list of programs. Select your third-party antivirus and click Uninstall / Change.

Step 4

If you resolve ‘WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration’ error after uninstallation, you can install the latest version of your antivirus or opt for different antivirus software.

Method #12: Make Sure Your DHCP is turned on

As we have mentioned, DHCP is responsible for assigning a unique IP address to your PC. So, if it is deactivated, you may face problems like the ‘WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration’ issue.

To ensure that DHCP is enabled, you should troubleshoot your network connection. To do so:

Step 1

Open Control Panel. Go to the taskbar, click the search icon, type control panel and select the first match.

Step 2

In the Control Panel window, select Network and Internet.

Step 3

In the Network and Internet window, choose Network and Sharing Center.

Step 4

When Network and Sharing Center opens, select Troubleshoot problems to diagnose and repair network problems.

Step 5

The Settings window appears. From the right pane, under Get up and running choose Internet Connections. Then click Run the troubleshooter.

Step 6

The troubleshooter will scan for network problems. If DHCP is not active, the troubleshooter will enable it. Check if the solution has fixed your WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration issue. If not, continue to the next procedure.

Conclusion

With all the fixes mentioned, you should fix ‘WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration’ error. We have discussed the possible causes of the error along with the fixes to the error.

Which method worked best for you? Let us know in the comment section below.