Whether it’s your first time connecting your Wi-Fi to 5 GHz or you just purchased a new 5GHz dual-band Wi-Fi router, we found several fixes to help you enable 5GHz on a Windows 10 computer. Try one or a combination of these fixes to see what works for you.
How To Enable 5 GHz Wi-Fi On Windows 10 (Quick Fixes)
1. Check the Capability Of Your Network Adapter
One main reason that your 5 GHz Wi-Fi is not working on your Windows 10 computer is that your network card/adapter does not support 5 GHz bandwidth. You can check the capability of your adapter through the following steps:
- Press the Start menu
- Click the R key and the Windows logo key simultaneously
- Type cmd in the Run box and press OK
- When prompted on the command window, write netsh WLAN show drivers and click Enter
- Scroll to the Radio supported area
- If it reads that the network card supports network modes of 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11n, then that’s an indication that your computer only supports a 2.4 GHz network only. However, if it displays that the adapter supports network modes of 802.11ac, 802.11a, 802.11g, and 802.11n, then it means that your windows 10 computer has both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz network capability.
Therefore, after determining that your network adapter does not support 5 GHz, you will need to buy a USB Wi-Fi adapter or a new network card.
2. Update Your Driver
Windows 10 operating system does not always offer the latest driver versions; some may be incompatible or outdated. Therefore, for you to enable your 5 GHz Wi-Fi on windows 10, we suggest that you update the network graphic drivers by downloading them from the official manufacturer’s website.
However, before downloading the drivers, search correctly for the specific driver model that perfectly fits the windows 10 operating system. You can download the driver manually and install it step by step. However, you need some computer skills to use this option. If you are not tech-savvy, do not risk downloading and installing incompatible drivers just prompt the system and it will automatically download the right drivers. This is the easiest and most efficient option especially for computer newbies since it eliminates possible mistakes of installing wrong drivers.
Related: How to Set Up a Router Without a Computer
3. Change Your Network Adapter Mode
After ensuring that your network card supports 5 GHz, it is important to check whether you may have accidentally disabled the 5 GHz in your network adapter. A possible fix to enable 5 GHz Wi-Fi on windows 10 would be to change the network adapter mode. The steps below will enable you to sort out the issue
- Press hold the windows key and the R key concurrently
- In the Run box tab, type devmgmt. msc and press OK
- Scroll down and right-click on the network adapter >properties.
- Select the Advanced, then Wireless Mode > Auto then click OK
- While on the Advanced tab, scroll to preferred Band, then set 5G first and click OK
The above steps will help you enable 5GHz on your windows 10 computer. However, the wireless mode is only accessible for cards that support 5 GHz network. Therefore, if you can’t locate the wireless mode that means your network card does not support 5GHz.
4. Reinstall the Driver
If updating the driver does not enable your 5GHz Wi-Fi on windows 10, probably reinstalling the driver may help to fix the issue. The process for reinstalling your wireless adapter driver is explained in the following nuggets.
- Click the Windows and R key at the concurrently.
- Inside Run box, write devmgmt. msc and hit OK.
- Select the Device Manager and right-click on the wireless adapter and press Uninstall device
- Delete the driver software for this device and then press Uninstall
- After uninstalling your network adapter, it will automatically disappear from the Wireless Network adapter’s catalog.
- Select Action and autorun the Scan any hardware changes. Your device will automatically search and synchronize the missing driver in the wireless network adapter and reinstall it.
- The reinstalled driver will appear on the Network adapters list.
5. Change Your Router Channel
Generally, the default settings of Wi-Fi routers are set to meet local standard requirements. This means the Wi-Fi channel setting is in auto mode. If your 5 GHz Wi-Fi channel number changes, your router may be customized to another country’s channel number, which can cause incompatibility issues where windows 10 fails to detect your 5 GHz Wi-Fi. Therefore, changing the Wi-Fi router channel number can help to enable 5 GHz Wi-Fi on your Windows 10.
Apply the following tips to change your Wi-Fi channel number
- At the same time, Press Windows and the R key
- In the run box write cmd and hit Enter
- Write ipconfig and select Enter
- The Default access Gateway address is your router ‘s IP address
- Copy and Paste the IP address into a website browser and select Enter
- Then, type your password and username
- Open Wireless Settings
- Change the number on the Channel section, set it between 36-48 or 149-165, this will prevent Dynamic Frequency Select (DFS) and avoid automatic switching of your Wi-Fi router into a different channel.
- Save the changes
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FAQ on How To Enable 5 GHz Wi-Fi On Windows 10
How Do I Manually Switch To 5 GHz Wi-Fi On Windows 10?
The quickest way is to change the default Wi-Fi name and use different network names (SSIDs) for both 2.4 and 5 GHz networks, this will make it less noticeable that they are from a similar router.
Why Is the 5 GHz Wi-Fi Not Displaying In My Windows 10?
Ensure that your network adapter supports 5 GHz. Go to settings, click network and internet then Wi-Fi hardware properties of the connected device. Check whether the Network band indicates 5 GHz. If that’s okay, check your router and ensure the 5 GHz channel is switched ON and the SSID is visible.