Change or Optimize Network Adapter Settings on Windows

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Customize your network adapter’s properties to boost performance

Written by Stan Kats | Edited by Megaera Lorenz, PhD

Last Updated: July 29, 2026 Fact Checked

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Ways to Access Adapter Options

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Adapter Settings in Device Manager

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Options to Boost Internet Speed

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Adapter Settings in Control Panel

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Whether you use an external Wi-Fi adapter or are trying to optimize your computer’s built-in network adapters, it can be helpful to adjust your adapter’s settings. In this article, we’ll go over a couple of ways to access and find, open, and change adapter options in Windows 10 and 11. You can access some settings in Device Manager and others in Control Panel.

Changing Adapter Settings in Windows

To change adapter settings in Device Manager, look up what brand of adapter you have, then find it in the Network Adapters. Right-click it and select Properties.
Once you find your adapter, you can tweak the settings to get the best performance out of it.
To change connection type priority or set how your adapter obtains its IP address, open the Change Adapter Settings menu in Control Panel.

Section 1 of 4:

Ways to Access Adapter Options

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From Settings You can access some adapter options from the Settings menu in Windows 11. To get to your adapter settings this way:^{[1]
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- Press Windows key + i to open Settings.
- Click Network & internet in the left-hand menu bar.
- Select Advanced network settings. It’s at the bottom of the menu.
- Under the Network adapters header, click the dropdown arrow next to the adapter for which you want to see options. To see additional options, click the > next to View additional properties or click Edit next to More adapter options.
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From Control Panel This method works in both Windows 10 and Windows 11, and offers a more straightforward way to view and edit adapter options than the Settings menu. For a more detailed breakdown of what you can do from the Control Panel, jump to Changing Adapter Settings in Control Panel. To access your adapter settings this way:
- Open Control Panel.
- Select Network and Sharing Center.
- Click Change adapter settings.
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With the Run command This shortcut will take you straight to the Change adapter settings menu in the Network and Sharing Center. Press Windows key + r and type in ncpa.cpl, then press Enter.
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In Device Manager Your computer’s Device Manager is hiding a whole host of adapter options that you can’t access from Settings or the Control Panel! To see a more detailed breakdown of how to access these settings, jump to Accessing Adapter Settings in Device Manager. To learn what you can do with these settings, jump to Adapter Options to Boost Internet Speed. Here’s the quick version:
- Right-click the Start menu and select Device Manager.
- Expand the Network Adapters section.
- Right-click your adapter and click Properties.

Section 2 of 4:

Accessing Adapter Settings in Device Manager

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Identify your wireless adapter. Before accessing your Wi-Fi adapter’s settings in Device Manager, you’ll need to figure out what kind of adapter you have. These steps will work in Windows 11 or 10:^{[2]
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- In the Start menu search bar, type in change wi-fi settings. Select Wi-Fi settings from the search results.
- Click Hardware properties.
- Check the Manufacturer section to figure out the brand of your adapter (e.g., Intel or Realtek).
- Look in the Protocol section to see what type of Wi-Fi your adapter is compatible with.
- The steps in this method will help you access your adapter’s advanced settings menu. You can also change some other adapter settings, like how your computer prioritizes wireless vs. wired connections, in the Control Panel.
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Right-click the Start menu and select Device Manager. A new window will open.^{[3]
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Find your wireless adapter. Expand the Network Adapters section of the left-hand menu. Look for an adapter that matches the brand name you found in your Wi-Fi settings.^{[4]
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Right-click the adapter and select Properties. You can also double-click the adapter to open the Properties menu.^{[5]
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Click the Advanced tab. Here, you’ll find the advanced settings for your adapter.^{[6]
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- To adjust your settings to get the best performance out of your adapter, continue to the next section.

Section 3 of 4:

Adapter Options to Boost Internet Speed

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Update your adapter’s settings to fix a slow internet connection. Before you start messing around with your adapter’s advanced settings, try some basic troubleshooting steps to get your connection working properly again. If that doesn’t work, you can try applying the following settings in the menu you accessed through the Device Manager. Keep in mind that not all of these might be available depending on your adapter model:^{[7]
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- 802.11n Channel Width (2.4 GHz & 5 GHz): Set this value to Auto so your adapter can automatically connect to the best available Wi-Fi band.
- 802.11n / 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) Mode: Set this value to Enabled unless you regularly experience dropped connections with a newer router, in which case Disabled may work better.
- Preferred Band: Select Prefer 5 GHz or 5G First. Your adapter will prioritize connecting to faster 5 GHz router bands unless the 2.4 GHz connection is stronger. (This only works if your router uses the same SSID for both bands.)
- Wireless Mode: Set this value to the highest protocol available in the dropdown menu.
- Roaming Aggressiveness: For a more stable connection, choose the lowest option for computers you only use in one location. If you tend to physically move around with your computer, select the Medium option.
- Transmit Power: Choose the highest available option (or 5). This will set your adapter to transmit the strongest possible signal to your router.
- Throughput Booster/Enhancement: Disable this option unless your computer is the only one on the network. Otherwise, it will prevent other devices on the network from making a strong connection to your Wi-Fi.
- Fat Channel Intolerant: Set this option to Disabled to boost your transfer speeds.
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Save your changes and restart. Once you’ve made the desired changes, click OK and close the Device Manager. Then, reboot your computer to make sure the changes fully take effect.

Section 4 of 4:

Changing Adapter Settings in Control Panel

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Open the Network and Sharing Center. The Network and Sharing Center in your Control Panel allows you to access a different set of adapter settings from the ones in Device Manager. To get there in Windows 10 or 11:
- Search for Control Panel in the Start menu and open Control Panel from the results.
- Go to Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center (or just select Network and Sharing Center if the Large icons view is selected).
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Click Change Adapter Settings. It’s in the left menu bar. A window showing your various network adapters will open.
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Double-click an adapter to open its settings. Select the adapter for which you want to change settings. Double-click it to open a new window. From there, you can:
- Click Enable or Disable to turn the adapter on or off.
- Click Diagnose to troubleshoot connection issues.
- Click Properties to access additional settings. You can also right-click the adapter and select Properties to go straight to this menu.
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Change adapter priority in the Properties menu. If you have multiple network adapters active (e.g., for Ethernet vs. Wi-Fi), you can use this menu to choose what type of connection your PC prioritizes when multiple options are available. To do so, click Properties at the bottom of your adapter’s menu. Then:^{[8]
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- Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties.
- Click Advanced at the bottom of the window.
- Uncheck the “Automatic Metric” option.
- Enter a number in the Interface Metric text field.
  - The lower the number, the higher the priority, so give lower numbers to connections you want to prioritize and higher numbers to ones you don’t want to prioritize.
  - For example, if you want to prioritize your Ethernet connection over Wi-Fi, you could enter a 1 in the Interface Metric field for your Ethernet adapter, and a 10 for your Wi-Fi adapter.
- Click OK when you’re done.
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Change how your adapter obtains an IP or DNS address. If you need to use a specific IP address or DNS server, you can also do so from the Properties menu.
- In the main Properties menu for your adapter, select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties.
- In the window that opens, select whether you want to obtain your IP address and DNS server address automatically or use a specific address.
  - If you select the manual option, you’ll need to fill in your preferred address and any other relevant information (e.g., the subnet mask and default gateway for your IP address).
- Click OK when you’re done.