How to Turn Your Windows 11 or 10 PC into a Wi-Fi Hotspot (2026)

Need to share your laptop's internet with a phone, a tablet or another computer? Windows 11 and Windows 10 can turn your PC into a Wi-Fi hotspot in a few clicks, sharing an Ethernet, Wi-Fi or mobile data connection, with no extra software. This guide shows how to set it up, how to change the network name and password, and how to fix the most common problems.

Turn on Mobile hotspot (Windows 11)

1. Open Settings > Network & internet > Mobile hotspot.
2. Under Share my internet connection from, choose the connection that has internet (for example Ethernet or Wi-Fi).
3. Under Share over, choose Wi-Fi (or Bluetooth for a lower-power link).
4. Expand Properties and click Edit to set the network name, password and band.
5. Switch Mobile hotspot to On.

You can also toggle it later from Quick Settings (Win+A) once it's set up.

On Windows 10

The steps are the same under Settings > Network & Internet > Mobile hotspot; the network name and password are under Edit.

Choose good settings

Up to 8 devices can connect at once.

Check the connection from the command line

:: driver details. "Hosted network supported : No" is normal today:
:: Mobile hotspot uses Wi-Fi Direct instead, which modern drivers support
netsh wlan show drivers

:: see the hotspot's virtual adapter and its IP address (usually 192.168.137.1)
ipconfig | findstr /i "192.168.137"

Connected devices get an address in the 192.168.137.x range from Windows' Internet Connection Sharing service.

Troubleshooting

"We can't set up mobile hotspot"

• Update the Wi-Fi driver from your PC or adapter manufacturer's website. Generic drivers often lack Wi-Fi Direct support.
• Turn Wi-Fi off and on, or restart the PC.
• Run Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters > Network and Internet.

Devices connect but have no internet

Make sure the Internet Connection Sharing service is running, then restart the hotspot:

Get-Service SharedAccess
Start-Service SharedAccess          # run PowerShell as Administrator

Also check that the connection selected under Share my internet connection from is the one that actually has internet. VPN apps can block sharing; disconnect the VPN and try again.

Hotspot turns off by itself

That's the Power saving option. Turn it off in the Mobile hotspot settings if you want it always on.

Only 2.4 GHz works

Some adapters can't run a 5 GHz hotspot while connected to a 2.4 GHz network (or the reverse). Choose Any available band.

Security tips

• Use a strong password and change it if you shared it with someone temporarily.
• Turn the hotspot off when you're done, especially in public places.
• Remember that you're responsible for traffic shared through your connection, and mobile data plans may count it toward your limit.

Having trouble with a specific adapter? Post the output of netsh wlan show drivers in the comments.